Supermarketing? Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is a shot of my local supermarket. Safeway's are the fourth largest chain in the UK now - initially they were US owned, but now they're wholly UK owned. This is a shot of their largest UK store. Their first UK store was opened in 1962 in Bedford.

The Safeway chain was bought by Morrisons in 2005, and this most of the stores now bear their livery, so this is already historic ;)

The first self-service supermarket in the UK was opened by Jack Cohen in 1947, and was the beginning of today's Tesco chain which is a direct competitor to Safeway. For more information about the history of food in the UK I suggest you have a look at UK food timeline @ open2.net

These days most supermarkets are built outside town centre locations and provide their own large free carparks for customer use. This branch is unusual in that it is within walking distance of the town centre. On the left you can see a cycle path, and to the left of that is a pedestrian walkway - however most people visit by car. A far cry from how it all began!

The streaks of light are the tail lights of cars as they pass through the shot - they're intentional, I included them to show how most people get there nowadays...

This is another attempt to finding a photogenic side to modern day Woking - it's a challenge ;)

AndrewGarn, Midnight_sun, jrj, SylFondacci, paguru, fadingstar78, JulienHG, kajspice, mdchachi, Brian, noborders has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Ebbe (9571) 2004-03-06 17:36

WOW Adrian, that is some foodstore shot!! Perfect lead in lines and bright colors of neon. I just don´t understan where the cars went, why all the light streaks end in mid air. Not your fault but I am a curious nature.

mimi (2321) 2004-03-06 17:53

WOW is right! It's like something out a of movie. I love the saturated colors and the long exposure on the lights. I also like the contrast of the curve of the road and the lane lines with the straight line of the car lights. Incredible job of making something so mundane into something beautiful. Did you think about cropping the pole on the right? I find it a bit distracting.

boof (634) 2004-03-06 18:01

that explains why i saw safeway when i was in the UK didnt know they changed ownership. never really cared though... anywas that answers why i saw safeway in the UK...........
I think the reasons for liking this photo are obvious. but Ill state it anyways. the fall of the lines of the street and how it maches up nice with the red tail light trail. In particular I like how the lines humm fill the bottom of the photo I mean the edge of the far left line is on the left edge of hte photo and same with the right and then they very quickly disapear into the back of the photo I thnk that is what makes this photo work and why a potentialy bland everday photo has been captured into a real photo worth looking at. sorry but lets face it safeway isnt exactly naked dancing girls or fuji erupting or anything like that but very impressed with how this everyday item has been made very interesting. 3 points if possible.

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JudyH (700) 2004-03-06 18:05

This is what my kids would term "COOL!!" This is fantastic - the tail lights give interest to what could be "just another supermarket", but it does not leave that feeling at all. I'd like to try that sometime. The image is nice and neat, and the colour saturation suits this picture perfectly. Nice note too! Thanks for sharing.

snuggleaphagus (4138) 2004-03-06 18:25

Ordinary becomes extraordinary. Beautifull colors. Everytime I walk into a grocery store I feel I am being attacked by advertisement and pushed to buy things I don't need ( I mainly shop at smaller markets). This photo feels as if safeway is being attacked by the customer- or their cars. It's lovely how all the lines, the cars and pavement lines are running to the intended target.

eelliott305 (776) 2004-03-06 18:28

Amazing shot Adrian, scary almost. The brilliant colours and lighting effects you have caught give this pic an otherwordly feel. Excellent work.

wbrown (59) 2004-03-06 19:07

Awesome pic here, I love the light streaks with created from the 30 second shutter speed. very nice indeed

maciekda (19587) 2004-03-07 0:59

it is a nice shot, very well composed, i really like those colors and those red rays of light, nice

cool_s15 (4044) 2004-03-07 4:00

Very great angle here... I like how to play with those lines on the road, leading to the building. But it just a little overexposed, espacially on the "Safeway" sign. Anyway this is a great shot.

manny (21378) 2004-03-07 10:35

This is very well done. It is amzing how you can create a very engaging photograph of a scene just take for granted evryday. The colors are very well-satruated, your POV and angle are well-chose. This is something that I can really learn a lot from.

greg (2835) 2004-03-07 10:45

It's the best supermarket shot I've ever seen!

Luko (13894) 2004-03-07 12:58

Oooh very good exposure indeed! I don't see any blown out part, I guess this was the perfect time of the day to shoot.

Though I don't think I'll put Woking on top of my holiday list, it's a very nice compo too, I like how the ground lines brings the eyes to the safeway neon light.
Your car lightings are also interesting guessing how it was shot : they look like they were made with the "back to the future" DeLorean(?) car, as it seems the car vanished from this world just before it hit the supermarket wall.

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Jeppe (18623) 2004-03-10 16:43

Thanks for your note - its hard image how stores where organized before the time of self-service. I'm old enough to remember have it was - in fact - my handyman room contains some old furniture from a store.

I like the lines in your photo, specially the white lines on the driveway - but also the tail lights what’s catch my eye.
Well spotted and captured - and yes - hopefully is it a "safe way"

Porteplume (3255) 2004-03-10 18:09

The composition is very well thought out. We have to follow the lines and then the lights... The building and the sky look just like a movie set, nice effect.
Great idea and felicitations for finding an interesting shot on a local supermarket. A challenge indeed, :o) and you did it!

Riz (0) 2004-03-11 15:59

Adrian- you are good at what you do. and you suprise me again and again. Wonderful comp I like the glow around the word safeway. and the background as well neat angle.

Midnight_sun (1939) 2004-03-18 5:43

A well framed long exposure shot, the curve of the pavement leads the eye through the shot nicely. I must try this some time. Very well composed.

jrj (34779) 2004-03-31 4:29

Impressive and creative shot where the use of the road marking, the passing cars, all leading up to the super works at the best. Very good job Adrian to have the well balanced light for the whole pix in this way. And of course the shooting angle is a good choice. Very interesting tech. here..

SylFondacci (4085) 2004-08-25 15:48

You are very lucky to have such a beautiful supermarket, Adrian ;))
The shot is magic !! I like it very much.

vapours (7913) 2004-09-11 20:03

Great shot, would go as a good promo shot for the company

karan (42) 2004-11-10 15:16

thats a really nicely taken pic,perfect colors of neon and the tail light of cars going by makes it look so splendid

estombul (0) 2004-11-28 23:06

I like this kind road pictures.Congrats!

Homerhomer (4005) 2004-11-30 11:56

I have to admit I am totally impressed by this shot, it would never occur to me tha the entrance to the grocery store can be so photogenic!!!! I hate shopping, malls and anything like that so it never occured to me to take my camera with me while going there.
The exposure of this shot is top notch, we see details all the way across, sky is moody, greatly undelies the nasty nature of a grocery store, the lights from cars passing by are very effective and add an element of intrique to this otherwise common scenery (not a common image though), and best of all nothing is blown out. The composition itself is top notch, curb lines leading is into the store, which itself feels warm and cheerfull.
Very well done Adrian.
Peter

DaveLarson (798) 2004-12-24 8:43

Superb - u have accomplished something that I could never manage - to turn the ordinary into something special. Congrats.

Dave

joseelias (367) 2004-12-30 5:39

Adrian this is a superb image. Beginning with the colors and following with the lines wich add a great dinamic to the scene, enhanced by the moving lights it creates a very attractive image.

And I think this should be the first of a series. The supermarket theme is interesting, and the time of the day great for shots taking advante of strong colors and creative use of light and blurs. Personally, more and more I enjoy series rather than isolated photos. They give a better perspective over things and as I said this is a good theme.

flagman (294) 2005-01-20 4:50

This photo (and much of TE) help me to realise that it's possible to produce attractive and interesting photos from even the most mundane subjects. Well done!

Maru (0) 2005-01-20 5:55

Adrian, the concept of the shot and the shot itself are brillant! All the ways lead us to Shopping..
Great POV and DOF, I specially like the sky in contrast with the blury lights.
Very good use of the lines to create the perspective in the composition.
Well done :)

baba_flies (7985) 2005-10-02 8:44

Like a movie ad from the 50ies ... superb photo. I just "stumbled" over it. Very well done.

fadingstar78 (402) 2006-01-04 14:38

really great pic. you made it in making a great photo out of a rather depressing suburban view...

rowanb (864) 2006-01-18 3:14

cool shot, never thought of taking a photo of the local supermarket before. nice lines of the cars and good detail in the sky still.
rowan

PogoStick (502) 2006-04-09 0:37

simple yet intruguing image. i really like the dof and sharpness of this image. it sucks you in and makes you feel like your there. lovely image.

kajspice (4534) 2006-08-20 12:51

Interesting that you mentioned Tesco's in your notes because I think the only thing missing in this fabulous picture is the presence of Tesco in place of Safeways... I think given its monopolysing presence, this would have been a very apt portrayal of Tesco's presence in the retail world... Here, safeways sits there in a glorified state, which I think is a very clever trick that you have pulled off. The streetlamps do a great job of twinkling stars in this depiction of a "squeaky-clean" retail monster...

very clever...

(sorry - points have been turned off)...

corba (0) 2006-09-20 2:59 [Comment]

Show Comment

noborders (14199) 2007-05-11 1:11

I don't recognise England here, but the photo is very esthetic - was attracted by it on TE's 1st page this morning.
Super, bravo !
Cath.

eyesthetix (637) 2007-08-15 2:34

Brilliant work here Adrian,
You've made excellent use of the lines on the road - providing a supeb lead-in feature for this comoposition.
Superb complementaries with the warm reds and the blue in the sky!
Great POV!

Best regards, Daniel

nicoz (1963) 2007-11-06 6:30

Hi Adrian,
I first thought that this was a photo of a drive-in somewhere in the desert in SO USA ;-)
Looking at your photos, I think that we might be neighboors (I live in Guildford).
Nicolas