Merry Covid Christmas

It has been another strange one and yes we can’t mention Christmas 2021 without covid. It’s just a way of life at the moment but we made the most of it - I’m hoping you did too!

So I have been mixing it up as of late, and i’m sure some of you have noticed a few black and white images making their way into the work that I’m putting out into the world. I made a decision a few months back that I wanted to dive back into the monochrome world and this Christmas was going to be solely documented in black and white. Back to basics you could say - just snaps of little moments that happened.

Heres’s my photo essay of Christmas 2021.

Enjoy

Steve surprised us by walking through in what I can only describe as a skin tight Christmas jumper, we thought had got more tattoos for a minute.

It was a hit! We laughed.

..and the back

Granny surprised us by pulling out a sandwich bag from her handbag, containing her slippers.

Why are they in a bag inside a bag?

Granny: “incase they smell, silly”

Do they smell?

Granny: “No”

A lovely spread.

of course you need matching elf costumes

this is as much as you need to know about Lydia

right, just one serious photo please

Granny, look this way for a photo

it doesn’t matter

guess what Santa brought

Gem made a nice little job of the table

Gem keeping warm

ladies and gentlemen, the king.

A very quiet covid Christmas dinner

This is probably the best photo I took all Christmas.

you know it, another very lovely spread.

The only thing missing here was a bottle of port. don’t worry, I pulled it out the cupboard later on.

of course she had to win

What do you call a reindeer with no eyes? No idea.

Cheeeeeese

he might have been nodding off.

We had a few drinks

Em had a few sweets, it has the same effect as the drinks ha!

Oh to be 7 again, swing me!

more drinks were flowing by this point

something tickled Gem

Clearly having a good time

Time to open the bubbly. So you probably need to know Mick is a big kid, he very much likes to shake up the Champagne while opening it.

Nita swiftly removed the bottle from him.

I asked if I could help do some drawing, I was told no.

Its clearly a cat. I was very wrong to suggest it might look like a bat.

someones getting a little tired now.

drinks and cards! I actually really enjoy this. I should have had a glass of whisky to go with it.

Getting Nita a crack a smile took all my ‘professional photographic experience’

You gotta find the corners and edges first! I did not know this.

a phone box. Just because. well you don’t actually see that many of them now.

Bradly came down for the day to shoot around the fitties with me. It was great to head out and shoot some different stuff over Christmas.

a very nice effort.

Someone was very spoiled this christmas, they got a new swing, and a deluxe tyre version at that!

something quite Eggelston about this. I very much liked it. I told Brad a few times that I very much liked this too.

Toby was tied on his lead to the side of Brad. He would sit and wait whist Brad lined up and shot the scene, as soon as the shutter went, he would jump up ready to go. He knows its time to move after each click.

Im wondering if I can teach Gem this.

/ /

Yeah I have had a few nights on the rum too!

time for your close up Toby! This was requested by Karl Bailey. Here you go buddy!

Like a pro! Just getting bright enough to hand hold the camera at this point, what a treat!

You know when you look back at vintage cars form years past. Well one day this is going to be worth something. the photo, not the car lol!

Circles and triangles.

I just liked this composition, something pretty pleasing to my eye. I think I told Brad this a few times as well haha!

someone went all out this year

Probably my favourite scene / landscape from the Fitties. Brad and I both stood appreciating the view. We concluded it’s the flag that makes it.

How very refined of us.

Roll change. Have you heard of this new tech that’s going to be massive? You won’t ever have to change your roll again. I’m not sure its going to catch on though.

Hello mr dawgy

One of these days the kids that climb to the top of this ride are going to fall off, and I’m going to feel so bad whist I photograph it.

the latest in Ford engineering technology. I give you the cup shelf.

it was fooking freezing. I don’t know what he was thinking.

That glorious moment someone actually won something!!!

Time for a bit of street photography around the city of York.

“uncle Dan, can I tell you a secret - Daddy got a speeding ticket”

I often walk my plants too. it’s good to get them out the house for a bit.

the Christmas tree holding pen.

Do you remember when people used to sit and read news papers?

This one reminded me of a blank 35mm frame.I got some funny looks as I lined up to shoot a window of ‘nothing’.

not another bloody jigsaw!

the phone has her now!

Apparently if there is a steamed up window and you don’t shoot it, you are breaking some kind of photographic law. I thought I’d better take a frame to be safe.

you just know he’s up to something.

Everyone drinks gin now. It’s very trendy!

I had a rum, correction, a double rum. Im so avant-garde.

Yeah, you spotted me.

Even Santa got Covid!

Only after I shot this photo did I notice I was snapping a fellow Leica shooter. I feel he would have approved.

So, a weeks worth of Christmas holidays, a shit load of drinks and probably more food consumed than the local McDonald’s drive through.

Mike, could you visually sum that up for us?

Perfect!

- Fin -

I always end up being back to projects that I’ve shot. Although New York wasn’t really a project it was more of me just reacting to the sights and sounds of the city. Nonetheless I always head back from time to time to revisit the photos that I captured. I think it’s such an important process to revisit those images as time passes on they take on new meanings with more impact. As much as I love shooting in colour I started my photography practice in black-and-white. I am very fond of looking at black-and-white images and I think New York lends itself beautifully to the monochromatic look.
for me it’s such a therapeutic process to revisit these photographs and rediscover those moments I had forgotten. Reworking them into black-and-white images adds a new dimension and timeless aesthetic to these forgotten moments. So I thought I would share my recent re-discoveries of some forgotten images with you and also my rekindling with monochrome work.
these are just a few of the images that I have cherry picked and processed to black-and-white, I hope you enjoy them.

A very merry Covid

Merry Covid Christmas

- Fin -

New York in black & white

The Pink (Black and White) Pig

Dan's Blog

Get Insta access

Twitter