The Circus..

Although I have stepped away from the gallery scene for a bit it was nice to be asked to be part of the show as advertised below.
The image used for the show invite (not in the show but still available of course) is one of delight, but not without memories of fear and a near end of life experience.
This 'Teletubbies Landscape,' made late at night in one of London's many Urban golf courses, was one of the first images I made with the mighty 10/8" view camera monster which soon became known as 'The Circus ' because it was like carrying a television on a broomstick and I often felt like I was performing in some strong man show minus the leotard and curly mushtache.
Making a one hour exposure on a 10/8 camera in wind and rain is not easy feat, It requires patience, skill, and a brolly which must be directed into the wind to avoid any flapping of the bellows. So there I was fighting the elements on a scene with very little direct light, but a beautiful red sky due to the cities light pollution (the wetter it is, the more red the clouds). I was pretty sure I had the shot after an hour and headed back to the car. As I made my way precariously down a bunker slope I stepped on what I thought was a patch of sand. But my friends of the dark cloth, this was not sand. Before I knew it I was up to my arm pits in water. The weight of 'the Circus' pushing me deeper into the silty underfoot of the now realised Golf Course Pond. As I had never asked permission to enter the land of lovely grass I was not about to call for help, and so, for some unknown reason I will never know the answer to I managed to turn around, place the camera on the side of the mini lake and then swam like a puppy in a garden pond about twenty meters until I was knee deep and able to step out in to the cold night air.
Wet, miserable and on the verge of hypothermia I took my soggy ass (and The Circus) and made my way back to the car only to realise I had been locked into the golf car park.
But at least my image was sharp....