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Posts tagged ‘black and white photography’

All Saints’ Church, Little Somborne, Hampshire

I have almost certainly said this before, but a visit to a small church in the countryside is good for the soul whether or not you are religious or have a faith. I can happily spend a couple of hours in a relatively confined space taking some images whilst allowing the quiet solitude and timeless quality of the interior to have an enriching affect on me. More often than not it is helped by the fact that rarely I am interrupted by other visitors. To have the place to myself is rather special and only enhances the peaceful experience.

All Saints’ in Little Somborne is another church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Historically important, it was mentioned in the Domesday Book and its origins are half Saxon and half Norman. It is still consecrated but no longer used for regular worship. I suppose this adds to a feeling of melancholy…..time and circumstance has long passed it by, and with church attendance falling in this country, more and more parish churches will inevitably close as they cease to be financially viable. They can’t all be saved so those that are should be treasured, not just because of the building’s significance but as a reminder of times past and how the church played such a vital role in village life in days gone by.

For the record Sir Thomas Sopwith, a British aircraft designer whose company was responsible for the Sopwith Camel and other military aircraft which fought if the First World War was buried here in 1989.

St Ellyw’s, Llanelieu, Powys – a long overdue return to my photographic passion.

It was a dull early winter’s day as I stepped inside. I looked around and slowly my eyes began to adjust to what at first seemed a very gloomy, cold interior. Slowly the church revealed itself to me, as the light of day penetrated 13th century sandstone rubble walls through the deep arched medieval window openings. The remote setting, the ancient churchyard and the surrounding Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons all contributed to the atmosphere of this small historical place of worship. Almost instantly I am taken back in time and can only wonder whose feet have crossed the threshold in all the centuries past?

This is the church of St Ellyw’s in Llanelieu, Powys in Wales. It is now cared for by the ‘Friends of Friendless Churches’. On their website it states that “St Ellyw was a princess martyr of the 5th century and according to legend, she was murdered close to Llanelieu by a rejected suiter who refused to accept her vow of chastity”.

A good many years ago I began a project which has no end. I started to photograph church interiors which eventually inspired me to submit a successful panel of images for my Associateship of the The Royal Photographic Society. Whilst the appeal of this project has never been lost it has been on the back burner for quite a long time. Whilst on holiday in the Brecon Beacons towards the end of last year, I made a special effort to visit and photograph this church which was of particular interest to me. It revived my love of not just photographing these places but experiencing their atmosphere and quiet solitude.

I have always been drawn to remote churches in the countryside. Small buildings which are being preserved but not necessarily used for regular worship. There are a number of other similar churches in the near vicinity of St Ellyw’s, so a short break to this part of Wales specifically to visit these churches is definitely on the cards. Until then there are others closer to home which I have listed, one of which I visited quite recently and I will be posting some images very soon.

Flooded meadows – just too much rain

As my fingers move around the keyboard and these very words appear on the screen, I glance up to look out of the window. Has the rain stopped? No it hasn’t, and the overcast sky doesn’t make me believe it will do so anytime soon. It is forecast to brighten up this afternoon so I live in hope.

Yesterday I cycled up and down the lane where I live. The meadows which border the river Piddle in Dorset often flood but rarely this side of Christmas. February and March yes, but not usually in the middle of December.

The ground is so saturated that in some parts of the lane the water is spilling out of the fields and onto the road. Traffic can still pass but for how long?

These images will be added to my growing portfolio of photographs which document the rural nature of the place I now call home. At some point in the not too distant future I intend creating a separate gallery page for this collection, which I have named – ‘Close to my back door’.

In awe of the light and dark clouds at East Head

Never before have I witnessed such a dramatic scene – fortunately I was in the right place at the right time.

At the end of last month I visited East Head at West Wittering, a place I have photographed and written about many times before on this site. But this time the conditions were very different and they couldn’t have been more atmospheric, moody or in one word spectacular. It was early evening as the drama unfolded before my eyes.

As I walked on the sand I noticed a line of fence posts which roped off a section of the dunes. After all East Head is owned by the National Trust and they are keen to protect this important habitat for wildlife and in particular nesting birds. This was a minimalist image (above) but as I turned round to look in the opposite direction I saw dark clouds gathering fast.

If you have been following this blog recently you will already know that for a period of time I switched from black and white and started working in colour. A previous entry goes into more detail as to why I have now returned to my first love of monochrome.

In the circumstance I decided it would be a good idea to revisit a few of those colour images, re-process them in black and white and share them with you. So here is a small selection and I hope you enjoy them.