England – Page 3 – Season Images

Series of Four # 2 – Horizons in Black & White

Series of Four

This is the second 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.

Horizons in Black & White

Horizons make powerful compositions with an emphasis on depth. Using monochrome emphasises the drama of the images which, in these beach scenes, highlights the sky and clouds. A line of poles or a tidal beacon adds interest.

All the shots were taken at Wittering on the Sussex coast in England.

Cathedrals of England: E-Book Published

I have arranged and published, through an Internet Publisher, the first copy on a 90 page book entitled “Cathedrals of England” which contains images and some introductory information on all 43 Anglican English cathedrals. The E=Book can be browsed through this link.

What next?

The next step will be to have discussions with various parties including the Church and publishers to see if we can take the project further. Producing one-offs is very expensive. Of course, if there is going to be a commercial aspect to this we will need clearance from each Cathedral to include images of their property.

Watch this space – You may be able to order a copy soon.

All 43 English Anglican Cathedrals Photographed

The first Cathedral I photographed was the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC. Then I attended a multi-faith meeting on water representing the World Bank which was held in Salisbury Cathedral in England in July 2009, and I visited the Cathedral of Bath and Wells in Somerset where I have family roots. I was overawed by these magnificent buildings and the idea dawned to set about photographing them all – which I completed yesterday (3 March 2011) when I flew to the Isle of Man and photographed the Peel Cathedral (see Blog post –Peel Cathedral, Isle of Man – the Friendliest Cathedral in all England). A selection of the images taken at each cathedral can be seen in the Season Images Gallery.

The purpose

The cathedrals of England hold a tension, an irony, being at once places of devotion and contemplation as well as representing wealth and power from a past era. A tension runs right through most elements – a warmth and a coldness, the familiar with the alien, minute detail overshadowed by vast lines and cavernous spaces. My purpose in these images is to explore these tensions, seeking not to create an architectural record but to capture unique perspectives to be reflected upon and contemplated over. A very real contemporary tension is how these sacred buildings, which have priceless historical value, recreate themselves to hold real significance in the largely secular, urban, 21st century contexts in which they find themselves and remain true to their primary function as places of Christian worship. My hope is that in a small way these images can bring to life again the dedicated creativity of centuries of artists, architects, builders and masons.

A list ….

The most inspiring and my favorite is Wells Cathedral.
The most striking font is in Salisbury Cathedral.
The friendliest was Peel Cathedral on the Isle of Man.
The most informative and amenable guide was in St Alban’s.
The most awesome for sheer size was Liverpool.
The cross-of-nails in Coventry was thought provoking.
The most picturesque surroundings – Lichfield Cathedral.
The most expensive was …….. – £120.00 per hour. (Fill in the gaps)
The least attended was …….. – I spent an hour there and did not see anyone.
The most unsteady – ……… Cathedral did not let me use a tripod.
The least friendly – in …….. we had a run in with very rude University Proctors although the volunteers in the Cathedral were friendly.

7 more Cathedrals Photographed

Northern England

During Half-Term (20-26 February 2011) Karen and I traveled to northern England to photograph 6 more cathedrals: Ripon, Bradford, York Minster Cathedral, Durham, and Newcastle in the east, and Carlisle in the west. We braved a range of weather with one brief glimpse of the sun. This makes 42 of the 43 English Cathedrals now photographed – I photograph the last English Cathedral on 3 March – Peel Cathedral on the Isle of Man.

Carlisle Cathedral was a challenge as when I arrived I was told that I could not use a tripod. As I shoot at a low ISO value with typical exposures of 20 – 30 seconds, I had to do some creative thinking. Carlisle is the only cathedral out of the 43 in England which had this restriction but no doubt for good reason as they said images of the cathedral had been used inappropriately – if I had known this before hand I could probably have made an arrangement.

Wales

We visited St David’s Cathedral in west Wales which is the first Welsh cathedral I have photographed. St David’s is the smallest city in the UK because of the cathedral. There are 6 cathedrals in Wales altogether: St David’s : Llandaff : Bangor : Newport : St Asaph : Brecon. This now makes for a new target – the Cathedrals of England and Wales!

Woodland moods

If you go down to the woods today ……

I spent some time in the woods on the North Downs in Surrey near Caterham yesterday to enjoy a rare sunny day with Toffee Dog and my cameras, trying to capture the mood of the woods in the midst of winter. The creepers entwine themselves around the trees in tight spindly embraces which constrict and smother. A touch of green promises warmer times to come.

These images are available individually in 40 x 16 inch (1.0 x 0.4m) panels or as a set of 4 panels in either Acrylic or Blockmounts. Contact Len Abrams for details.