Pointed my camera at this intriguing pair of characters while out and about with Jo at Box Hill in Surrey, England – I love the surreal and dream-like quality of this photograph. It keeps reminding me of a short story, Leaf by Niggle, I came across on Jo’s bookshelf in a yellow-paged collection of work by J.R.R. Tolkien.
From wiki: ‘…the story is an allegory of Tolkien’s own creative process, and, to an extent, of his own life…It also expresses his philosophy of divine creation and human sub-creation.’
(Exposed: Ilford Delta 100, Nikon FE, Nikon 35mm f1.4 AIS; Developed: Ilfosol 3 + Ilford stop and fixer; Scanned: Canon 6D, Nikon 105mm f2.8 Micro AIS; Processed: Darktable, Linux)
Leaf by Niggle is well worth a read, not only for Tolkien’s superb story telling, but also his probing ideas of creative purpose and value. I wonder what he would make of the renown his work has acquired since he put these ideas to paper in 1939 – I imagine the Mountains would ring with laughter.
As for my photos, I’m enjoying the slower, more considered tempo of the film process and the images I’m managing to capture. I recently returned from a short break in North Norfolk with a roll of Ilford Ortho Plus put through a Minolta Autocord. Unfortunately my film developing chemicals have expired, so as soon as I get a new supply I should have some fresh images to share.
Until then, onwards, ever further and further towards the Mountains, always uphill.
Jeffrey Mundell 