Elizabeth Gomm’s photograph have featured on Blackpool Social Club many time over the years, as the photo journalist diligently captures many of the town’s major happenings. David Simper was keen to see some of them exhibited. He caught the handy service 61 bus down to the Tea Amantes cafe and gallery to view the images on offer.
Elizabeth’s work majors on the type of wildlife photography that I always wanted to do as a young photographer and never quite managed to do. Many of the creatures photographed here are readily available in our parks and seashore, but that doesn’t undermine the quality of the images on display here. The red squirrel isn’t local to here, having been displaced by the grey, so that image was a particular favourite of mine.
There was much more to see too. A little street photography leavens the bread of pictures of beautiful critters. Here is a real eye and a quick reaction to the unfolding scene in front of the camera.
There are also nice examples of landscape, providing a varied and stimulating display.
I asked Elizabeth what had been her route into photography – a rather sad, but also uplifting story unfolded.
“When I retired in 2010, it was so that I could promote work with a charity that was opening a children’s home in Kenya. I was going out there so Mike, my partner, bought me a camera so that I could take some photographs of the kids at the home. My interest in photography really developed from there. I used pictures of the kids on the charity website for publicity.
“Then when Mike retired himself, from being a press photographer at the Gazette, where I had worked as a journalist, he started doing urban landscape photography himself. About three years later he developed cancer, which we knew from the start was terminal. There came a time when Mike could no longer go out with his camera, so I used to go out with mine everyday to the park, take pictures, bring them back, show them to Mike and he’d decide – I’d show him the best ones – he was very generous in the way that he encouraged me.
“He’d tell me how I could have done things better and he never actually criticised me. The Christmas before he died in May 2017, he bought me a DSLR and some lenses. My camera became my connection and it’s remained that really. I’ve really developed this passion for photography – love it and it’s the connection it gives you with other people and places. I like community.”
I note the number of wildlife images featured in the exhibition.
“There is lot of wildlife, but it’s also about photographing community events. Having worked as a journalist all my life, I’ve covered community events all my life, I now see them being neglected. They’re not getting coverage and they deserve it. The local paper has one photographer covering a huge area. If I can promote a community event I’ll do it. And I get to meet interesting people still and that’s the best thing.”
I ask Elizabeth if she ever uses film.
“No. I’ve got a film in my fridge, but I’ve yet to put it in a camera. I may do but I’m not absolutely certain. I’m a little frightened of it to be honest. You see, I don’t feel that I’m very good at technique. I do like digital. When I was about eight or nine, I had a Box Brownie camera and my dad made me a darkroom, so I have used film.”
It’s simply not true that Elizabeth isn’t very good at technique as her technique is clearly excellent. The pictures have a three dimensional quality that can be elusive, the composition and colours are strong. As I alluded earlier, some of these pictures must have been captured in a micro-second. They are well worth a view. I noticed several other photographers in the throng, looking admiringly at the images.
Congratulations to Elizabeth for putting this together and to the Tea Amantes team. The clock had just ticked round to the time to catch the service 61 home and I slipped away to catch it. The exhibition continues until the 5th January 2025.
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