If you’re looking for a particular post please use the search box below
The first time I visited Romsey Abbey was to perform in a concert. It was so cold that March evening that all I remember is feeling utterly chilled to the bone and the beauty of the architecture certainly didn’t register with me! It was time I made a return visit so in May I made a small detour on my way to Somerset to see what I’d missed the first time.
Photos taken 17 May 2022
Back in April I spent a day in London with two of my pinhole cameras, foraging for interesting imagery which would work in this slow genre of photography.
Click on any of the photos to seem them enlarged.
One of my early stops was St Mary at Hill Church, in the City, whose dramatic lines suited the wide angle view of my 6x6 camera.
From there I strolled down to the River to capture some of the movement in the water with both my 6x6 and large format pinhole cameras.
One of the joys of pinhole photography is the way it captures periods of time, rather than just fractions of a second. This shows best in photos which have some movement, especially water. This was the only excuse I needed to hop on one of the clipper boats on the River and take a ride down to Greenwich.
I got off the clipper at Greenwich and took a stroll around the Old Royal Naval College. The architecture has so many possibilities, and I only just scratched the surface - I’ll definitely need to come back another day.
Another large format image - the wide angle field of view makes the building seem to stretch for miles!
On the boat back to central London I had another try at some action pinhole photography with my large format camera, as we passed Canary Wharf. I’d like to claim I timed this perfectly to catch the buildings beneath the canopy of the boat, but it was complete luck!
Exploring Tower Bridge
Further along the south bank of the River Thames, the area around City Hall offered all sorts of interesting lines which suit the wide view of a pinhole camera.
Eventually my feet began to ache so I took the bus back to Liverpool Street - taking a photo en-route, naturally!
Finally, a selection of images from around the area behind Liverpool Street Station.
Photos taken 28 April 2022
I never pass up the opportunity for some photography around the City of London so today I travelled into town an hour early for my meeting so I could take a leisurely stroll down to the River Thames.
Looking out for subjects that interested me, my first stop was the Bloomberg Building, which has some interesting lines and details, along with some rich golden colours.
Further south, I stopped at St Paul’s Cathedral, where I explored the way it interacts with the modern glass architecture of the nearby One New Change shopping centre.
Photos taken 2 November 2022
We’ve often looked after our neighbours cats, Cwtch and Sookie, while their humans have been on holiday and it’s always a pleasure. Cwtch is always confident and friendly towards us, but Sookie is a much more reserved character, often apparently afraid of her own shadow!
A big stretch from Cwtch
This summer they’ve both spent more time in their front garden, mostly keeping clear of their canine siblings, so I’ve taken this opportunity to gain Sookie’s trust a little more. Often you’ll find me on my hands and knees, giving her a cheek rub as if I stand up she’ll run a mile! One week over the summer though we spent several days feeding the two of them as this proved a real turning point. Realising I was a purveyor of both cheek rubs and food, Sookie became a total convert and she even relaxed enough for me to take some photos one morning.
I’ve never seen Sookie this relaxed before!
Photos taken August 2022
One of my favourite local churches is St John’s in Duxford. It’s no longer used for worship but is instead cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. A couple of times a year I visit and even though the architecture doesn’t change the light is different every time.
On this occasion I visited in mid-March, when the days hadn’t yet started to lengthen but the shadows were definitely still long and dramatic. There’s something about the light in St John’s which is irresistible, whatever the season, but on this occasion it just called out for a spot of black and white.
Photos taken 17 March 2022
A few days after my visit to Ely Cathedral I headed west to Gloucester. It’s been several years since I visited this Cathedral, during which my photographic skills have improved so it was interesting to look at it with fresh eyes and find new opportunities for photos.
Click on any photo to see them enlarged
The Cathedral’s 14th century lavatorium - where the monks would once have washed.
Photos taken 8 April 2022
The first week of April turned out to be a week of cathedrals, with two of them bookending the week.
I started off at Ely with two friends, helping them with their architecture photography and sharing the way I look at buildings when I photograph them. We spent the day exploring the building in detail and although the main focus of my attention was on teaching I did take a few photos myself.
Photos taken 4 April 2022
After my music course in Wales last month finished I took a very enjoyable meander down the hill to the Cynghordy Viaduct and beyond - some much needed fresh air and exercise after several days of intense music making.
One of our course students was on this train as it chugged across the Cynghordy Viaduct!
I had no preconceived ideas as to what I might photograph along the way and came back with a pretty varied selection.
Just beyond the viaduct is a goat farm and some of the local residents came out to greet me!
A closer view of the viaduct
The view across the valley never fails to surprise and delight me - this is a photo I snatched from my bedroom window on the first morning I was there - a wonderfully misty autumn morning and even a train on the viaduct.
And finally, a couple of my canine friends from my final morning in Wales. On the left we have Barney, who belongs to one of our students, and Jasper, the resident cockerpoo, on the right.
Photos taken October 2022
Every April one Sunday is adopted by the pinhole photography community as their day - an opportunity to slow down and see the world in a different way. This year the day coincided with the Society of Recorder Players’ National Festival, so naturally I decided to combine the two!
During our final massed playing session (some 150 musicians) I explained that I’d be going around taking photos with what looked like a wooden box and gave an idea of what the photos might look like, although I’m sure many of the players still thought I was crackers!
My friend Moira has turned into a whirl of energy as she conducts the orchestra!
Some closer shots of the players below, including a self portrait in the second one! Click on any of the images to see them larger.
John kindly allowed me to get very close as he played his contrabass. Because the instrument roots him to the same spot more than the smaller recorders he’s still recognisable in the resulting photo!
After the festival had finished I still had some film left over so I took a detour to Flatford on my way home - home of John Constable and a familiar sight through his painting ‘The Haywain’.
And finally, a quick stop at East Bergholt Church to complete the roll of film before I headed home to develop it!
Photos taken 24 April 2022
We often visited north Norfolk when I was a child to visit my grandmother in Ingoldisthorpe. There are many places I remember from those trips, but on this holiday we found a building I had no recollection of whatsoever. We stayed in Snettisham, just a mile or two from granny’s house and on our drive home from Felbrigg Hall we noticed the church - an imposing structure on the outskirts of the village.
I don’t recall ever seeing the church all those years ago, but it was fantastic find, albeit somewhat belatedly! The light was fading but that just added even more character and mood to the resulting photos.
Photos from October 2022
