Friday, 16 June 2023

Friday Photo #45

It strikes me that I haven't posted any old family photos in this series for a while. To compensate, here's a real favourite of mine from 1961. There's absolutely nothing that I don't like about this shot. The swan stretching in anticipation, Mum delicately proffering a piece of bread and me craning forward to get a better look at the situation. The whole scene is brilliantly captured by Dad. I'm not certain of the location, but I'd put money on it being somewhere in the vicinity of Wanstead Flats.

Can - Sing Swan Song

9 comments:

Ernie Goggins said...

Based on the foliage, maybe the Perch Pond in Wanstead Park?

Swiss Adam said...

Superb photo, the colours and contrasts are so strong and sharp

Alyson said...

That is a great photo TS. Maybe swans were less aggressive in those days as nowadays I tend to stay well clear!

Love how your mum is so smart in her skirt and jacket combo with heeled shoes, and of course there is the blanket in case you got cold and the little harness which suggests you were walking by this time. The older we get the tougher it is looking back without experiencing high emotion - I can see how this would be one of your favourites.

C said...

What a perfect photo - a picture of tranquility, and I love the look of curiosity on your face. Seems your mum nurtured in you at a very young age a fondness for our avian friends.

John Medd said...

Stunning photo. It really is.

Khayem said...

This is marvelous, a moment in time captured beautifully. I'm fascinated by the pushchair, your mum's wonderful coat, all evocative of the 1960s and already so different when compared with my family photos at a similar age in the early 1970s.

Feeding the swans didn't seem like such a risky proposition back then, did it? No childhood trauma involving swans for me though I am reliably informed that a donkey once bit my foot whilst I was riding it on Weston-super-Mare beach. I must add that this was when I was about 3 years old, not recently!!!

Rol said...

Wonderful photo, Swede. Though I am reminded of Nigel Blackwell's advice on the matter...

When you’re down beside the lake you’re bound to hear somebody say:
“Careful now, that swan can break your arm”

The Swede said...

I'm so glad you all enjoyed this photo as much as I do. Dad had a great eye and a decent camera in the 1960s, meaning that I'm lucky enough to have many treasured photos from the period.

Anonymous said...

Another fan here. This photo is fabulous. Hope you are well, Swede. - Brian

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