Onegav

Today I wanted to go back to a spot I’ve been to before, with Izzy, for my “Cold Cut” shot, day 27 if I remember right.

It’s a section of the Bridgewater canal, at Preston Brook. It’s a lovely little spot, and if you didn’t know it was there you’d easily miss it.

There is a marina that sits just off the M56, where thousands of motorists whizz past, presumably unaware it even exists.

In the picture below, the bridge in the background going over the canal is the motorway.

It looks quiet now, but in summer there are a lot more boats.

The Bridgewater Canal runs from Manchester through Preston Brook, where it divides into two branches. One branch leads to Runcorn (picture below) where it used to join the Manchester Ship Canal, and before that the River Mersey, while the other branch joins the Trent and Mersey Canal at the Preston Brook canal tunnel.

If you followed the canal in this direction, it would take you to Manchester, eventually.

I’ve always been fascinated by canals and barges, and not just because of the fishing element. It seems such a gentle and peaceful life, though maybe it’s just the same as any other, just that you bob about a bit more?

Learnings – today I combined using my new camera with some editing for the first time. What became immediately apparent was that I needed to do a lot less editing, to get the look I wanted in the photographs.

Indeed, some are not edited at all, and the most editing was around the under the bridge shots, where I wanted to really darken the shadows and use them as a frame.

I think it worked, and I’m pleased. I also think these shots are better than the last ones I took at this location, so it’s really nice to feel I’ve made some progress!