In the footsteps of Charles Rolls

October 26, 2023

I love visiting the beautiful redundant churches cared for by the Friends of the Friendless Churches, but on occasion it does take some persistence! Finding St Cadoc's in Llangattock-Vibon-Avel, near Monmouth, proved to be a serious challenge. It’s hidden away down a long drive, from where you park in a field of sheep and then have to walk through yet another field before you even reach the churchyard!

My first attempt to find St Cadoc’s failed, but once I’d backtracked to a place with a phone signal to check the exact location I finally made it and it was worth the effort!

Arches everywhere. Click on any image to see it enlarged.

I’m always fascinated by church vestries, with the detritus of church life left lying around.

Charles Rolls (of Rolls Royce fame) was a local boy and I found his grave in the churchyard, as well as a family memorial inside the church.

One of the locals was eyeing me up as I returned to my car!

Photos taken 14 September 2023

In search of slow photography

October 25, 2023

Every so often I feel the need for some slow photography - my cue to get a pinhole camera out and find a suitable location for some low-tech imagery. Back in August I decided to follow my nose and ended up at Debden Church.

I had a few frames to finish off with my 6x9 camera so I used these in and around the churchyard, before heading inside to take some square format photos with my 6x6 camera.

A ghostly self portrait in the church porch.

The view of the chancel

Click on any image to see it enlarged.

A final glimpse of the porch before I set off for home.

Photos taken 4 August 2023

Flying in style

October 24, 2023

One blustery day in July we joined a group of friends from our local camera club for a photo day at Duxford’s Imperial War Museum, exploring some of the commercial aircraft. What a fascinating day it proved to be. Our tour guides had a tremendous knowledge of the aircraft and their history and we were allowed free reign to stick our lenses into every nook and cranny of them!

I found myself fascinated by the smaller details, especially on the flight decks where there were lots of atmospherically lit corners.

Kevin’s grandfather worked for Airspeed during World War II so we had to have a photo of Kevin beside the Airspeed Ambassador, even if it was a bit blowy!

The view from the navigator’s seat…

Enjoying the pilot’s seat

Many of the aircraft had been decorated with period features, such as crockery for the in flight refreshments.

Aboard one of the Queen’s personal aircraft

Buttons and dials everywhere on the flight deck of Concorde.

Photos taken 21 July 2023

Goodwood Festival of Speed

October 13, 2023

My effort to catch up with my photo backlog continues, this time with a selection of images from our visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in July. For some reason I struggled to feel inspired during our one day there but I came away with a few photos I like, from the central Porsche themed sculpture to today’s F1 cars and a classic Porsche.

Photos taken 13 July 2023

Hitting the streets of London

October 6, 2023

I don’t do as much street photography as before the pandemic, but it’s something I’d like to get back into when time allows. Last week I went into London to catch the end of the Paul McCartney photography exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and decided my focus for the rest of the day would be people watching.

I had a few minutes before my booked time to see the exhibition so I loitered for a while here, hoping for a good juxtaposition between the Anthony Gormley statue and the folks exiting the escalator.

After leaving the National Portrait Gallery I strolled back through London towards the city, making good use of the strong sunshine - perfect conditions for a spot of black and white photography.

Finally back at Liverpool Street I took a photo of Benson. He’s owned by a homeless chap called Mick who I regularly chat with here and I thought he might like a print of his pet to keep. Benson isn’t in the best of health but has defied all the vet’s dire predictions in recent months and is always happy to received some ear tickles whenever I stop by!

Photos taken 26 September 2023

Bridging the Humber

October 5, 2023

I’ve stopped and taken photos of the Humber Bridge on my to Yorkshire before, but this time I went with a different intention - to capture this amazing structure and the local area with a pinhole camera. Although it was low tide, the local boatyard offered some interesting possibilities, with acres of wrinkled mud as a backdrop, while the wide focal length of my camera created a very dramatic shape when placed directly beneath the bridge’s span.

Photos taken 6 August 2023

Anything but unexceptional

October 4, 2023

A couple of days after our jaunt to Harpenden we were on the road to another classic car show, but one with a difference. The Festival of the Unexceptional is the show for the sort of cars we all grew up with - everyday vehicles which wouldn’t have turned heads at the time. These days they tend to be the last survivors of their type - the cars that no one thought to care for at the time because they were so ordinary.

Photos taken 29 July 2023

Farewell to Dillington House

October 3, 2023

For the last fifteen years I’ve had a the pleasure of teaching at Dillington House in Somerset. Sadly it was announced earlier this year that 49 years of history would come to an end and the house is being handed back to its owners. While I was there for my final course in May I took the opportunity to capture a few photos of this wonderful place - I shall miss it terribly.

Classics on the Common

October 2, 2023

My photographic strategy at classic car shows tends to vary according my mood - sometimes I’ll go digital for the spontaneity; on others occasions I’ll take the slow route and use a pinhole camera. For Classics on the Common in Harpenden I chose the latter, using my 6x9 pinhole camera to capture the cars and the people milling around them.

Classics on the Common is an all day event, so lots of people bring their own seats and picnics along to socialise.

The interior of a Bond Bug

Trotters’ Independent Traders even turned up!

Photos taken 27 July 2023

Taking to the skies above Duxford

October 1, 2023

It’s been a long while since I had a proper chance to test my aviation photography skills but late in July one of the flying displays at Duxford coincided with some a dry day. The sky was grey but with some texture in the clouds and this set off the colours of the aircraft well.

Photographing aircraft in flight is always a balancing act. You want a slow enough shutter speed to capture some movement in the propellers, but if you go to slow it becomes difficult to keep the camera still enough for a sharp photo. I usually begin with a faster shutter speed and then gradually reduce this as I get back into practice with my panning skills.