For anyone who fails to comprehend the particular allure of an English summer, I would cordially invite you to conduct a small thought experiment. Picture yourself on a Mediterranean beach at a sweltering 45 degrees. As you sit there, quietly perspiring and contemplating the blistering heat on the back of your neck, do feel free to reconsider the matter.
This year, we decided to embrace the clichés in their entirety, and I’m delighted to report we managed to secure the full English summer experience: a glorious three-day spell of brilliant sunshine. And yes, some of the fare is wonderfully greasy (I’m looking at you, Fish & Chips), and the beer, let’s say, different from home.
But to say we just sampled the culinary delights would be an understatement; we took in the entirety of GB. We embraced meandering by van through the verdant landscapes of the South West and along the dramatic hills of Wales. Our purpose was a pilgrimage of sorts: to visit photographers and storied studios, and to commune with kindred spirits.
The highlights? Several splendid, rollicking parties where conversations about lenses, exposure times, and the alchemy of the darkroom flowed as freely as the drinks. It began with a party at MooPa—not a photographers‘ party, but an incredibly inspiring community filled with music and absolutely wonderful people. In between, we visited Chris at his studio, looked around the studio at Tom’s place, and stopped by to see Tony, where we also got to meet several wet plate photographers.
And for a final act, a multi-day gathering with masters of the wet plate collodion process—the captivating, 19th-century art of creating portraits on glass. It was thoroughly inspiring, delightfully chaotic, and utterly fascinating.
In summary? It was, in a word: brilliant. It was a cracking time. It was absolutely super.
It served as a timely reminder that the finest summer isn’t defined by the highest temperature, but by the richness of the experience.
Until next time 🙂
(In three weeks, I took too many photos with too many different cameras and films, some of which had expired… I narrowed it down, but there are still A LOT of them. Sorry.)
