Photography | alan frost photography

Posts from the ‘Photography’ category

The reader – an incomplete story to tell

There is nothing like having a good book to read. An enthralling piece of fiction and as you reach the last line on the page, the desire to turn over and read on is compelling. ‘I can’t put the book down’ is often the cry and the measure of a really good tale. Of course the author does not tell you everything and much is left to your imagination as the characters in the book start to take shape in your mind.

In much the same way a photograph also tells a story and by leaving key elements out of the image the viewer is left to wonder and to complete the story behind the picture in their minds eye.

This simple close up of a pair of hands and an open book is perhaps a good example. The hands give you a clue as to how old the reader might be; the jumper and corduroy trousers also suggest a person of a certain age. The reader is already a good way through the book which might infer a desire to carry on. As to the genre of the book itself we have no idea and with the limited depth of field, few words if any are discernible. The light on the hands and the book give the distinct impression the reader is outdoors, enjoying the sunshine but it’s still cool enough to be wearing warmer clothes.

I know the answers to these questions as I asked the person if I could take this shot. He was more than happy to oblige although he might have thought it strange that I would wish to do so.

St Davids Cathedral – capturing the light

There are many reasons why I enjoy being in a church or cathedral. Making photographs which capture the light inside these special places is just one reason – it gives me a great deal of pleasure.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I can spend many an hour waiting for the right light. There are also occasions when little or no waiting is required and a sixth sense just tells me I should be inside even when the sun is shining outside. Photographing St Davids Cathedral on the first afternoon of my visit to Pembrokeshire turned out to be one such occasion.

I had driven the best part of 300 miles that day and had arranged to meet Andy Beel FRPS and the three other photographers in our group at 4pm. The light was good and St Davids Cathedral was only a short walk from our small hotel where we would be spending the next few days.

Bathed in the late afternoon light the Cathedral and grounds looked lovely but as soon as we arrived I instinctively knew that I should be inside and not outside. I just had a feeling that the lighting conditions could be working their magic and so it was.

The combination of the strong low sunlight and the shadows that were being cast only lasted about half an hour but it was more than enough time for me to capture the five images that make up this post.

During the course of the week we did return to St Davids Cathedral at different times of the day, but the light was never quite as good as that brief encounter on the first afternoon. I am sure my fellow workshop participants captured some good shots outside, but I don’t regret my decision to have acted differently and I hope they have forgiven me for disappearing so quickly after our first meeting.

I will be posting more entries and photographs of this Cathedral in the near future.

Whitesands Bay – late in the day

Whitesands

Taken on the first evening during my recent visit to Pembrokeshire, this shot was taken late in the day as the sun started to set. There were only a handful of other people about, all pleased to be at this rather lovely sandy bay.

It’s a location which is popular with surfers but on this occasion there was only one person with a board, but I like the separation and variety of the other characters in the picture. The man walking his dog, the young child running towards his or her mother who is looking out to sea. We do not know if there is a connection between this group of people. It doesn’t really matter, for they were doubtless enjoying their time there, just as much as I enjoyed the scene and taking a few frames.

Abereiddy – a study of chimneys and skies

The first thing that struck me about Abereiddy was not the beach and the waves lapping against the shore but the interesting cluster of houses that make up this tiny hamlet on the North Pembrokeshire coast.

The hamlet of Abereiddy

The more I looked around, I started to observe and enjoy the chimneys and the way in which they stood out in silhouette against the drama in the skies above. The white rendered walls and the very dark grey roofs, so typical of cottages in this part of Wales, made ideal material for black and white photography.

Chimneys and the rook

Chimney and the sheep on the hill

Grassy bank and chimneys in silhouette

Reminiscing perhaps?

chabce-to-reminisce

There are no prizes for guessing where this shot was taken; as anyone familiar with this iconic location will know that it is the view from Seaford Head towards the chalk cliffs of The Seven Sisters, with Beachy Head just visible in the far distance.

This image is less about the view and more about the story it has to tell. The elderly gentleman with white hair sits on his own, his faithful walking stick at his side. Quite possibly a location he has visited many times before, we can only begin to imagine the thoughts that are passing through his mind as he looks over the coastguard cottages and across the bay to The Seven Sisters. Perhaps he is reminiscing about days gone by and the times when walking the landscape in front of him were a little less challenging than they might be today.

Photographically a key ingredient which makes this shot work for me is the careful placement of his head and the horn handle of his stick, so that both share a dark background. As a result your eye is drawn to this part of the picture, which is of course the main point of interest. The view is stunning, but on this occasion it plays second fiddle to why I pressed the shutter. It’s the story within the picture and not the view itself that I was trying to capture.