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The most well known of San Francisco's numerous pedestrian streets is that section of Filbert Street between Montgomery and Battery streets on the steep eastern slope of Telegraph Hill - the Filbert Steps. This pastoral enclave, which includes the cross streets Darrell Place and Napier Lane and the nearby Greenwich Steps, is dotted with cottages that are testament to the bittersweet challenge of cottage living.

The Cottage Book, 1989

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Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco

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Songkran in Chiang Mai – with toy camera

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analogue memories scanned

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The last week in Chiang Mai..

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Thai Massage Technique Demonstration in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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This photo from my diary

Opening old boxes of a time when I used to go everywhere with my camera, where everybody knew I would be photographing and eventually I became invisible in a good way.

This photo is from a friend's band who were setting up and getting ready for their show at a Liverpool music venue.

‪#‎diary‬ ‪#‎friends‬ ‪#‎lifepast‬ ‪#‎music #concert ‪#‎blackandwhite‬ ‪#‎photography‬‪#‎womanphotographer‬ ‪#‎blackandwhitedreaming‬ ‪#‎memories‬ ‪#‎myphotos‬‪#‎myphotography‬

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This photo from my diary

Opening old boxes of a time when I used to go everywhere with my camera, where everybody knew I would be photographing and eventually I became invisible in a good way.

This photo is from a weekend trip I made with a group of friends. Happily before internet and i-phones dominated our lives. We might just about have had mobile phones then..

‪#‎diary‬ ‪#‎friends‬ ‪#‎lifepast‬ ‪#‎winter‬ ‪#‎blackandwhite‬ ‪#‎photography‬‪#‎womanphotographer‬ ‪#‎blackandwhitedreaming‬ ‪#‎memories‬ ‪#‎myphotos‬‪#‎myphotography‬

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This photo from my diary

Opening old boxes of a time when I used to go everywhere with my camera, where everybody knew I would be photographing and eventually I became invisible in a good way.

Here a talented dancer for whom I took some performance photographs at the Unity Theater {here during the dress rehearsal}.

‪#‎dancer‬ ‪#‎diary‬ ‪#‎blackandwhite‬ ‪#‎photography‬ ‪#‎Liverpool‬ ‪#‎UnityTheater‬ ‪#‎over7seas‬

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Another photograph from my diaries..

I am looking for more opportunities to photograph people again. It feels like it's been a while since I got this close to anybody with a camera and them not really even noticing that I am there.

Please let me know if you know of any paid opportunities for me to photograph again.

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A photo from my diary

I sit among boxes of photographs that contain my memories.

This is a friend, whose friendship was life changing for me, taken at a rare meeting in Cologne some 10 years ago.

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Bailey Mill Weekend Journey with friends,

This photo from my diary

Opening old boxes of a time when I used to go everywhere with my camera, where everybody knew I would be photographing and eventually I became invisible in a good way.

I am not sure at which moment I lost that connection, it seems like it's been a long time since I took photographs in the same way as when the camera was practically glued to me. Of course with digital I now take hundreds of photographs where in the past it would be at most 100 but of those 100 I was connected very deeply to a high percentage. 

If you want to call it the 'success rate' doesn't seem to have been significantly changed by the magic of digital cameras. Of course the exposures are cleaner, so much can be done in camera. But does it always make the image better? It depends on the criteria.

My criteria were always to catch a moment like this one. My hope always was to become near invisible to the people I would photograph. Something that maybe is quite difficult today with digital camera gear which is twice the size of my old Pentax, ME super, my Nikon FE2. Both small, nifty little cameras. Very unobtrusive and not scary.

I love digital, but I do feel at times nostalgic for these old days. 

What brought me to get these old photographs out was really just that I am finally thinking of selling my old, and exceptionally loved Pentax Me Super camera with two lenses. It is a hard decision. I have loved this camera from here to Paris and back! 

‪#‎diary‬ ‪#‎friends‬ ‪#‎lifepast‬ ‪#‎blackandwhite‬ ‪#‎photography‬ ‪#‎womanphotographer‬‪#‎blackandwhitedreaming‬ ‪#‎memories‬ ‪#‎myphotos‬ ‪#‎myphotography‬ ‪#‎over7seas‬

pentaxMeSuper

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This photo from my diary

Opening old boxes of a time when I used to go everywhere with my camera, where everybody knew I would be photographing and eventually I became invisible in a good way.

Here a lovely friend of mine, who was much appreciated by Merlin, the black cat who could never be replaced.

My cat and my friends shared a kinship based on the best humour as much as introspective moments. 

‪#‎diary‬ ‪#‎friends‬ ‪#‎lifepast‬ ‪#‎george‬ ‪#‎blackandwhite‬ ‪#‎photography‬‪#‎womanphotographer‬ ‪#‎blackandwhitedreaming‬ ‪#‎memories‬ ‪#‎myphotos‬‪#‎myphotography‬

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Once upon a time I climbed into forgotten sections of old heritage building in the city of Liverpool. It was a time when daydreaming seemed like a viable career option, when taking photos was even more magical than it is today. 

Once upon a time I felt a great sense of connection to these forgotten, patina rich places. History was kind of tangible, as was the sense of possibilities. 

Today this building has been refurbished, I don't know what happened to my secret staircase, perhaps it has been polished and the walls painted. Perhaps it is locked these days. 

I do know that 10 years down the line daydreaming itself became intangible, dreams have slipped out of my grasp and I know that the right kind of activity, something still, something meditative, something like returning to a dark-room, THAT would bring the dreams back from their Cinderella slumbers...

As I type these passing thoughts the rain began outside and the small pitter-patter sounds of all those endless raindrops is pretty soothing to the soul. 

I took SO many staircase photographs. I am not too precious about them. That fear of the internet stealing things can really mess with one's desire to share creations and show them to the world.

Fear ought to move back a step, it would be so nice to find some people out here, some people who at age 40 have not resigned from daydreaming.

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365 

Letters

from Tahoe City, CA

365 days in

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Quirky Dog whom I found in Oakland. I just loved the way this dog seemed to wink and appear so happy and carefree.

This dog was actually not alone, it's owner was just having a coffee inside the cafe. So no worries, this puppy is happy.

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Camera Shop in a narrow Mysore side street