Total Fence

Tamron SP 35mm F1.8 Di VC USD lens on a Nikon D700. f/8; 1/125th.

This old-fashioned parkland fencing separates a new-ish path between the village and the National Trust car park from the stone circle, and more remote, the village cricket field. Parkland fencing is quintessentially English. It is utilitarian without being ugly. It is designed to last and won't blow over in a gale. It keeps livestock out effectively. Yet no-one really notices it except in an abstract sense of feeling it simply 'fits in'. From a child's viewpoint, parkland fencing is an ideally positioned ladder for moving easily beyond prescribed limits and enabling serious exploration to continue unhindered.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D IF lens. Even on a crop-sensor camera such as the Nikon D2Xs the Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D IF lens provides a decent range of focal lengths. When this lens was first introduced it was nick-named the 'street sweeper' because it met nearly all photographic opportunities.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D IF lens. ISO 200; f/6, 1/160th, 24mm (FOV 35mm).

Nikon D2Xs and Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 SP lens.

Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF 35-135mm f/4 - 5.6 lens. Lightroom 6.

A damp Wednesday morning in Trowbridge. An attempt to do it the old way: 50mm prime lens (a Carl Zeiss Jena f/2.8 Tessar); manual focus, of course, and all-manual exposure setting. The camera was a Canon EOS 30D - I am not yet contemplating the final hurdle of film. The field of view with this camera and lens combination is similar to using a lens of 80mm focal length on a 35mm film camera. Only occasionally frustrating for wide shots, it is generally a satisfying general purpose lens.

Canon EOS 30D + Chinon 55mm f/1.4 lens.

Canon EOS 30D + Chinon 55mm f/1.4 lens.

Canon EOS 30D + Chinon 55mm f/1.4 lens.

In 2016 the BBC reported that some UK High Streets and public spaces no longer had any council-run public toilets. This photograph is a record of a closed public lavatory in Melksham, Wiltshire. It is situated between a public recreation ground and shops, and is adjacent to a car park. A funfair sometimes sets up attractions in the part of this car park closest to the toilets. There is no legal requirement for local authorities to provide public lavatories. Relentless pressure on council spending has resulted in many closures. At the time of the report, at least 1,782 facilities had been closed across the UK during the previous decade. Ten areas, including Newcastle, Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales and Wandsworth in south London, had no council-run public toilets at all. Public toilets have existed on UK High Streets for more than 150 years. They are vital for public health and decency. The absence of these amenities is felt especially hard by the elderly, people who drive for a living, and the homeless.

Parkland fencing at Lacock Abbey. Nikon D700 + Tamron 70-210mm F/2.8 LD SP lens. 190mm. ISO 200. Speed 100th. Aperture f/5.

35mm Nikkor-O.C f/2 lens on a Nikon D2Xs. ISO 100; f/5.6, 1/250th.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor-P 105mm f/2.5 lens with TC-16A teleconverter. 100 ISO; f/2.5; 1/250th.

Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. Aperture-priority set to f/6.3. ISO 200. 1/160th, Lens at 105mm equivalent to a field of view of 168mm in full frame.

The River Avon at Reybridge sometimes bursts its banks and floods low lying land to the east. This timber causeway keeps walkers' feet dry, and separates them from motorised vehicles as an added benefit. Photographed with a Tamron AF 70-210mm f/2.8 SP LD lens on a Nikon D700. This lens was in production from 1992 to 2003. Aperture priority; 1600 ISO (ridiculously high); f/32; 1/250th; lens at 112mm.

Photographed with a Tamron AF 70-210mm f/2.8 SP LD lens on a Nikon D700. This lens was in production from 1992 to 2003. Aperture priority; 800 ISO; f/11; 1/500th; lens at 135mm.

Photographed with a Tamron AF 70-210mm f/2.8 SP LD lens on a Nikon D700. This lens was in production from 1992 to 2003. Aperture priority; 800 ISO; f/8; 1/800th; lens at 160mm.