Wanting somewhere to go on a Sunday where I could take photographs, I had a look on Flickr for inspiration and was slightly surprised to see some great shots taken in Manchester of places I wouldn’t usually think about taking. The architecture there is really impressive—something I hadn’t really explored on previous trips there.

Bill Brandt was an influential British photographer and photojournalist known for his high-contrast images of British society and his distorted nudes and landscapes.

I was searching for a bit of inspiration for where to go and take my next photos, when I stumbled upon a picture by Bill Brandt called ‘The Snicket’. Bill Brandt was a famous British photographer known for his black and white photos, and this photo was taken in Halifax up a cobbled street near the old station. I loved the high contrast in the image, and seeing other peoples’ recreations of this photo made me think I’d like to try the same.

So one Saturday I decided to go and find it, dragging my boyfriend Harry along with me (lucky him). Luckily enough, but unsurprisingly, it was raining which was ideal for the photo, as it needs that reflective ‘gloss’ on the cobbles.

Above: The original photo prior to editing.

I managed to find the place pretty easily, as I’d found the street it was on through the Flickr Bill Brandt and Snicket group. What felt quite strange was the fact that it hadn’t really changed in so many years. So once I got there I started snapping, checking my photo against the original on my iPhone, to try and get the right angle (which proved quite difficult!). Adding to the fun, I had to clear rubbish out of the way and also in the process managed to stand in some sick (I felt very dedicated!).

After taking about 20 shots I felt like I had got close, and decided not to make Harry suffer any longer, so decided to get home and have a look at editing it. I converted it to black and white using the Monochrome setting in Channel Mixer. Then came to editing out a few extra bits of rubbish that I hadn’t managed to clear when I was there. Since the cobbles are quite similar to each other, I used the Patch tool to match other spots and replace them (see the original above). There was also a tree there which wasn’t present in the orginal so I edited that out too. Final touches came from adjusting the Levels to increase the contrast and adding a slight grey filter to try and achieve the look of the original. Let me know your thoughts on it!

Front view of a back wheel

Side view of a back wheel