B&W gallery: abandoned bike

Until quite recently, London was a terrible place for cycling in. Now, with traffic so congested

and average speeds reduced to less than they were in the days of the horse and cart,

you're more likely to be knocked down by a bike than a car in central London. And until quite

recently, the A23 through Streatham, where we lived, was a race track to the south. So it's

hardly surprising that the bike here didn't get used much, and was effectively left to rust

picturesquely away under the magnolia.

This was a very old picture shot on something like an Instamatic half-frame camera.

However, on using Perfect Photo Suite to increase the resolution (using fractals) and

converting to a sepia-toned b&w, it now has a certain charm. In order to make the

right-hand side of the frame more interesting than just a dark gate, I have added a window

gobo from Tiffen Dfx, as if a reflection from a sunlit window nearby. This needed to be

angled and tweaked slightly to look natural as it hits the cross-members of the gate.

Until quite recently, London was a terrible place for cycling in. Now, with traffic so congested and

average speeds reduced to less than they were in the days of the horse and cart, you're

more likely to be knocked down by a bike than a car in central London. And until quite recently,

the A23 through Streatham, where we lived, was a race track to the south. So it's hardly

surprising that the bike here didn't get used much, and was effectively left to rust picturesquely

away under the magnolia.

This was a very old picture shot on something like an Instamatic half-frame camera. However,

on using Perfect Photo Suite to increase the resolution (using fractals) and converting to a

sepia-toned b&w, it now has a certain charm. In order to make the right-hand side of the

frame more interesting than just a dark gate, I have added a window gobo from Tiffen Dfx, as

if a reflection from a sunlit window nearby. This needed to be angled and tweaked slightly to

look natural as it hits the cross-members of the gate.

Under the magnolia