Photography | alan frost photography

Posts from the ‘Photography’ category

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.

Pictures packed and ready for transportation to the gallery

……..then try, try, and try again.

Milton Abbey

It goes without saying that any outdoor photography is weather dependent. Sometimes the conditions are just right, and at other times they work against you.

This was very much the case during a recent workshop in Dorset with another photographer – Anthony Blake. Throughout the day it had been overcast and misty. As we approached our final destination before the sun set, we walked up a hill to the site of St Catherine’s Chapel in the hope that we would enjoy a great view of Milton Abbey through the trees. On arriving unfortunately the Abbey was nowhere to be seen. A veil of mist had descended in the valley and obscured its view. We waited a while but if anything the mist was getting worse not better.

We returned to the car and drove around looking for different viewpoint without any success. Unfortunately the light was fading fast but we decided to try one more time and return to the first location in the wishful hope that the mist might have lifted.

Much to our surprise and delight the Abbey could now be seen and you can see the result in the image above. An ethereal view of the Abbey with the mist hanging in the valley but with a clearly visible outline of the hills in the distance. I was very fortunate to capture this view…….and in doing so I couldn’t help but be reminded of the saying which I have used for the title of this post.

The Beech Avenue at Kingston Lacy

Beech Avenue

It’s been quite a while since the last entry on this blog. Regular readers will know that I had my first exhibition last month and I will be writing about the experience very soon. For now I thought I would share with you some images taken and made just before the exhibition took place back in the early part of November.