There is a reality about the woods. Time is motionless but its touch is everywhere. Decay and growth merge together into one cycle. Left to itself without the axe and saw all is equalised. Nothing lasts forever and yet the whole is ageless. 
Tag: Caterham
On the Forest Floor
A long while since they fell
Stripped of life
The veins through which life flowed
Becoming the food of new life
The cycle turns one more time …..
Event Photography – The Pantomime
The British (or is it the English) have a unique entertainment form – the Pantomime – which is usually staged around the Christmas / New Year season. This year St. Mary’s Church in Caterham, Surrey staged Rumplestitskin. Men dress up as Dames, girls dress up as boys and everyone, including the audience, get involved, all in aid of church funds.
Getting through generations of pantomimes has undoubtedly contributed to the sort of steely British fortitude which ruled half the world and weathered the Blitz.
Photographing the show is a challenge – low lighting, definitely no flash, stationary position and some pretty erratic movement at times make it interesting.
Event photography – The Annual Pet Service
The Pet Service
The annual Pet Service at St Mary’s parish church in Caterham, Surrey, England is a little bit of chaos at the edge of heaven.
Each year families bring their pets for a blessing and a reminder of what important companions pets are with their unjudgemental and unconditional love and affection. Pets which Rev. Duncan Swan has blessed over the years have included fish and a stick insect. This year they included hamsters, a horse, cats, a rabbit and lots of dogs – (and a few soft toy pets for good measure).
An event like a pet service is relatively easy to photograph because there is so much chaos that you just blend right in. I only use available light (which can be a bit of a challenge) so as not to be too intrusive with flash and not to alarm the animals. It is all about catching the moment and on an occasion such as this there are lots of moments with animals and children. However it is all totally unrehearsed and things happen quickly so you need full concentration.
Event Photography – The Ordination
The day
2nd October will be the anniversary of Stephanie Nadarajah’s Ordination to the Priesthood for all the years to come. Here are a selection of images from the day including a band of supporters travelling to Southwark Cathedral in South London from St Mary’s Caterham, a few shots in the Cathedral (though not of the actual Ordination Service because we were all involved in that as worshippers and not as photographers) and then during Steph’s first communion celebrated in the evening at St Mary’s parish church, Caterham.
If you would like copies of these images, please contact me (Len Abrams) at info@seasonimages.com.
Photographic points
Event photography is a particular avenue of professional photography with its own demands and rewards. This is the first ordination service of Anglican (Episcopalian) priests which I have photographed, which I did at the request of the parish. Photographing church services is a specific challenge as it needs to be done with sensitivity to the people and the ceremony being conducted. I therefore do not use flash or other special lighting which requires high ISO settings, slow shutter speeds and wide open apertures, all of which calls for a steady hand. On the occasion of this ordination I was intent on capturing the involvement of parishioners, friends and family as it is very much a community event as well as being a very important milestone in the life of those being ordained. I wanted to capture both symbolic images and intimate moments, together with some of the activities around the event.