Benedict Brain is a UK-based photographer, journalist and artist. He is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and sits on the society’s Distinctions Advisory Panel. He is also a past editor of Digital Camera Magazine, and the author of You Will be Able to Take Great Photos by The End of This Book.
Most of the photographs I discuss in this column are taken on my travels. I love photographing in fresh, new places, which fuels my creativity. Perhaps it’s the dislocation that helps me ‘see’ afresh, or maybe it’s just being away from the cycle of everyday chores and stresses that helps me focus, literally and metaphorically. Annoyingly, the past few months have seen my travel schedule dry up, so I’ve been stuck at home. My photographic output has taken a nosedive, and my productivity has been meager compared with earlier this year. However, I’m starting to remind myself of an important lesson: photographs can be taken anywhere. While I still relish my travels, taking photos on your own doorstep can be just as rewarding.
These four images are of ‘ghost signs’ captured in my home city of Bath, UK. Most visitors come to photograph the grand Georgian architecture but I find these small, barely visible remnants of the past a fantastic way of engaging with the city – and, most importantly, an invaluable lesson in looking. To my shame, I’ve walked past many of these signs for years without really noticing them. If you aren’t familiar with them, a ghost sign refers to faded advertisements or signage painted on buildings, often weathered and sometimes barely visible. As it turns out, Bath has loads of them – and these are four of my favorites.
They’re quite challenging to photograph, though. I’ve been using my lovely new Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art, but a tilt/shift lens would be useful to correct the inevitable converging verticals from pointing my camera up and at an angle. I admit to using Adobe Camera Raw’s Geometry Transformation tools to straighten things up – it’s not my usual style, but I like the formal arrangement of a clean, straight crop to show off these signs. Perhaps there are ghost signs in your home area or maybe something else you’ve been walking past for years without noticing. Try looking around and seeing your home patch with the same sense of visual excitement that you do when traveling.
• Other articles in the Art of Seeing series
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