Regular visitors will know that during Lockdown I took on a different approach to my photography. Many of the images made during this time relied upon strong light, shadows and how ordinary household objects could be transformed when the light just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
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A few days ago I experimented for the first time with still life photography. (You can read that post here). I have to say rather enjoyed it. Sometimes I think you need to break free from the norm, try something new and endeavour to be a little creative in the process. It can be very refreshing to photograph subjects in a different way and to make images which challenge how you think and approach a new technique .
With more time on my hands this afternoon I gathered together a few items of glassware from around the home and raided the fruit bowl and the fridge. I used a very simple set up. A black cloth was served as a background and a base. In addition to the natural light in the room I used a desk lamp to provide some directional light, plus a small head torch to cast light on a particular area of the subject. I used a 90mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera mounted on a tripod for stability.
After a certain amount of trial and error here are the results.
All in all a very pleasant and satisfying way to spend an afternoon. Still life photography may not be to everyone’s taste but I particularly enjoyed the complete control I had over composition, lighting and final processing. Without question I shall experiment further. I would like to try different backgrounds, reflectors and mirrors to change how things are lit. Choose other items to photograph and consider options for their placement in the frame. I may possibly acquire some interesting objects from charity shops or boot sales etc. The permutations are endless. Long term projects continue but photography should be fun and having experimented with ‘still life’ I do feel that my creative juices are flowing once again.
Do click on any of the images to view a larger version which will open in anew window.
This weekend my wife and I have been taking part in the Chichester Art Trail. This is the first time we have done so, although we have been regular visitors to the studios of other artists over the years.
Today (Sunday) has been much quieter than yesterday, largely due to the glorious weather and temperatures in the mid 20’s. After a very poor and wet spring we are guessing most people have been tempted by the beach or simply want to relax in their garden and who can blame them.
Being quieter gave me an opportunity to think and to experiment with a simple still life composition. I took a glass bowl, some cooking apples and an orange; found some black cloth and using a desk lamp for side lighting made this image.
Shot with my Leica Monochrom and a 50mm lens wide open @f1.4 very little is in sharp focus but that was the intention. I also knew I wanted the background to be completely black so that the bowl appears to be floating.
As a first attempt at a still life I am pleased with the outcome and if it’s quiet again tomorrow I shall be experimenting again with other items to be found in our home. Great fun!
Dereliction, rust, peeling paintwork, missing panes of glass etc, all appeal to photographers, so we are inevitably drawn to buildings which have these traits. The bonus comes when you find a sign which enhances the image and the viewer starts to question what the story is behind the picture.
This establishment shows no other signs of ever having been a place where you could buy food and drink, let alone consume it, so I can only hope that the owner of this building was simply demonstrating the fact that he had a good sense of humour when he placed this notice in the window.
The church of St Nicholas, Moreton in Dorset
According to Christopher Winn in his book ‘I never knew that about England’s Country Churches’, St Nicholas in Moreton Dorset is the only church in the whole world to have all its windows in engraved glass. I have no reason to doubt this fact but whether it is true or not, this building is a true gem. It also happens to be the burial place of St Lawrence of Arabia, so has quite a claim to fame.
The west window
Parts of the church and the original stained glass windows were all destroyed by a German bomber in 1940. It took ten years to rebuild the church and the windows were originally replaced with green glass. The parishioners of this tiny village didn’t warm to this new look and the architect overseeing the work suggested consulting Laurence Whistler, a renowned glass engraver as well as a poet and writer. As a result he was commissioned to redesign the windows.
One of the five windows in the curved apse
The first five engraved windows to be installed were in the curved apse and this work was carried out in 1958. These were designed by Whistler but produced by a commercial firm. All the remaining windows were personally engraved by Whistler and fitted over a period of 30 years between 1955 and 1985. The commissioned work must have cost the church and its donors an absolute fortune but the results are truly spectacular. Many of the windows are engraved on both sides which gives a 3D effect.
The south facing window shown below, is a thing of great beauty whether viewed internally or externally.
A south facing window
The same south facing window from the outside
Detail from the bottom left hand corner of the south facing window
The most controversial engraving is that of a man hanging from a tree with coins spilling from his hand. It depicts Judas, the betrayer of Christ and is only visible from the outside. This section of the window is obscured from the inside by a wall monument. This engraving was not well received by the parishioners initially and was only installed in 2014, some fourteen years after Whisler’s death in 2000. This particular window was donated to the church by Whistler himself so he must have felt rather betrayed that it was not accepted by the church at the time of its presentation. I can quite understand why its macabre depiction of Judas would have caused a very mixed reaction.
Judas – donated by Whistler himself
The church is filled with light and each and every window is full of the most remarkable detail, unlike anything else you will see elsewhere, let alone in a small country church in the lovely county of Dorset.
More detail from the south facing window
Again more detail from the south window
One window is dedicated to Noel Findlay and the words in the right hand pane ‘and his gift of happiness’ have so many meanings in this rather wonderful place of worship.
The lower half of a north facing window in memory of Noel Findlay
To fully appreciate the superb glass engravings do click on any image to open a larger version.
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