Not that you need to count to take photographs, although it does help to know how much change from £5,000 you'll get if you buy the new Nikon D4 I guess.
The idea behind this project was partly inspired by a good friend Ingrid Spangler over in New York, New York. She has a fantastic and thought provoking set of photos that you can see here, which has recently been included in a gallery in New York. It's a photoset that highlights some of the strange words, phrases and sayings you see littered around town either on signs, graffiti or, in one extreme case, scratched into fresh cement.
I found this set a very thought provoking idea; in itself a study of scribblings that may otherwise be missed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life but also that it could give some interest to any and every random walk.
I had to find an idea with which to indulge my random wanderings and add just that little bit of intrique to a walk.
Numbers have always been far more appealing to my nature than words. Right back to school I loved the black and white nature of maths and hated the 'what does this poem tell you about how Mortianna is feeling' load of rubbish that I could never seem to write what the teacher wanted from me that you find in English Literature. The idea was brought to the fore of my mind when during a trademark random wandering to the shops – where I walked a massive detour 'just to see what was there' – I noticed a cool looking number branded into a telegraph pole and snapped an image.
The theme and project was set and over the last few weeks I've been doing my best to spot not only numbers, but numbers that are out of the ordinary.
First and foremost, I made one rule or guideline. Absolutely NO house numbers. Far too easy. As you will hopefully see in a second the numbers I've been capturing are very much more unique and individual in their standing.
The challenge, is to then make as good an image as you can from just a simple number 18, 284, or... 88292.
Anyway, I'll post the rest of the images I have here, and also the FlickR link with the rest of the set for you to keep tabs on in the coming week. I'm hoping to get 20 images, so I'm just over half way.
Quite proud that I found number 1. That was underneath a railway bridge!
To have a look at the rest of the set, check out this link and leave any comments or questions below.
Chronological Chaos Photo Set on FlickR
I'd love to hear from you if you decide to start a similar project. It will be interesting to see how creative you can get with these style of photo sets.
Take care, please subscribe to my blog on the right hand side, and I'll see you anon!
Chris