Very timely to read this post about street photography and nostalgia, Neil, as I’ve just received two big boxes of photos taken in my teens (which have been in storage at my Mum’s place for 20-odd years ago). I’m both excited and nervous to go through them all, but feeling inspired by your post to perhaps share some in a future issue of my own newsletter...
And thank you to @Charlene Storey for recommending this post. I’ve subscribed to read future ones.
Thanks Amy. I really appreciate those kind words and your story. Nostalgia is all around these days. About a decade ago, my mum took similar boxes, and split the photos up, those starring me, she put in a scrapbook, and those of my brother, in another (with some cross-over) and she gave us them. So I have a scrapbook of many photos of my youth that are really important to me. Going through the photos that first time was such a walk down memory lane... the first car I ever drove! My first guitar! etc Thanks for sharing and all the best!
Really enjoyed this exploration of street photography, Neil! Thanks for sharing. Loved the photos too. I've not done much with black and white lately but this post has really made me want to do it again! Gorgeous.
Thank you Charlene. It means a lot. I often joke that I shoot in black and white because I'm rubbish in colour, but the truth is I find black and white to be an abstraction from the world which appeals to me. That, and all my favourite photographs tend to be by black and white shooters. By the way... I wrote at length about street photography in black in white in an earlier issue. Might be of interest. :) https://lionelsmint.substack.com/p/issue-07-shadows-and-light
Really interesting read Neil. The Glasgow book by Depardon is one of the best photobooks ever!
As for a nostalgic photo - there’s one by Martin Parr in The Cost of Living of some young Bristolians taken in the mid 80’s which reminds me of the type of people I met as a student at Bristol uni. It’s their fashion and their mannerisms.
Thanks man. Yeah, the Depardon book is grim but engrossing. Some of the images in there are all-timers - the kids with the bubblegum, of course, stick out. The drunks passing the bottle by the fire is astonishing.
The Cost of Living is not a book I've had the pleasure of yet, though I've seen many of the photos. I wonder if I've seen the one you mention. I'll need to have a look again tonight when I can.
I remember Hipstamatic well! It was before I really fell in love with photography. You sound homesick! Great post, Neil, just catching up after travels :)
Thanks Nat. It was a serendipitous thing that this month's article was on nostalgia and only a few days before, yours appeared. (here for those that haven't read it: https://thoughtjam.substack.com/p/nostalgia-is-like-heroin-for-old ). It give me the boost I needed to get it over the line.
Hipstamatic was the better app, I think. They had filters that lined up with film stock formats (named in the way old unlicensed 80s video games would name things, changing a few letters here or there). It was expensive, and I think Instagram lined up nicely with the post-Napster "everything for free" generation.
I'm not too homesick, at the moment at least. Going home on 10th August for the Delgados show in Glasgow on the 12th. It's a particular quirk of emigration that the more one is away, the more one forgets of the stuff that made you think emigration was a good idea in the first place ;) I'm one of those insufferable SCOTTISH!!! Scots. So I can sometimes come off a little homesick when I'm just being Scottish :D
Thanks so much for the link. I think we’re ‘that age’ where nostalgia is such an enjoyable subject. The need to document it too.
Napster! Yes! Limewire (sure that’s the name). It would take a week to download an album on dial up.
Nothing wrong with being a SCOTTISH Scot (this made me laugh!). My brother in law lives in Inverness and, as an adopted Scot, wears a kilt/celebrates Burns Night, so I understand how it gets into your blood.
I remember being scared to download Limewire as I'd heard it had so many problems with malware etc. Did it anyway!
Hah yeah, Scottish Scots tend to become more Scottish the further away from Scotland they are. Conversely, when non-Scots join the family, the closer they get, the more Scottish they become. My Polish partner, Marta, has a cute Scottish twang to her English after our 7 years together.
Yeah, I think the older we get, the more nostalgia will become part of our mindset. :)
Very timely to read this post about street photography and nostalgia, Neil, as I’ve just received two big boxes of photos taken in my teens (which have been in storage at my Mum’s place for 20-odd years ago). I’m both excited and nervous to go through them all, but feeling inspired by your post to perhaps share some in a future issue of my own newsletter...
And thank you to @Charlene Storey for recommending this post. I’ve subscribed to read future ones.
Thanks Amy. I really appreciate those kind words and your story. Nostalgia is all around these days. About a decade ago, my mum took similar boxes, and split the photos up, those starring me, she put in a scrapbook, and those of my brother, in another (with some cross-over) and she gave us them. So I have a scrapbook of many photos of my youth that are really important to me. Going through the photos that first time was such a walk down memory lane... the first car I ever drove! My first guitar! etc Thanks for sharing and all the best!
Really enjoyed this exploration of street photography, Neil! Thanks for sharing. Loved the photos too. I've not done much with black and white lately but this post has really made me want to do it again! Gorgeous.
Thank you Charlene. It means a lot. I often joke that I shoot in black and white because I'm rubbish in colour, but the truth is I find black and white to be an abstraction from the world which appeals to me. That, and all my favourite photographs tend to be by black and white shooters. By the way... I wrote at length about street photography in black in white in an earlier issue. Might be of interest. :) https://lionelsmint.substack.com/p/issue-07-shadows-and-light
Really interesting read Neil. The Glasgow book by Depardon is one of the best photobooks ever!
As for a nostalgic photo - there’s one by Martin Parr in The Cost of Living of some young Bristolians taken in the mid 80’s which reminds me of the type of people I met as a student at Bristol uni. It’s their fashion and their mannerisms.
Thanks man. Yeah, the Depardon book is grim but engrossing. Some of the images in there are all-timers - the kids with the bubblegum, of course, stick out. The drunks passing the bottle by the fire is astonishing.
The Cost of Living is not a book I've had the pleasure of yet, though I've seen many of the photos. I wonder if I've seen the one you mention. I'll need to have a look again tonight when I can.
I remember Hipstamatic well! It was before I really fell in love with photography. You sound homesick! Great post, Neil, just catching up after travels :)
Thanks Nat. It was a serendipitous thing that this month's article was on nostalgia and only a few days before, yours appeared. (here for those that haven't read it: https://thoughtjam.substack.com/p/nostalgia-is-like-heroin-for-old ). It give me the boost I needed to get it over the line.
Hipstamatic was the better app, I think. They had filters that lined up with film stock formats (named in the way old unlicensed 80s video games would name things, changing a few letters here or there). It was expensive, and I think Instagram lined up nicely with the post-Napster "everything for free" generation.
I'm not too homesick, at the moment at least. Going home on 10th August for the Delgados show in Glasgow on the 12th. It's a particular quirk of emigration that the more one is away, the more one forgets of the stuff that made you think emigration was a good idea in the first place ;) I'm one of those insufferable SCOTTISH!!! Scots. So I can sometimes come off a little homesick when I'm just being Scottish :D
Thanks so much for the link. I think we’re ‘that age’ where nostalgia is such an enjoyable subject. The need to document it too.
Napster! Yes! Limewire (sure that’s the name). It would take a week to download an album on dial up.
Nothing wrong with being a SCOTTISH Scot (this made me laugh!). My brother in law lives in Inverness and, as an adopted Scot, wears a kilt/celebrates Burns Night, so I understand how it gets into your blood.
Hope you enjoy the Delgados and your trip ‘home’.
Safe travels!
I remember being scared to download Limewire as I'd heard it had so many problems with malware etc. Did it anyway!
Hah yeah, Scottish Scots tend to become more Scottish the further away from Scotland they are. Conversely, when non-Scots join the family, the closer they get, the more Scottish they become. My Polish partner, Marta, has a cute Scottish twang to her English after our 7 years together.
Yeah, I think the older we get, the more nostalgia will become part of our mindset. :)
I was the same! Looking for ‘legit’ downloads. The frustration of it all!
I’ve heard this about Scots. Good to have an anchor, I always think. Love that your Scottish influence is making waves in Poland 👍🏼
I loved Hipstamatic. My first several Instagram posts (in 2011!) were with vintage filters that I’m pretty sure we’re from Hipstamatic.
Hah yes. I really thought Hipstamatic was the better app, and I've just discovered it came back: https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/22/retro-camera-app-hipstamatic-makes-its-return-as-an-anti-instagram-social-network/
Oh my goodness, I don’t need another app, but... just downloaded it 😂
Thanks for the link!
Haha! Let me know if it's any good :)