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Travel Photography – Istanbul Series 1:- Hagia Sophia

A visit to Istanbul

On a three-day visit to Istanbul in February 2012 we walked miles, had sun, wind and snow and I photographed – a lot. Istanbul is a feast for the senses with great people and centuries of history.

Hagia Sophia

This has been the site of a church since 360 (during the reign of Constantius II). The current building was built from 532-537 and was the largest cathedral for in the world for 1000 years. It is generally regarded as the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture.”

It has a varied history –

Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (562–1204)
Catholic Cathedral (1204–1261)
Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (1261–1453)
Ottoman Empire Imperial Mosque (1453–1931)
Museum (1931-present)

The building today shows its age and its history but it is amazing and certainly a place to visit if you get the chance.

One day in Zimbabwe

Getting out and about

I have just spent a week in Harare – the capitol of Zimbabwe. I spent the whole week in meetings but had one day when I could take out my camera on a field trip outside the city. (One of the meetings was on the 16th floor of a building – with no working elevators! A day after I had made the climb the newspaper carried a story of a woman who had had a miscarriage climbing the stairs in the same building – a heavy price to pay.)

Climbing out of the pit

I was in Zimbabwe as a consultant to support the drafting of a new national water policy. In about 2008 the country hit the bottom. Following the economic collapse with hyper-inflation, everything ground to a halt. Wide spread unemployment meant that people could not pay their bills, local authorities had no revenue to provide basic services, infrastructure collapsed… Without electricity water and sewage pumps don’t work, raw sewage is routed directly into rivers and dams from which drinking water is drawn, massive cholera and typhoid epidemics result… And yet somehow the people continue, they have no other option. Today, although the situation has not changed much, there is hope and a sense that the corner has been turned. The resilience and energy of ordinary people on the streets and in the markets is inspiring.

Some images – Life goes on

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Series of Four #13 – Winchester Cathedral – with muted HDR

Series of Four

This is the thirteenth Blog in the “Series of Four” series. Each blog focuses on a different aspect of photography, either technical or creative. To see the full set of “Series of Four” blogs, click here.

Winchester Cathedral – with muted HDR

Here is a set of four images taken recently of Winchester Cathedral in England. This is my second visit to Winchester Cathedral – my first visit was at the beginning of my project to photograph the Cathedrals of the Church of England and I have learned a lot since then.

For these images I have used a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) which uses a series of bracketed images taken at different exposures (+1, 0, -1 in these images) to achieve a greater range than is possible with the sensitivity of a normal digital sensor. Using software it is possible to integrate the images (usually 3 or 5) to achieve a very sharp image with details across the full range of the available light. I have been intrigued recently how HDR can enhance images. Taking bracketed exposures in low lighting situations like cathedrals adds considerably to the time a shoot takes as each exposure is usually between 20 to 30 seconds.

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.