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There are certain buildings which never fail to get my photographic juices going. Sometimes that’s down to the architectural lines; on other occasions it’s because of the way the light falls within the space. The Museum of Liverpool falls into both these categories, and when we visited last November I found some new angles on a space I thought I’d already explored pretty fully.
Photos taken 21 November 2024
I never pass up the chance to visit a Cathedral, even if it’s one I’ve been to many times before. In April we passed near Salisbury on our way to a concert so naturally we popped in for a look around. I’ve photographed here in detail before, so on this occasion I ended up shooting two mini projects - the first was to explore the many different animals I found lurking among the choir stalls.
My other mini project was looking for interesting light and as the sun came out there was no shortage of that…
Photos taken 19 April 2025
Back in March I borrowed the new Pentax 17 half frame eye, film camera to take part in a photowalk at the Photography Show in London. I shared the photos at the time and was very impressed with the quality of the images from such a small film size. Ultimately I gave into temptation and bought one - a decision I haven’t regretted. It’s become a regular companion when I’ve wanted to travel light as it’s compact and lightweight. I’m usually a fan of medium format film but I’ve been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed the smaller format and the way I can be more spontaneous when I know I’ll get at least 72 photos on each roll of film!
At the start of May I had a whole week away for work, taking in a concert, a course and a couple of rehearsals so I took the opportunity to go minimalist and my Pentax 17 became my only camera for the week. It was my constant companion and I used it to snap anything that caught my eye, starting with a couple of frames from Bosham Church where we were giving our concert.
From there I headed west to Somerset and took a stroll through the village of Meare, where I stayed for a couple of days.
The village church was looking very pretty in the sunshine and I even managed to take a few photos inside, despite using fairly slow film - Ilford FP4+.
Further down the road I found the Fish House, a monastic building originally used for salting and drying fish.
The following day I headed off to Cannington Court, near Bridgwater, for my recorder course. The timetable was pretty full but I sneaked an hour to catch some photos around the house and the walled gardens. The house was covered in beautiful purple wisteria so I also kicked myself for loading monochrome film in my camera!
My final destination was Maidenhead for one of my regular monthly rehearsals. By this stage I was getting towards the end of my roll of film but I was still able to squeeze out a couple more frames!
Photos taken 4-11 May 2025
It was inevitable we’d visit both of Liverpool’s Cathedrals while we were there last November. It never fails to amaze me that both of these buildings were completed during my own lifetime and they’re so different. When we arrived at the Anglican Cathedral the sun was gradually dropping in the sky, creating some beautiful effects as it hit the stonework.
Downstairs in the Lady Chapel.
The seats had all been removed from the nave, creating a very uncluttered view as I looked back towards the crossing.
When in Liverpool it’s only correct to photograph a Liver Bird!
The last time I visited the Metropolitan Cathedral I took lots of photos, documenting the modern architecture, so this time I decided to take a more abstract approach, using the shapes and light I found around me.
One thing I missed out on last time was seeing the crypt as it was being used for university exams. This time it was open and it was wonderful to finally see a glimpse of what Edwin Lutyens had in mind in his design for the Cathedral. This huge crypt was built from millions of bricks, but the advent of World War II stopped construction and the Cathedral which was eventually built above it is very different (and much smaller) than Lutyens’ original design. It’s estimated that is Lutyens’ design had been built in its entirety it still wouldn’t be finished today!
Photos taken 19 & 20 November
Yet again I find myself horribly behind on my Photoblog posts so I’m starting another attempt to catch up with more regular posts. Some photos will be recent, while others, like these, were taken several months ago!
One of the places on my ‘must visit’ list when we went to Liverpool last November was the central library. Admittedly, not a typical holiday destination, but I’d see photos of the modern atrium and the 19th century circular reading room online and they struck me as places I’d like to photograph. I didn’t get very far with the modern part of the library as I could really have done with having a zoom lens on my camera to make more of the shapes. But that gives me a good excuse to come back sometime!
The Picton Reading Room, on the other hand, suited the two small prime lenses I had with me just perfectly and I spent a happy half hour exploring its beautiful lines.
Photos taken 21 November 2024
When Pentax announced their brand new film camera, the Pentax 17, last year I was intrigued. Aside from my pinhole cameras, all the film cameras I use are old ones - some of them older than I am. With parts for old models gradually becoming scarcer it’s great to see a manufacturer like Pentax investing in the development of fresh cameras which aren’t just cheap as chips plastic point and shoot models.
One of the events at the Photography Show this week was a photowalk with photographer Dan Rubin, with Pentax 17 cameras and film provided for us to try. £10 for an hour’s walk with a great photographer, a new camera to try with film and developing (plus a goodie bag containing badges and stickers) - how could I resist that! The 17 is a half frame camera so I wasn’t sure I’d be that excited by it, but I went with an open mind and listened to Dan’s creative suggestions. One of these was to take some of our photos as thematically connected pairs, on the basis that two frames take up the same space as a single 35mm film frame - like the one above. This was an interesting way to shoot and made me think in a different way about the sights I was seeing.
Alongside the paired images I also kept my eyes open for anything that interested me, such as these rippled reflections in the water.
A shared joke…. These two men were having lunch together and something had mad them laugh - perhaps it was the sight of 15 people all running around with the same camera!
Shooting through a pipe in one of the dockside cranes.
Another suggestion of Dan’s was to shoot the same subject on consecutive frames - one with the camera the correct way up and the second with the camera inverted. This creates an interesting geometric effect and is particularly effective where you have some negative space in the photos.
Looking through the reeds towards the O2 and London’s cable car across the Thames.
Two more connected images, but these wouldn’t work as a diptych as they use different orientations.
Suspicion…
The steps to where?
Two more diptyches - the first two views of the dock, using the crane to frame the scene in different ways.
The second was taken from some steps, using the buildings either side of me to frame the view, shooting one of them upside down. Turning the camera upside down is a bit of a brain teaser as the controls are suddenly on the wrong side!
Another diptych, using a contrasting views of the same buildings.
At the end if our hour I’d worked my way through a 24 exposure film (although that netted me about 50 images as you get two photos on each 35mm frame) and I’d got a good feel for the Pentax 17. While it has its limitations, I really enjoyed the spontaneity of half frame shooting and the way it made me think slightly differently.
Photos taken 10 March 2025
When I visit somewhere unfamiliar for work I often try to sneak some photography in too, but that brings the challenge of finding the right location. For my trip to Bristol in February I asked Google for suggestions of ‘interesting architecture in Bristol’ and it came up with Clifton Cathedral. To be honest, until that point I had no idea there even was a cathedral in Clifton so my curiosity was piqued. I discovered it’s a Catholic Cathedral, completed in the early 1970s in the brutalist style, so that was all the information I needed to put it at the top of my ‘must visit’ list!
Inside I found a cavernous space, designed to seat 2000 people, with no one’s view obscured by pillars. The concrete spire stands above a large geometric space, supported by a huge concrete ring beam, and that alone created some amazing combinations of shapes and lines.
Around the cavernous central space are areas with a lower ceiling, but even these offered some fascinating lines and dramatic contrasts of light.
Some of the stained glass has beautiful colours, but even here I was drawn to the contrasts of light and shade, so monochrome seemed the right choice. On a sunny day I might have decided differently!
More hexagonal accents…
The ceiling above the central part of the Cathedral is decorated with three dimensional wooden triangles and the soft light was catching them perfectly to create add more depth than one would expect from a two dimensional photograph.
Photos taken 14 February 2025
There are certain times of year when the light is at its most golden, and in the case of St John’s Church, Duxford, March is the moment to visit on a sunny afternoon.
I arrived just before 4pm, as the sun began to drop a little in the sky and as soon as I walked inside I knew I was going to make some beautiful photos with the sun playing on the stonework.
I spent an hour and a half exploring every inch of the church, observing the light as it moved around the western end of the building to pour through the huge arched window. In some places it threw huge expanses of golden light across the stonework, while elsewhere, as in the image below, it created small pools of exquisite beauty.
I particularly loved the way the sun caught the end of this tiny pew, casting a sharp lines of light and shadow across the flagstones.
The north aisle from both ends, at different moments during the afternoon.
At the very end of my visit, just before the sun disappeared below the roofline of the cottage next door, the cross and candlesticks above the high altar were bathed in sunlight.
Wibbly, wobbly shadowy lines, created by the altar rail.
Another of my favourites from late in the afternoon, as the bible was caught in the spotlight.
Photos taken 5 March 2025
When I was invited last year to go and conduct a recorder group in Manchester I immediately decided to use the trip as an opportunity to do some long overdue architectural photography around Salford Quays while I was there. When I arrived there was still a couple of hours left before sunset so I set off to look around and get my bearings, as well as figuring out some possible locations for the following morning.
On the Friday morning a heavy autumn mist had descended on Salford Quays, but that just made things even more atmospheric…
I’d gone to Salford with an open mind about what I might photograph, but I found myself creating several small bodies of work around various parts of the Quays. One of the things that caught my eye was the way the modern architecture on the waterfront was reflected in the shimmering water of the Quays creating colourful abstracts.
While most of my images focus on single buildings, with a vista this dramatic I felt a panorama was also needed to capture the scene, from the Lowry Centre on the left to the Imperial War Museum on the right.
My attempt to create some abstract shapes from the exterior of The Lowry was foiled by this pigeon!
The interior of The Lowry is a riot of colour - a mix of complementary shades of orange and purple. The stark lines of the modern architecture just called out for some minimalist abstracts
Elsewhere in the building the tones are more muted, but no less photogenic.
Another panorama of the Quays - these are the buildings you see in the background on the BBC’s breakfast television show each day!
My circuit of Salford Quays eventually brought me to the Media City Bridge, a cable stay swing bridge which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal, which seemed to call for a monochrome look to highlight its string lines.
Finally I ended my day at the Imperial War Museum. The interior didn’t particularly inspire me, but the curving lines of the exterior have lots of possibilities. I can’t help but wonder what these swooping lines might look like with some low, raking sunshine - a sight I’ll have to hope for on my next visit.
Photos taken 15 November 2024
Last autumn an event popped up on the Southwark Cathedral website which piqued my interest - a candlelit photography evening. I assumed there would be at least some electric lighting so I was surprised to find the Cathedral entirely lit by candles - quite a photographic challenge. Fortunately tripods were permitted, so that made life easier and the slow nature of the photography did at least mean I would have a limited number of images to edit at the end of the evening!
There were only a few dozen of us taking photos so it was easy enough to keep out of each other’s way, and the gloom at the back of many of the scenes made it easier to camouflage the odd photographer who did walk into shot!
As I set up for the photograph below I was initially frustrated when the verger walked into the frame and sat down to check his phone. With hindsight though it’s actually my favourite image of the evening and I think he adds a welcome focus to the picture.
Candlelight reflected off parquet flooring.
Photographs taken 13 November 2024
