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pauldebois

Photographer based in London. Work: Lifestyle, gardens, landscape and people.
Photos & features through: www.gapphotos.com
Alter ego: rowing coach.

We found these glass plate negatives in a charity

We found these glass plate negatives in a charity shop in Chiswick years ago. I've no idea who these people are but I always thought they are quality portraits. In old money, 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch plates. Apparently the size is referred to as 'cabinet card'. A new one on me.

I tried making a contact print in my darkroom when we first found them (last frame). But strangely, the detail only revealed itself in these mobile phone copies made today.

Doubt very much they are worth anything, but as curios, I think they are beautiful images. I'm guessing they are late Victorian or Edwardian, so maybe iro 120 to 130 years old.

#printing #archiveprints #silvergelatin #warmtone #tonedprint #traditionalprint #darkroom #glassplate #victorianstyle #victorianportrait #collectables #curios #glassplatenegative

Mortlake and Chiswick Bridge in this morning's fog

Mortlake and Chiswick Bridge in this morning's fog. Amazing light for a few moments as the sun started burning through the haze.

#city #cityphotography #riverthames #thames #londonsriver #urbanriver #citywaterways #londonsbridges #mortlake #chiswickbridge #hiddenlondon #exploringlondon #secretlondon #cloudscape #foggylondon #firstlight

Mirror reflection self portrait and London plane t

Mirror reflection self portrait and London plane tree avenue, Gunnersbury Park.

I had a roll of Kodak Tri-X film sitting in my camera display cabinet for the best park of 25 years. So out of date in fact, the lab phoned me to say it must be at least 30 years old! But I couldn't resist trying it through my Yashica 24 twin lens reflex as a test.

So a 30 year old film, a 50 year old camera and a photographer a bit older than that.

The grain is amazing, I think caused by fogging on the film, accentuated by the scan. But the lens is super sharp, so something I'll experiment with a bit more.

#bnwlandscape #bnwlandscapephotography #blackandwhitephotography #lightandshadows #shadowandlight #monochromephotography #yashica24 #filmisnotdead #printing #journeyswithfilm #filmcamera #selfportrait

Great to be working with @aritanderson again with

Great to be working with @aritanderson again with autumn & winter projects for @gardenersworldmag. A beautiful autumn day for a photoshoot for features in 2026.

Art direction by @adamluked . Today’s assistant was Raffa who, between projects, probably ate his own body weight in windfall pears! 😬🍐

#editorialphotography #featureshoot #magazinefeature #gardenideas #homegrown #gardenersworldmagazine #healthyfood #outdoorstyle #bbcgardenersworldmagazine

Acer palmatum and London plane. Trees are so ofte

Acer palmatum and London plane.

Trees are so often at their best in the autumn, heading towards winter - from a photographic perspective at least! Colours and individual shapes start to emerge from the summer canopy.

#garden #gardenphotography #gardenphotographer #gardeninglife #editorialphotography #featureshoot #magazinefeature #treeshapes #wintertrees #naturalsculpture #londonplane #acerpalmatum

Syon Reach and Oliver’s Island this evening. Nig

Syon Reach and Oliver’s Island this evening. Night row, beautiful on a calm evening.

#asl #rowinglife #coachinglife #syonreach #oliversisland #riverthames #strandonthegreen #beautifullondon #urbancountryside #lastlight #nightlight #rowing

My earliest river photos came about through car ph

My earliest river photos came about through car photography and recce shots for locations. Certainly never a planned project. But 40 years on, a fair size collection has evolved.

Some more prints made today, with black and white prints from scanned negatives, c1985-7. And more recent colour images from 2020.

1. Print collection
2. Amphicar 770 in the Thames in Twickenham, opposite Eel Pie Island. c.1986 for Classic and Sportscar Magazine.
3. Looking towards Brentford Ait and Kew Bridge.
4 & 8. Richmond Lock and broken street light, 1987. This was around 7 days after the hurricane made famous by weather forecaster Michael Fish!
5. Kew Bridge
6. Burnt out Citroen 2CV at Butler's Wharf, 1985. Now rather swish flats, this was a location never used. This is the earliest of my photos so far found. I must have been 23 at the time, which seems an age ago.
7. Canal loading dock, Brentford. This has been demolished and the area developed into more housing.
9. Printer at work.

#subjectivelyobjective #documentingspace #overlookedbeauty #blackandwhitephotography #lightandshadows #shadowandlight #monochromephotography #brentford #brentfordait #kew #london #beautifullondon #urbanexploring #cityexplorer #richmondlock #grandunioncanal #amphicar770 #citroen2cv

More editing and printing today. Images from 2020,

More editing and printing today. Images from 2020, covid year. A4 colour prints and A3+ black and white prints.

A strange time, but walking and getting out on the water in a kayak were things we could do without breaching any regulations.

1 & 3. Kew Bridge
2. Richmond Bridge
4. Old Deer Park
5. Ghost boat, Brentford
6. Edge of the Syon Park Water Meadows
7. Car Park, Brentford. The mural has a large Kingfisher included in the montage. This was the trigger to look for real ones. In that time I have only seen 3, but they are there around Brentford!
8. Water reflection beneath the M4 Motorway
9. Daughter @katiedebois in a kayak near Richmond Bridge. We spent a huge amount of time exploring the area that year.

#subjectivelyobjective #documentingspace #overlookedbeauty #blackandwhitephotography #lightandshadows #shadowandlight #monochromephotography #brentford #brentfordait #kew #london #beautifullondon #urbanexploring #cityexplorer #londonbridges

Kew Bridge and Strand-on-the-Green this evening. C

Kew Bridge and Strand-on-the-Green this evening. Calm after yesterday’s storm.

#beautifullondon #coachinglife #strandonthegreen #kewbridge #hightide #lastlight #asl

Grand Union Canal. A green corridor running from B

Grand Union Canal. A green corridor running from Brentford Dock on the Thames up towards the midlands.

1. Gallows Bridge near Brentford. You catch a momentary glimpse of this as you drive west over the elevated M4 Motorway out of London.
2. Piccadilly Line Bridge
3. M4 Motorway

#subjectivelyobjective #urbanriver #citywaterways #londonsbridges #documentingspace #overlookedbeauty #exploringlondon #secretlondon #lostplaces #nature_takes_over #grandunioncanal

An autumnal Gunnersbury Park today. #gunnersburyp

An autumnal Gunnersbury Park today.

#gunnersburypark #flowerphotography #flowerphotographer #nature #garden #gardenphotography #gardenphotographer #gardeninglife #treeshapes #london #beautifullondon #lostplaces #nature_takes_over

Costa de la Luz - wandering. Beaches and backstree

Costa de la Luz - wandering. Beaches and backstreets, August 2025.

Conil de la Frontera, Tarifa, Cádiz, Puerto Sancti Petri, Seville

#andalucia #spain #coastoflight #tarifa #costadelaluz #conildelafrontera #puertosanctipetri #seville #documentingspace #streetphotography #urbanexploring #cityexplorer

Silky smooth water at Richmond Lock with @sarimaso

Silky smooth water at Richmond Lock with @sarimasoud3

#ptrc #putneytownrowingclub #richmondlock #scullinglife #cuttingglass #riverthames

First folio book I’ve made since before lockdown

First folio book I’ve made since before lockdown. Also the largest I’ve attempted. Each one an experiment and learning curve. A day’s work compressed into 40 seconds! I just need the prints now.

I will produce a selection of monochrome images taken since 2021, following on from the last books I made. A separate set of colour images will be produced for a smaller format folio or folios.

#bookmaking #portfolio #bookbinding #monochromeprints #riverthames #traditionalcrafts

The Thames footpath at Syon last October, just bef

The Thames footpath at Syon last October, just before it was closed after a bank collapsed into the river.

A year later it is still closed. Looking forward to walking along there again with the extensive repair work due to be complete soon.

#treeshapes #londonsriver #urbanriver #citywaterways #beautifullondon #syon
#cloudscape #lastlight #riverthames

More editing this afternoon of images of the River

More editing this afternoon of images of the River Thames. Longer term I want to work on an exhibition, along with producing hand made books or folios.

I may try to do another pop-up display like last year, just to get feedback and let folk see prints and work completed before lockdown.

1. Test print on Simili Japon paper. Finally got the printer settings to work with this paper! More suited to etching and bookbinding, it produces a very subtle matt image.
2. Syon Water Meadows print on the same paper.
3. Strand-on-the-Green. Saturated blues are tricky to reproduce in most printing, but these have held up quite well.
4. Strand-on-the-Green and Mortlake. The warm colours of the sunrise match the screen image perfectly.
5. All images, showing scale.

#urbannature #urbancountryside #viewsfromakayak #hiddenlondon #exploringlondon #secretlondon #london #beautifullondon #bnwlandscape #bnwlandscapephotography #blackandwhitephotography #lightandshadows #shadowandlight #monochromephotography #archivalprint #monochrome #digitalprinting

Monochrome landscape tests. #bnwlandscape #bnwla

Monochrome landscape tests.

#bnwlandscape #bnwlandscapephotography #blackandwhitephotography #lightandshadows #shadowandlight #monochromephotography #noiretblanc #bnw_minimalism #monochrome #bnwphotomag

In the summer these cliff top walks look scorched

In the summer these cliff top walks look scorched and barren, with just seed heads giving hints to the previous season. But in the spring, for a couple of months, they are bursting with wildflowers. I have even found orchids growing. In one spot I counted nearly 70 bee orchids.

Frames 1-5 - summer view with seed heads
Frames 6-7 - spring view and wildflowers

#wildlifemeadow #meadow #wildflowers #wildlings #seedheads #orchids #summermeadow #fuentedelgallo

Autumn creeping up in Gunnersbury Park. 1. Quercu

Autumn creeping up in Gunnersbury Park.

1. Quercus rubra or red oak. These broad leaved trees have spectacular displays this time of year.
2. Holly. Early autumn is best time of year to see berries. By Christmas most will be gone.
3. Cotoneaster and holly.
4. Silver birch.

#gunnersburypark #autumncolour #beautifullondon #flowerphotography #flowerphotographer

Costa de la Luz - August 2025. Amazing skies. #g

Costa de la Luz - August 2025.

Amazing skies.

#getoutside #cloudscape #lastlight #andalucia #spain #coastoflight #costadelaluz #conildelafrontera #pastelskies #amazingskies

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