church | alan frost photography

Hamlet through a pinhole….. but the church doors are closed.

The Dorset hamlet of Affpuddle lies to the east of Tolpuddle, its better known neighbour famous for The Tolpuddle Martyrs, and a mile or so down the road there is another village called Briantspuddle. All three communities form part of the lower reaches of the Piddle valley.

Affpuddle is by far the smallest, warranting in my opinion the title of hamlet, whereas the other two are most certainly villages. Unusually for a hamlet, Affpuddle boasts its own church, St Laurence, which is bounded by the River Piddle on the northern side of the graveyard. A lovely setting.

Pinhole photography with a Skink Pinhole Pancake System on the Leica SL

***West Stoke Church – my first pinhole image***

For sometime now I have wanted to indulge my creative curiosity in the world of pinhole photography. I like the impressionistic, ethereal appearance which is often enhanced by the long exposure times necessary. Photography without a lens; just the smallest of apertures in front of a film or digital sensor in a light sealed box.

Abstraction of Idsworth with ICM

Earlier this week I posted my first attempt at an image utililising intentional camera movement (ICM). You can read this entry here.

Since then I have identified and processed two other frames taken on the same outing.

Finding your creative voice through experimentation.

I have written before on this site that I have struggled with my photography in recent times. I have lacked a true sense of direction and the creative juices haven’t really been flowing. I haven’t been able to settle on one approach. Frustating yes, but at times like these I believe it’s important to consider all options, to be patient and not to restrict your choice of subject or technique. To experiment and just see what happens in the hope that given time a new creative voice will evolve.

Elgar’s Lost Sanctuary – alternative compositions

I have long been an advocate of ‘working’ a subject – in other words taking time to explore different compositions of what is essentially the same subject. I don’t wish to assume that the first choice of viewpoint and lens selection will make the best photograph. The temptation of course can be to pursue the obvious and then walk away believing the job is done.