Dorset | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘Dorset’

Telephone boxes ….. project planning and research gets underway

*Outside the Post Office, Cheap Street in Sherborne*

It’s a little over a week since I posted my first entry on the topic of photographing telephone boxes. Documenting them, their uses and their place in the environment. I was quite excited then and I am even more excited and motivated today.

I have already spent quite a lot of time giving consideration to how this project might evolve, and whilst I have some parameters in mind, I don’t want to restrict myself too much too soon. I want to maintain flexibility in my approach and just see where this initial concept takes me.

What I have decided is that I would like to share not only the images but also the process with you. Explaining my ideas, and providing answers to some of the questions which are raised. It helps me to write down my thoughts and it may help you if you are also considering embarking on a photographic project. I don’t consider myself to be an expert but I hope you will find it interesting and maybe useful.

Initial Planning and Research

One of the many appealing aspects of this project is the number of boxes in existence in my home county of Dorset in the UK. Not as many as there once where of course, but that’s why I want to tell their story before they all but disappear. In order to find phone boxes to photograph I could jump in my car and aimlessly drive around hoping to stumble across them, but that would be very wasteful of fuel, time and almost certainly lead to considerable frustration.

Fortunately a quick internet search coupled with Google Street View can provide me with a lot of information. Without stepping out of the door I can sit in the warmth and comfort of my home and ‘travel’ around the county, and that’s exactly what I have been doing this past week.

When I find the site of a box I record it on My Google Maps, placing a coloured pin in the exact location. Changing the colour of the pin I can readily identify which locations I have been to and which ones I still need to visit. When I say the exact location, I mean precisely that. From a photographic perspective I need to know which side of the road the box is sited and establish the likely angle of view so that I can time my visit according to where the sun is will be in the sky . To date I have already identified 56 locations but some have much more photographic appeal than others, so I will select those which I believe have the most promise. I have used My Maps in the past and I like the fact that you can click on a pin and add notes as well as images which serve as a useful source of reference.

Street View is an extraordinary tool, but I use it with caution, as it cannot be relied upon 100% of the time. Whilst searching I found a box near the Sandbanks ferry at Studland. It stood adjacent to the sand dunes. A great subject to photograph but unfortunately when I dug a little deeper I established the box had been removed back in 2020. Arrrghh!…..but it did save me a lengthy round trip. It also served as a reminder that these boxes will not always be part of the landscape and will over time be consigned to the history of this country.

*The box near the Studland Ferry prior to its removal in 2020*

Two new images

My wife and I visited the town of Sherborne earlier this week so I took the opportunity to make a couple of images of the two boxes outside the Post Office in Cheap Street. The first is at the top of this page. It also appears in the Google Street View of the same location, but without all the pavement works. Although a rather chaotic scene I enjoy all the various street furniture and the disruption caused by the works taking place.

The second image (shown below) depicts the box which now houses a defibrillator. In this picture I like the inclusion of the person carrying her bag with ‘Love Books, Love Reading’. It adds another level of interest.

*The second box by the Post Office in Sherborne*

These two images are very different to those I included in the first post. Those were rural in nature but they do contrast well with the town locations. I am already quite clear in my mind that I want the project not to be just a collection of photographs of phone boxes – not record shots in other words – but images which incorporate the surrounding environment. If there is to be a story there needs to be context and if this includes a human element to broaden the narrative then all well and good.

I don’t need to put a definitive name to this work at such an early stage but I consider it helps to call it something. The Telephone Box Project is something of a mouthful, so I thought the Phone Box Story had more appeal and I can abbreviate this to PBS which I think has a rather nice ‘ring, ring’ to it! Apologies for this terrible joke but I’ll stick with the ‘Phone Box Story’ and it’s shortened version of ‘PBS’ for the foreseeable future.

There are plenty of thoughts and ideas running through my brain right now so I anticipate posting a further update soon.

Do comment on any aspect of this project, I would welcome your feedback.

Telephone boxes …… I think this has all the makings of a new photo project.

Projects, whether they be small or large, short or long term, never fail to encourage me to go out with my camera. Excuse the pun but they give me a focus, a sense of direction and a purpose to make new work.

I try not to think too hard about what the subject might be for a new project; I simply wait for an idea to inspire me. Sometimes that flash of inspiration will fade very quickly and be dismissed. At other times the initial excitement takes hold and I can see how the project might develop. I start to research the idea and ask myself a variety of questions. How practical is it? Is there sufficient material to work with? Do I have the equipment required? Do I stick to black and white or is colour an option? What is the purpose and does the project have an end objective?

In the past few days I have latched on to the idea of photographing and documenting ‘Telephone Boxes’. We have one near where we live, although it has been repurposed, which is also true of many others. I have no idea how many still have working telephones, and in any case that number must surely be in decline. The historical aspect appeals to me and their current usage only adds to the story. Whilst still a common site, their original purpose and heyday has passed. However their passing and reinvention is I believe worth recording.

Given this thought process has only just began I don’t have all the answers yet, and in a couple of weeks time I might have dropped the concept altogether. Conversely my enthusiasm may grow. I will know soon enough. Right now I think this project has legs and I am excited.

Given this ‘flash of inspiration’ and in my desire to get started, I went out to make a few images of boxes close to our home.

Having done so I was reminded of a photograph I made a couple of years ago of a telephone box on the Ardnamurchan peninsular in Scotland. In fact this particular box is the most westerly box on the British mainland. Perhaps the idea for this project was conceived back in 2022? It’s just taken rather a long time to come to fruition!

I would like to finish by thanking and making reference to a documentary photographer, Kyle McDougall, who has a truly excellent YouTube channel. I have been following his channel for some time and I enjoy his work, very much like his style of presentation and I learn a lot from him in the process. By sheer coincidence his latest video (link below) refers to the topic of photographic projects. His thoughts and suggestions resonated with me and what he had to say reinforced the very ideas which have been going through my own mind these past few days.

Dorset crops ….. not grain, but 1 x 2.

For many years I have been making images of my home county of Dorset with the intention of including my favourite pictures in a photobook; not necessarily for publication but simply for my own satisfaction and enjoyment. There are about 140 photographs which I have already short-listed and I have now reached the stage where I can begin making my final selection. Part of this process involves reviewing all the images, to ensure I am happy with how they have been edited and whether or not they could be improved in any way.

As I went through the portfolio there were two or three images which I thought would benefit from a ‘letterbox’ crop or to be more precise a 1×2 aspect ratio. As someone who likes to shoot 1×1 or 5×4, a 1×2 crop is well outside my comfort zone. However as I experimented I found more images which I thought were enhanced by selecting this particular crop.

In this post have included a few photographs which have undergone this treatment. As well a changing the overall feel of the image I like the fact they will add variety and interest to the book.

Some of these images were made some years ago and I think this exercise also demonstrates how a critical and constructive review of an edited photograph can bring dividends.

If you have enjoyed this post do please like or leave a comment and subscribe to my blog. Thank you.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside…

I don’t know why but I was looking through my CaptureOne catalogue a few days ago and came across some images which I had taken in the summer of last year down at Weymouth beach in Dorset. It was a dull, overcast day and without any sun the beach was almost deserted with only a few hardened holidaymakers determined to make the most of it.

I had processed the pictures but they were never included in a post. I guess this was probably because the subject matter (urban/seaside/street) is very different to my usual work. It’s always rather fun to try something new and challenge your photographic eye.

Anyone familiar with a typical seaside resort in England will recognise some of these scenes which are likely to be replicated up and down the land. There is something very British about choosing to park your deck chair right next to a huge litter bin!

All the pictures were taken on the same morning with a Fuji X100v. It’s a great little camera for this type of work. Discreet, quick and easy to use, full manual control if that’s what you want and it produces excellent image files.

Weymouth is a very popular resort, not too far from home. With Autumn having well and truly arrived here in the UK it is my intention to head back to this location as I find these places more interesting out of season.

Until then here is a selection which makes a change from my usual landscape or church photography.

The Jubilee Trail – Cranborne to Pentridge Hill … Walk Number Two

The days seem to go so quickly that I find to hard to believe that a month has passed since I took my first steps along the Jubilee Trail. You can read about Walk One here.

I decided for my second planned walk that I would effectively continue where I left off, albeit that I would be starting in Cranborne, walking out to Pentridge Hill and returning along the Hardy Way back to the village – a distance of 5.2 miles. I am fully aware that in walking terms this isn’t very far but as I mentioned in the first post I want to take time to absorb and appreciate the landscape as well as finding compositions and releasing the shutter to record what I see.

In many ways these posts, and there will be 32 in total, are as much a travelogue and as they are a photographic experience. Given I have only just completed the second walk it may well take me a year or more to finish the 90 mile trail!

I left the village of Cranborne at precisely 10 o’clock just as the church bells chimed on the hour, and for a short time they drowned out the bird song coming from the trees around me. The sun shone which was in stark contrast to the previous day which had been wet. After all the rain, the gravel path made for good walking but I anticipated there would be muddy sections somewhere along the route.

I soon reached Manor Farm and couldn’t help but notice the signage for The Boot and Bucket Cheese Company. I am a big fan of cheese and I had not come across this artisan food-maker before, so I made a mental note to go on their website when I returned home. I knew it wouldn’t be very long before one or two of their products would be on a plate with complementary biscuits and a glass of red wine.

I passed Manor Farm and the gravel track gave way to tarmac. A surprisingly well maintained road given it only served Cranborne Farm ahead. Two people appeared in front of me, grey hair, one stick and the ubiquitous black labrador. I soon overtook them, said good morning as I did so, and continued along the trail. Pasture land lay to my left, a post and wire fence preventing the curious cattle escaping, telegraph poles as far as my eye could see and a flock of maybe seven or eight white wagtails for company.

Heading north west the mid morning sun was directly behind me and my long shadow led the way. I turned to see if I was still being followed but the two dog walkers must have turned around, continued putting the world to rights, as they made there was back to Cranborne.

After 35 minutes and 1.3 miles, I turned right at Cranborne farm, still on the Jubilee Trail, and began a gentle ascent. I had chosen another beautiful, dry autumnal day and the temperature was rising. I had packed a waterproof jacket, but I was convinced it wouldn’t be required. In fact it wasn’t long before my gilet joined the waterproof in my backpack and I was down to a single layer. Neither saw the light of day until the end of the walk. I couldn’t have wished for better conditions.

Leaving the farm behind me, tarmac had been replaced by a typical farm track, with tractor ruts either side of a wet grass central reservation. Lined by hedges which are great for wildlife but they did mean my view of the surrounding countryside was inhibited. Although there were some muddy sections, the ground was surprisingly good given how wet it had been recently. I felt for all arable farmers who must have had a very difficult time bringing in the harvest and would now be struggling to plough and cultivate the land ready for seed drilling and next year’s crop.

Every so often, the sun would give advanced notice of a gap in the hedgerow and the hidden landscape would be revealed. At one point I could see Penbury Knoll, which I had visited in ‘Walk One’ although I wouldn’t be going quite that far today. This route would take me to the lower slopes of Pentridge Hill where I would turn round and head back to Cranborne. The path was nearly all uphill from now on. The good news is that it would be all downhill on the way back.

Although I had yet to see or hear any pheasants, it was evident that sections of the farmland would be used for game shooting. Strips of land had been left for cover and there were many pheasant feeders dotted around the fields. Game shooting divides opinion but for those in favour it does generate another income stream for landowners and gamekeepers.

I arrived at my next turning point. It was marked on the map as Jack’s Hedge Corner. I enjoyed a good view of the countryside and then realised from looking at the map that I was looking down on Toby‘s Bottom. ‘Oooh Matron’ I said to myself, which will only make sense to those of you who are familiar with Kenneth Williams and the ‘Carry On’ films of the 1960’s and 70’s. Joking aside these are names which are surely linked to people from the past, in particular Jack as there were hedges in all directions.

I stopped to take a few pictures and as I made my way up the hill I thought I could hear voices. My hearing isn’t perfect but the voices got louder and it wasn’t long before I knew that my ears hadn’t been deceiving me, as a group of retired ramblers came into view. A few moments earlier I had only been thinking how this had felt like a quiet place of solitude negating any need to go to places like Scotland and the mountains. I could escape people here in my home county. The ramblers had broken the silence of nature and place, and selfishly I hoped they would be continuing their walk along a different path. I pressed on to put some distance between me and them. I make no apology but I prefer to be on my own.

The slopes of Pentridge Hill lay ahead and a buzzard flew over Blackbush Down. As it turned, the underside of its wings were caught in sunlight, revealing the beautiful pattern of its feathers. The distinctive mewing and screeching on the wing echoes the sound of a cat like call. It circled out of view, its cry falling away in volume as it did so.

Apart from the bird of prey calling there were no more voices to be heard; I assumed they must have turned right at Jack’s Hedge Corner and I rambled off in the opposite direction.

After an hour and 35 minutes I had covered 2.9 miles, and had arrived at the point which I had left the Jubilee Trail a few weeks ago. It was time to turn round and retrace my steps taking in the view across Cranborne Chase. Before doing so I reached into my bag for a drink and half a sandwich, something to refresh me. It was only 11.40am so too early for lunch and I envisaged having the rest back in the village followed by a flat white and maybe a slice of cake at the Cranborne Garden Centre by way of a treat.

I soon arrived back at Jack’s Hedge Corner. By then the sun had moved round and was now illuminating the gate post which made for a much better composition.

This was also the junction to continue straight ahead and follow Hardy’s Way back to Cranborne. ‘Jack’ had without question been very active as the path was lined by tall hedges on both sides of the track and for long sections any view was completely obscured. However I was grateful the sun was still shining, but in some respects I was now looking forward to the end of the walk.

As I descended I had rather hoped there might be a view of the village, perhaps even the church tower but it was not be. Thinking the tall hedgerow would be a permanent fixture for the rest of the walk I was pleased when I came across a pair of double gates to my right and the countryside I had been missing for the past half a mile or so suddenly came into view. I stopped, rested my hiking stick against the gate and admired the scenery. I heard the buzzard again but this time it wasn’t visible, but there was no mistaking its call.

It was at this point that I gave some thought to the camera equipment I had in my bag. My Leica SL and 50mm Summilux lens was all I had used. I had three other prime lenses so why was I carrying all of them? I guess there will be times when I will resort to using them but for the majority of images 50mm is all I need. It is though something to consider for future walks.

The bridleway returned to tarmac once again so I knew the village and the end of the walk couldn’t be that far away. I reached a road and on the corner a finger post confirmed what I already knew; the car would be in sight very shortly and lunch would be my reward.

It’s just before 1 o’clock and I’m back where I started; 5.4 miles according to the App on my iPhone. Before heading to the cafe there was one more place to visit – the church of St Mary and St Bartholomew. There were only a few spaces to park outside the church and a ‘no parking’ cone immediately by the church gate reduced the number of options. A small pick up took up another space with its driver sitting behind the wheel.

I approached the church but unfortunately it was closed for the day. A notice on the door informed me that a funeral was due to take place. This made sense of the parking cone and I could only conclude the grave digger was waiting to complete his work after the service had finished.

As I drove to the cafe the vicar was walking to the church with a small black leather case in his hand. There were two mourners in traditional dark attire at the garden centre filling time over a drink and I suspect retelling tales of the dearly departed. A sombre end to the day but a reminder how grateful I am to be alive, to walk, to see and to hear the beauty of God’s creation which I had witnessed that morning.

I left the garden centre at 2pm and heard the church bells chime again.