War Time Weekend - Western Approaches - Liverpool
When we moved to Liverpool, one of the first place we visited was Western Approaches. What is it? I hear you ask in excitement. Well, it is the building from which the British conducted and ultimately won the Battle of the Atlantic during WWII. It has been turned into a museum and the bunker underneath has been left as it was during this dreadful period. They often organise events in which comedians recreate the last moment of the battle against German ships, and people attend all dressed up like back in the days. And, oh dear! I miss this fashion!
If you like vintage outfit and music it is a great place to visit. In 2021, they organised a War Time Weekend during which I took some photos with my Sony a7III (I was shooting more digital at the time) and I decided to send the best ones. Apparently, it was a great idea since I received an e-mail in 2022 asking if I would be there to take more photos for this year’s event. At first, I was not sure how I would manage - nothing out of the ordinary here. On top of my relentless ability to doubt myself, which I carefully crafted over many years, the environment was not the best for film photography. The bunker being under the main building, it is dark and dusty so unless I had a ISO 64000 film, it seemed complicated to photograph moving subjects. That being said, I do like a challenge, so I grabed my recently purchased Canon EOS 3 and my tripod and made my way over to this event.
To my surprise, I did not feel particularly pressured and I had a lot of fun trying to find angles and photographs I did not take the first time. Other photographers were present which was great to share tips and advice, talk about our interests in photography and most importantly escape the painful situation of having to join a dance I knew nothing about.
In the end, the results were pleasing. I did not really know what would come out of these photos and the mood some of them display really hits the mark, at least in my eyes. For example, the typewritter room is dark and the small amount of light gives it a heavy and dramatic look that I really love. Let see what next year’s event will be like!