Photography | alan frost photography

Posts from the ‘Photography’ category

Chichester Art Trail Open Studios

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I am delighted to announce that my wife Helen and I will be exhibiting our artwork as part of the Chichester Art Trail during the first two weekends in May. This is a very well established event. It provides an opportunity for the public to view the work of over 170 talented artists in and around the Chichester area, either in the artist’s studio or in their home. This is the first time we have taken part so we are looking forward to the event with great anticipation and a little apprehension thrown in for good measure!

ARPS Panel-7

I will be displaying my monochrome photographs, whilst my wife will be exhibiting her Mixed media paintings, Collages and Found Object sculptures. An example of her work is shown below and more of her work can be seen on her website – www.helenfrostartist.com.

Helen

Prior to the Art Trail, all of the artists will be displaying one or two examples of their work at The Oxmarket Centre of Arts in Chichester between Tuesday 24th and Sunday 29th April. This exhibition will be open to the public and is a great way to glean a taste of all the art on offer and plan a personal Trail route.

For more information you can visit the Chicheter Open Studios Art Trail website or the PDF brochure can be downlaoded by clicking on this link – chichester_art_trail_guide_2018.

If you happen to be in the area for either the Public Exhibition or for the Art Trail itself then we do hope you will call in to see our work and have a chat.

Dorset in the snow

The number of times we experience snow in southern England are relatively rare, although we have had two quite significant falls in the past few weeks. What perhaps is more unusual, is for me to be in the right place and have the time to make some photographs of a ‘white’ landscape which is so well suited to monochrome.

In the past few days we have had the ‘Mini Beast from the East’, a lesser version of ‘The Beast from the East’ which took place at the turn of the month. I have read this morning that ‘The Beast from the East 3’ is being forecast for Easter. I am not a great fan of this naming of weather events, but the media machine clearly benefits.

Yesterday I was in Dorset and virtually all the roads were passable with care. I only had to turn round once where drifting snow had blocked the way ahead. I was fortunate to have good cloud cover as well. I was pleased the sun didn’t shine, as this would only have increased contrast and made setting the correct exposure even more challenging.

I thoroughly enjoyed a cold but photographically productive few hours finding suitable locations and compositions.

The snow simplifies the landscape. Shapes, lines, form and texture come to the fore. The snow helps to emphasise all these ingredients which are always important to a black and white photographer.

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version.

‘Drawing with light’ – church interiors

The word ‘photograph’ is derived from two words in Greek. ‘Phōtós’, genitive of ‘phōs’ meaning light and ‘graphé’ meaning representation by lines or drawing. In other words a photograph is ‘drawing with light’.

Piscina of light

This image is of a piscina, which is a small bowl used to dispose of water in services. It is often set in a wall, as it is here. In flat light I doubt I would have even considered taking a photograph, but lit by the sun coming through a window on the opposite side of the church, this simple architectural feature is transformed. The shape and texture are revealed and there is a depth to the picture which without the light would not be evident.

I am always looking for these brief moments when natural light is at play inside a place of worship. Here are a few more examples.

Shadows and the Cross

Hymn Books

Chancel Step

Three Windows and a Pulpit

Candlelight in The Priory

Light and Shadow in the Nave

I have quite a collection of this type of image, made over a number of years, so some you may have seen before. Whenever I revisit these photographs, which have been ‘drawn by light’ I am always inspired to make even more.

A walk over Apple Down

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It’s been a bright, dry and cold week and a couple of days ago I managed to find the time to take a stroll over Apple Down, which is north of the tiny hamlet of Up Marden in West Sussex. There are so many footpaths for me to explore and each one will hopefully yield some images to add to the portfolio for my latest project.

I realise that more and more I am drawn to simple subjects. Whether they be a gap in a line of trees, tracks in the field or farm equipment which has just been left on the ground by the farmer before he needs to use it again. They are not necessarily beautiful images but they are pictures which I believe capture the very essence of the landscape and for that reason alone are worth taking and recording.

This project is as much about documenting what I see in the area; it is not a search for ‘chocolate box’ pictures which have been taken countless times before.

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Other posts about this project can be found by clicking on the links below.

New Year, New Project

New Project – First shots and initial thoughts

New Project – It’s early days

‘Fallen’ in Wildhams Wood

Alternative Photographic Techniques – Platinum and Palladium Printing

I have been interested in alternative photography and their associated historic printing techniques for a few years now. The process itself coupled with the tonality, delicacy and unique nature of each print appeals to me. When a course became available at West Dean College, an arts and conservation college close to where I live, I immediately reserved a place. The course took place last week and this is my report. Whilst this is a fairly long entry with a lot of illustrative pictures, if you are at all interested in this alternative photographic process specifically platinum and palladium, the aristocrat of contact printing, then I hope you will read on.