Releases #005 and #006

No news to report on releases #003 and #004, which were hopefully given a happy home by someone before the rain clouds came over on Thursday night. Slightly ironic that one of them was a photo of a raindrop, possibly.

But the photocrossing project continues apace, with an enjoyable hour on Hastings seafront in the excellent company of Terry. God bless 'im for attempting to get some shots of me in "action" for a forthcoming Channel Hastings newsletter; for someone who's used to capturing freerunning teenagers somersaulting from Bottle Alley, this must've been fairly lame stuff....

Anyway, two beach-related shots this time, hence the location. One of these - #006, the sign in the window of 'Up the Garden Path' in Hastings High Street - would've lent itself very well to being propped upright in a suitable spot, except that a fierce wind wasn't playing along and quickly toppled it from its perch. Never mind.

Having put the photos in place on a couple of picnic tables, we stayed around for a cup of tea and a chat nearby...and had the very satisfying experience of seeing one, or possibly both, of them claimed by some people wandering past. If that was you, do leave a comment, send an email, or something. It'd be great to hear from you.

#005:





#006:





Next up, the photocrossing craze hits Cornwall!

Releases #003 and #004

After a bit of a break, it's time for a return to Alexandra Park to release a couple more photos into the world. Much as I like the shot, I felt that #001 was a little too far removed from context - a snowy pier, left on a bench by a boating lake on a sunny day - and so I've decided to be more careful in future, leaving the photos in more fitting, satisfying places. Well, it makes me happy....

So, #003 is in the Peace Garden. Because it's, um, peaceful. And #004 was initially on another bench by the boating lake, until I decided to be more ambitious and sit it on one of the little wooden jetties. That is, obviously, asking for it to be lobbed into the lake...but I thought I'd take that chance....

#003:





#004:





I will, of course, post an update if I hear anything about where they've ended up. That may include a letter from Hastings Council about chucking rubbish into the boating lake. Regardless, I've got another two lined up for the next few days...and they're beach-related, so keep yer eyes peeled if you're wandering around the seafront....

Releases #001 and #002: update

As you may already have seen , #002 was found on the bench in Alexandra Park by Joe, who left a comment to say that "it now has pride of place on my desk and it makes me smile each time I see it". Which is a pretty fantastic result, all things considered, and caused a great deal of a-whoopin' and a-hollerin' at the time. It's bloody wonderful when one of these daft schemes actually works!

No news to report on #001, however. Is it still there? Is it in a bin or on a mantelpiece somewhere? Is it currently being auctioned on eBay for a small fortune as a collectors' item? We'll probably never know, but that's part of the fun....

I'm in the fraught process of moving house at the moment, which means that there might be a slight delay before #003 and #004 see the light of day. Some time next week, though, I reckon. Keep 'em peeled.

Releases #001 and #002

Well, the first two are out in the world...or in Alexandra Park, to be more precise. I'm currently hoping that it doesn't rain. I decided to put #002 on the same bench that appears in the photo, as that seemed quite appropriate; #001 is on a bench by the boating lake....

#001:





...and #002:





Who knows whether I'll ever hear from them again...!

Introduction

So, here we go. A bit of a project....

Thing is, much as I'm aware that I'm still getting to grips with the basics of photography, I'm quietly pleased with a few of my shots and I like the idea of doing more with them than merely stuffing them onto a shelf, never to be seen again. While I can put them up on Flickr, there's still something missing. A sense of real purpose, an end product.

The project, then: I'm calling it "photocrossing", as it takes its inspiration from bookcrossing. I'm going to pick some of my favourite shots, frame small prints of them, and leave them in various places around Hastings for whoever happens to find them. Each photo will have a label on the back:



I'll take shots of wherever I leave them...and if, by some implausible chain of events, I find out where they end up, I'll record that too.

For all I know, everyone's doing it already and I'm the last to be told...but it seems like a fun and interesting way of giving life to my photos after they've been developed. Besides, I love those moments when you're walking around, minding your own business...and the world suddenly catches you off-guard in some small way that makes you smile or makes you think. If I can give someone else one of those moments, that's a happy thought.

So, the first two in the series are ready to go:





...and I'll report back when I've released them!