alan frost photography

The Shepherd’s Altar, Didling

Shepherd's Altar

The Church of St Andrew at Didling in West Sussex is tiny and wholly lit by candles. It is affectionately known as ‘The Shepherd’s Church’. Tucked away in a field beneath the South Downs at the end of a track off Bugshill Lane, it is well hidden by a large yew tree which must be many hundreds of years old. This simple country church is Norman in origin and dates back to the early 13th Century. In times gone by it would have served a much larger community until the village virtually disappeared after the ravages of the plague.

It’s been quite a while since I have made any ‘church images’ so when I visited Didling yesterday as part of my ‘new project’ I was pleased to find the church open. I was even more pleased to find that the light shining through one small south facing window was coming in at just the right angle. The sun illuminated the beautifully simple altar table and the cross in particular. Adorned with two vases of fresh tulips, thankfully this church is still very well cared for but completely unspoilt.

Delightful.

New Project – First shots and initial thoughts

Regular readers will know that I am starting a new long term project this year. I wrote about it here.

In a sentence I have defined an area of countryside to photograph which covers about 30 sq miles to the north of where I live; it’s a mix of chalk downs, farmland and woodland and includes a section of the South Downs Way.

At the beginning of anything new there is a sense of excitement and anticipation. A desire to make the first image not knowing what the coming weeks and months ahead will produce. What direction will the project take as it evolves over time? Who knows, but I am aware the project will require a title at some point in the future once a clear sense of direction has been esyablished. Whilst I already have a number of ideas as to what this might be it’s far too early to commit, as conceptually it may well change as I become influenced and inspired by the varied scenery I discover. I want to immerse myself in the landscape, capture what I see, not necessarily for its beauty but because that’s how it is – an element of documenting the countryside will form part of the project.

Super wide angle in Eastbourne with Zeiss Distagon 18mm f4

Zeiss 18mm-3

For some time now I have been looking at various super wide angle lenses with a Leica M mount for my Leica Monochrom. My widest lens is 28mm and there have been many times in the past when a wider angle of view would have been welcome; either because I am working in confined spaces (church interiors for example) or to work more creatively. For landscapes a wider angle of view can also be invaluable but in all cases the ability to attach Neutral Density and ND Graduated filters is important to me. Yes I know using filters on a rangefinder is far from ideal. It also goes without saying that a separate viewfinder is also a requirement, as the frames lines in the camera’s viewfinder only extend to 28mm. Despite these limitations I still love my Monochrom to bits, so whilst my approach might be very unorthodox, it works for me and I’m sticking to it.

Towards Cocking (2013)

For the past 18 months or so much of my photography has centered around the coastal area of Chichester Harbour. Having a specific and long term project to concentrate the mind has been something of a revelation to me. I have always been inspired by other photographers and artists who have chosen a subject to work on over a sustained period of time. The intimate knowledge gained by exploring a defined area and the benefit this brings to a body of work is, I have now discovered, hugely rewarding.

Project Map

The Exhibition Expedition

Definitions

“Exhibition” a public display of works of art or items of interest, held in an art gallery or museum or at a trade.
“Expedition” a journey undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration and research.

These definitions are in my view an excellent summary of The Image Circle Exhibition which took place at The Oxmarket in Chichester last month.

A number of weeks have now passed and I have had time to look back on what was a very successful, albeit quite an exhausting experience.

Let me start at the beginning. The Image Circle is a group of six like minded photographers all with an interest in outdoor photography, whether that be landscapes or nature. None of us had exhibited before, so 15 months ago we booked our slot at The Oxmarket Centre of Arts and began our preparation. A logo for the group was devised, a website set up and then individually we went about deciding what to exhibit, and how the pictures should be presented and framed. We also had to divide the gallery space so that we were all happy with our allocated hanging area. Marketing the event was also a major consideration but I’ll come back to that later.

The six of us met regularly during the year and in the week before the exhibition final details were discussed and agreed. We arrived early on the first day to set everything up, hang and label our pictures. We had also arranged a private view for that evening having invited family, friends, other acquaintances and contacts.