Regeneration

Caroline Gorka, 2 months ago

You have done it again…
The look on his face says it all…

Alf Caruana, 2 months ago

wonderfull tonas and very expressive Deborah

tonilouise, 2 months ago

Your images are just superb Deb..The tones, lighting, and composition are always spot on…Just brilliant..xxx

Karin Taylor, 2 months ago

yes, superb is the only word for it :)

aglaia b, 2 months ago

wow, excellent work.
love how her expression and her surroundings are a whole! wonderful tonal range. ;-)

Antoine Dagobert, 2 months ago

Superb as always Deb!

Colin Hollywood, 2 months ago

You have captured great mood and atmosphere in this one. Well done Deb

David Parkin, 2 months ago

Absolutely fantastic photograph Deborah, I went here hundreds of times as a kid, long before the days of the Metro, we went by train from Newcastle.

Dire Straits – Tunnel Of Love . . . . great song, check out the last verse.

Getting crazy on the waltzers but its life that choose
Sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
And I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
And I dont know Ill be tonight but Id always tell you where I am

In a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light
She had a ticket for the race just like me she was a victim of the night
I put my hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul

And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And Im just high on the wold
Come on and take a low with ma girl
On the tunnel of love

Its just the danger when youre riding at your own risk
She said you are the perfect stranger she said baby lets keep it like this
Its just a cakewalk twisting baby step right up and say
Hey mister give me two give me two cos two can play

And the big wheel on turning neon burning up above
And Im just high on the world
Come on and take the low ride with me girl
On the tunnel or love

Well its been money for muscle another whirligig
Money for muscle another girl I dig
Another hustle just to make it big
And rockaway rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we where kids
Oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we where kids

She took off a silver locket she said remember me by this
She put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss
And in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay

And the big wheel keep on turning neon up above
And Im high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love

And now Im searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades
Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
In any shooting gallery where promises are made
To rockaway rockaway from cullercoats and whitley bat out to rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we where kids
Girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we where kids

Deborah Parkin in reply to David Parkin’s comment, 2 months ago

lol!!! That is some comment :)
Whitley Bay is great – i was just so shocked to go back and see it like this – hopefully it will get better soon :)
And – i know this song but had forgotten about the last line :) So thanks.

Stuart Chapman, 2 months ago

I don’t know what it is about me but I find the old run down areas almost poetic (take Battersea power station as a perfect example of this). It must just be on a photographic level, but I guess they are the modern day equivalent of the old ghost towns in the Wild West. Build up and thriving for a certain point in time, until it becomes out of fashion or resources and people move on leaving the time to stand still with the buildings.

The dereliction of them just adding to the time, like a sepia faded photograph. There’s a story to tell – it’s someone’s history and I feel that there is more character and feeling to the place than if it were bulldozed and a massive casino built in its place.

A fascinating scope for a project and I can’t believe i’ve typed so much without talking about the photo itself as yet.

Very powerful and did inspire me to type the introductory paragraphs above so that must be contained within the shot. Abe adds some depth to the shot and the expression still seems brushed with boredom. There’s nothing here now, even though it was thriving once and holds memories for others.

Bright b/w treatment with lovely composed building and the scaffolding tops it off nicely to keep the feel of the project ongoing.

An excellent addition to the series.

Stuart Chapman, 2 months ago

p.s. Long comments must come as standard with those as football badges as profile pics LOL.

David Harris, 2 months ago

Classic Deborah Parkin!!! Speaks volumes in tone and light and composition and subject. Love your work Deborah!

vonne, 2 months ago

This is truly a huge loss and you captured it with Perfection and Style!

Simon Gladwin, 2 months ago

Great depth Debs…..my mums relatives used to run the local taxi firm there. I was there 4 years ago and it looked very desolate and run down compared to how it used to be….....Great depth to this shot Debs….just the right amount of blur….great control…...Abes expression is getting more and more cheesed off with each passing shot….just the ticket for this kind of image.

ferndesign, 2 months ago

great work love the song

petelangman, 2 months ago

great work Debs

TheFatman, 2 months ago

I always love the dramatic effort that goes into your work Deb, but with is the thing that really grabs me is the perfect tones and shadows on the face and hair.. you are a sensation Mrs Parkin. A constant source of inspiration.

NewDawnPhoto, 2 months ago

Wonderful work!

micmac, 2 months ago

Beautiful expression and portrait .

Alan Rodmell, 2 months ago

Nice work. He doesn’t quite look like part of the image. Great processing of the shot.

I think its time you start paying your children for their modeling work :D

Deborah Parkin in reply to Alan Rodmell’s comment, 2 months ago

Thanks Alan :)
They have beaten me to it and now are taking bribes lol!!!
(ps) he is part of the pic i promise and not pasted in :)

lifevibrations, 2 months ago

Such wonderful emotion conveyed in this capture -superb!

Pal Gyomai, 2 months ago

Great image, Deb. You’ve done an excellent job conveying the mood.

JudyBJ, 2 months ago

I’m not good at words,but selectig it as a favorite speaks for itself

Jo Fedora, 2 months ago

Beautiful narrative in this B&W…superb Debs..

Joanne Bradley, 2 months ago

Great image! The disappointment on his face mirrors the desperation of the environment!

sword, 2 months ago

Another brilliant shot Deborah.We were walking past there just this morning.I agree with your comments totally.The rates we have to pay are a disgrace as is the swimming pool, the Theatre etc… OOOOHH DONT GET ME STARTED…Think my blood pressure has just gone through the roof..

stung, 2 months ago

Really meaning full picture really like the capture of emotion

Simon Mears, 2 months ago

reminiscent of Michael Caine’s ‘Get Carter’.. the North-East as it used to be before the ‘regeneration’ – hey i always wondered when listening to ‘Alchemy’ what Mark Knopfler was going on about. the line about the Spanish City now i know!.. its a tremendous photograph Deborah. i’m hugely taken with it

Richard Veal, 2 months ago

Excellent work and dof Deb. Great mono.

Sean Farragher, 2 months ago

timeless shot

cdwork, 2 months ago

It’s all been said – another great image

PhotogeniquE IPA, 2 months ago

a very plaintif and poignant shot

Naomi Frost, 2 months ago

Another stunning capture, Deborah. I think Abe’s expression sums it up really…and I love the depth to it aswell. You must be blitzing them at college!

Lam Tran, 2 months ago

Beautiful capture! Great framing and tone!

Douzy, 2 months ago

The sense of urban decline is powerfully illustrated here. Also, nice to see your children growing in front of our very eyes. Your boy is turning into a handsome young man!

docophoto, 2 months ago

Beautiful portrait.
The potential of youth to move forward and away from the decay that past and present generations have allowed???

Mark Tisdale, 2 months ago

so sad and forlorn – the scenery and his expression. There’s just something heart breaking about this. It speaks volumes – well done!

Paul Compton, 2 months ago

Gorgeous. Definitely captures that sense of loss and urban decline. Wonderful stuff Deborah.

Graham Dean, 2 months ago

Seeing brilliant work like this Deb gives me so many artistic thoughts. That’s a great thing about this community, creativity gets inspired. Your young models performance here is also brilliant.

Rhana Griffin, 2 months ago

I love where you are going with these images Deb… the fresh (and yet a little sad) face of youth against a derelict background. What hope for the future our children if we dont start looking after this planet we live on?

shawhouse, 2 months ago

I can see from the dome that there were much better, brighter days. Funny how with a pic like this the viewer is, in a way, looking at two images, what it is and what it must have been. Abe’s placement in the shot and his frank expression read, for me, as a challenge and an indictment.

Ken Mucke, 2 months ago

Very powerful image…it almost has a futuristic sense to it…..as what may be one day here on earth….The contrast between youth and the aging buildings is brilliant….his expression is one of disappointment or dismay….love his hair slightly blowing in the wind…the tones are just perfect…I think your series is really very very good for school….I still can’t get over the feel this image gives you…..just stunning work Deb

marshall calve..., 2 months ago

hi deborah, when I was a kid I lived not more than 8 miles from here so I spent a good deal of my time here every summer holidays my mates and me would be here every day eyeing up the girls trying to get free rides, this a super reminder of my youth , a super shot

Martin Derksema, 2 months ago

Brilliant picture. It strikes me how well it works to use Abe as a model in a scene that has a very adult theme. I mean, this could be a scene of a movie about a lost man, living in despair. But, in fact the impact gets even bigger because the hero of the scene is a child. Probably because adults carrie the child within them and the child accompanies the adult on the journey through his or her life. Facinating picture and so well executed. Oh, I love those UK beach towns in decay.

Jason Connolly, 2 months ago

Nice shot, well done.

Christina Martin, 2 months ago

great image well done

Louise Cooke, 2 months ago

Really fascinating to see (and read) your take on this abandoned place. It is sad and you can really feel it in this bleak, moody portrayal. To be honest, it’s something I found bizarre in the UK…sometimes you stumbled on a stunning location (eg Land’s end) to find an amusement centre….as though nature wasn’t enough?? I didn’t get it, but maybe I just missed the point! But your image intrigues me – an insight into how the “fun” can up and leave a beautiful beach scarred. Wonderful story-telling :)

Martie Venter, 2 months ago

Beautiful model and a very poignant mood – awesome post-processing as always, love the slight vignetting in the corners!

Marinella Owens, 2 months ago

very beautiful!!!!

Jeff Burns, 2 months ago

Wonderfully shot love the framing you do this is perfect

Deborah Parkin in reply to Jeff Burns’s comment, 2 months ago

Thanks so much Jeff – lovely to see you back – you have been missed :)