monochrome | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘monochrome’

Three Norfolk Churches – a place to return

Happisburgh Church

The county of Norfolk has many attractions not least the sheer number and variety of churches to visit. These three examples were captured whilst on holiday a couple of years ago but only now have I processed them to my liking. I sometimes think a trip to Norfolk specifically to photograph churches would be a great thing to do. I will add it to my ever growing list of places to take my camera!

Potter Heigham Church

Beeston St Lawrence Church

Do click on an image to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Dungeness – A fascinating and desolate place.

For quite some time now I have wanted to visit Dungeness on the southern tip of the Kent coast. I had heard about and seen many an image of the headland which is one of the largest areas of shingle in Europe. It is an extraordinary and fascinating place, quite unlike anything I have visited before.

In recognition of its diverse ecology it is designated a National Nature reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which also includes Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.

It is also the site of two Nuclear Power Stations. The first was commissioned in 1965, and the other became operational in 1983. The former ceased production in 2006 and the second is estimated to be de-commissioned by 2028. They are massive buildings, dominate the area, and are ever present if not in the eye then certainly in the mind.

Fisherman have lived in the area for a long time. Their homes are often converted railway carriages and their boats and huts stand on the shingle although many are well past their prime.

There is clear evidence the character of Dungennes is changing, as incomers given the opportunity buy one of the dilapidated buildings, which is then replaced with a much more modern/contemporary structure. Whilst there are strict planning regulations these new properties are in many cases second homes or holiday lets. I doubt this is considered to be progress by the locals as it impacts on the affordability of these homes and it will in time undoubtedly change the character of the location.

My wife and I spent the best part of a day exploring the area, but I left thinking there was more we hadn’t seen. Photographically it offers numerous opportunities and having taken my time to process a selection of images I hope I have captured something of the true essence of the place. In many respects these pictures are more documentary in their style and I have enjoyed this approach to this collection.

Although the place gives the impression of abandonment and desolation there is activity including the Fish Hut and a steam railway for the visitors. Should I make a return visit, and I think I will, I would like to try and record some more of these activities as they too have a story to tell.

Dungeness is a fascinating place and I have finished with a photograph of some wording I found on the side of one of the many containers apparently abandoned on the shingle. Make of it what you will!!

If you have enjoyed these images there are more to be seen in a new gallery page – ‘Dungeness’ which can viewed by clicking here.

As always if you want to view an enlarged version do click on the image.

The Coastguards – Escaping the classic view

This image was captured at Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex earlier this week. The approach is from Seaford Head Nature Reserve. It’s an extremely well known spot, not only for tourists but also for photographers who wish to add the ‘classic view’ to their collection. By ‘classic view’ I mean the one which is taken from the top of the footpath on the right of this picture. Looking east, the coastguard cottages are in the foreground whilst the majestic view of the cliffs of The Seven Sisters and Beachy Head fill the background. It is a wonderful view but metaphorically speaking there are thousands of tripod holes in the prime spot. Just Google – Coastguard Cottages Seaford – and you will see what I mean.

On my Instagram feed, a fellow Worpress Blogger, Lensscaper by Andy Hooker, rightly pointed out in a comment that the view isn’t as good as it used to be. The brambles are quite overgrown and the view of the cottages is quite obscured.

This didn’t matter to me as the point of this post is to look for alternative viewpoints and not to follow in the footsteps (or tripod holes) of all the people that have gone before me. The ‘classic view’ might be the one to appear on the picture postcard or a tin of biscuits made for the tourist, but I prefer to explore a popular location and look for an image which is not often seen by the majority.

In case you were wondering I did take the ‘classic view’ about a year ago and here it is. Even then I still made the focal point an elderly gentleman with his walking stick. I was still resisting a shot of just the view itself. You can read this post here.

I would argue that even in the most popular locations there are new shots to be found if you take the trouble to look around and not be tempted to repeat the obvious.

Cuckmere Haven alone in the mist

Regular readers will know that I am a great one for projects or bodies of work both large and small. Some last many months, even years and others are achieveable in only a day. They all have merit. Stand out single or what I like to call ‘Hero’ images do have their place but somehow the portrayal of a location and the prevailing conditions can really only be told in a series of pictures.

This selection of images were all taken during one visit to Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex.

I wanted to use my newly acquired Sony RX100 Mk3 compact camera to make a set of monochorme images for the first time and be able to assess the quality of the results. Very simply I decided beforehand to try and capture the location using no more than a dozen pictures; in fact there are eleven in this post.

I enjoy being in unfamiliar locations and taking photographs. My mind is fresh to the possibilities of what I might see and capture in camera. Weather plays a big part of course and I was fortunate on this particular occassion to find the area shrouded in low cloud and mist. These conditions are ideal for black and white photography. I can adjust the contrast to suit each image to portray not only what the eye saw but how the scene felt to me.

All the pictures are landscape in format with a 3 x 2 aspect ratio for consistency. I think this is important if a set of images is to be presented as a harmonious panel of work.

As I walked around the lagoon I found myself being drawn to some minimilist compositions which I rather like.

None more so than the picture below of a single post with the far bank just visible in the distance.

As for the Sony RX100 camera – well I have yet to make prints, but for the purposes of this blog, the quality of the RAW files is excellent.

Water, posts and reflections always have an appeal and these things all came together for my last image, with the added bonus of a sheep in the centre of the frame.

This part of East Sussex is a very popular with tourists visiting not just Cuckmere Haven but also the Seven Sister cliffs (the first image) and further to the east, Beachy Head. Although there were other people around, I felt quite alone here. Alone with nature – the mist largely obscuring my visibility of people or distractions I didn’t want or need to witness. I can easily imagine how this area might look bathed in sunshine with many people to be seen in every direction. Call me melanchonic but give me the mist and solitude any day of the week please.

To enjoy these images at their best, please click on each one to view a larger version.

Learning from Still-Life

A tulip and three apples

I think there is saying which goes something like this –

‘If something is easy, then make it difficult. It’s the only way to learn’.

I regard myself as a reasonably competent photographer but I am always keen to learn new skills and try new techniques. In the very short time I have been making still-life images, the above words sum up my current feelings rather well.

Having given myself the challenge of trying a new photographic genre, it is already clear to me that making a good still life image is far from easy. Naively I thought it would be relatively straight forward. I would choose the objects I wanted to photograph, place them how I liked in the frame, and finding a suitable background shouldn’t be a problem. Lighting might be more of an issue, but again I was of the view that having some control over the direction and intensity of light would quickly give me the result I imagined. And processing the final image should be a breeze – or so I thought!

This image, ‘A tulip and three apples’ is the result of my fourth still-life session. Whilst I am more than pleased with the outcome, getting there was far from easy. So what did I learn by making things difficult for myself?