Top tips for being discreet

Spotting discarded furniture for myself is exciting but so is other people sending me their findings! Nicky is the latest person to send me some furniture for my collection. She told me the story of how she captured this sorry looking seating. It was raining (top marks for effort!), Nicky had her umbrella in one hand and was pretending to text in the other when she discreetly took the photo. We had a conversation about the different ways you could take a photo without looking like you were working for the fly tipping society or frankly just a bit of an oddball.

Here are some top tips:

  • Use your bag to obscure your camera
  • Carry an umbrella or a parasol so you are undercover
  • Pretend to stretch and whilst lunging, point and shoot
  • Create a diversion
  • Keep your camera in your pocket and let the lens poke out the top
  • If you are lucky enough to drive, wind down your window, take a photo and drive off quick smart
  • Wear a distracting disguise
  • Ask a willing friend to pose, but take the photo so they are out of shot
  • Use your camera phone and pretend to text
  • For the serious photographer, make yourself a coat with fake arms with large buttons down the front. Drill a hole in one of the buttons and position your camera lens through it. Use your free arms that are hidden inside your coat to take the photo.

Here is Phils latest find. He almost missed his train snapping these. I thoroughly appreciate the dedication, thank you!

If you spot any discarded chairs, sofa’s, seating of any kind please email me at rebeccagovehumphries@gmail.com and I shall feature them on here.

It was worth it for this!

Last Saturday I got up for work for the second Saturday in a row. It wasn’t too bad, but seeing these delights made it worth it. I (slept) walked round the corner and my bleary eyes woke up with the sight of a cushion. Excellent, I thought, there might be more where that came from. Little did I know there was a sofa trail, all ready to follow. First the cushion…

Then another….

And finally the grand finale!

I was on the wrong side of the road, so I skipped round to get some close ups.

A few days later I saw the cushion had moved to a much nicer location. Sofa’s that you see on your route to work allow you to see them change in the environment. This cushion was left out in torrential rain!

 

 

It’s a pop off

At work Nicky and I are having a pop off, involving photographing the poppies in our gardens and bringing in the photos to show each other. Everyday I look out of the window and there’s new ones. I think they are so beautiful! Here are some of the photo’s:

 

Life admin

I find life admin such a chore and it becomes a real bone of contention. Whilst looking through a briefcase of documents (it’s full to the brim of things that were once important and now could be done with being shredded), I came across a folder where I had stapled onto lined paper the receipts you get from the cash machine. Not only had I saved all of these but I had written in biro what I had spent the money on that I had withdrawn.

This was probably the start of my investigation into time vs money. I was working at Tesco on the check outs at the time and as they say ‘every little helps’. It’s quite an interesting folder to have after all these years (although the records are limited as it would have been a real pain to keep up!). It’s almost like a very specific diary. When I went to New York I wrote down everything I spent whilst there, and it tells the story of my journey. I like the fact that these prices will have changed by now so it’s a record of a certain time.

Cats and chairs

My friend Phil has recently moved to London and the other day, in the big city he sighted this delight! I was over the moon to receive this in my work inbox, half way through a difficult day. It’s amazing how quickly my frame of mind changes when seeing a new chair. I love the fact that this one looks like it’s still functioning in it’s role as a comfortable seat, cushion and all. It almost looks like it’s basking in the sunshine.

On the same day I was walking home to clear my head, photographing the things I saw on the way when I came across this cat sitting on a chair. It was such a confident cat that looked so sure of itself. He gave me a look that my cats give me when they are telling me who really owns the furniture in our house.

The day was improved by cats and chairs. I think I’ll always feel okay if I get my cat and chair fix!

In town!

image

I’m used to seeing furniture hanging around suburbia, but it’s a real treat to spot these in town. They look quite corporate and formal, even in the way they have been placed. I think they are probably left out by the university for council collection. Note to self: Start building muscles and looking for a job in council furniture collection. Both are unrealistic for different reasons, especially the idea that there are jobs available within local councils under this horrendous* coalition government!

*I couldn’t find a strong enough word to use.

Wear and Tear

This year I have started a new collection of photographs of wear and tear that I find whilst on walks. With this and my discarded furniture habit, I am constantly on the hunt! I think worn paintwork can be so beautifully detailed and intricate. Some of the images that are created by photographing close up look like abstract paintings. Here are my top twelve:

I am yet to work out how I would like to display this ever growing collection. I like the way they look together and that I photograph what catches my eye. It’s a very simple project.

It’s all in the presentation

The biggest thing on my mind at the moment is how to present my furniture photographs. I have huge amounts now and would love for them to be seen, I’m just trying to figure out the best way. I see the photographs as documentary. I have previously displayed them in a handmade book with a cardboard cover. These took ages to make and I think the finished aesthetic may have taken away from the photographs themselves. When I got my furniture photos printed, it was automatically turned into a book. I decided a couple of weeks later to get a book printed and I was really pleased with the result.

I felt it was a really good way to view the photos as the book was so simple that there was no distraction. I am unsure how or where a book like this may exist and am still considering other methods of presentation.