West Sussex | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘West Sussex’

New Project – It’s early days

It’s very early days as far as my new photographic project is concerned. For a variety of reasons I have only ventured out on a few occasions with my camera since the turn of the year, however this will change as the daylight hours start to get a little longer.

Each trip has been very worthwhile as I start to familiarise myself with the area I have chosen to photograph. Even if the conditions aren’t perfect, the shutter is always released. Sometimes the purpose is to simply record a place and a composition I would like to revisit when the light is more favourable.

For the time being I thought I would share with you a small selection of images which only make me want to get out and about even more!

Thinking outside the standard box!

There are of course many standard aspect ratios which photographers use on a regular basis to crop an image. The obvious ones that immediately spring to mind are 3 x 2, 5 x 4, 1 x 1 and 16 x 9. There are very good reasons why these are widely used but there are also images which require a ‘non standard’ approach. This picture is a perfect example.

The Shepherd’s Altar, Didling

Shepherd's Altar

The Church of St Andrew at Didling in West Sussex is tiny and wholly lit by candles. It is affectionately known as ‘The Shepherd’s Church’. Tucked away in a field beneath the South Downs at the end of a track off Bugshill Lane, it is well hidden by a large yew tree which must be many hundreds of years old. This simple country church is Norman in origin and dates back to the early 13th Century. In times gone by it would have served a much larger community until the village virtually disappeared after the ravages of the plague.

It’s been quite a while since I have made any ‘church images’ so when I visited Didling yesterday as part of my ‘new project’ I was pleased to find the church open. I was even more pleased to find that the light shining through one small south facing window was coming in at just the right angle. The sun illuminated the beautifully simple altar table and the cross in particular. Adorned with two vases of fresh tulips, thankfully this church is still very well cared for but completely unspoilt.

Delightful.

New Project – First shots and initial thoughts

Regular readers will know that I am starting a new long term project this year. I wrote about it here.

In a sentence I have defined an area of countryside to photograph which covers about 30 sq miles to the north of where I live; it’s a mix of chalk downs, farmland and woodland and includes a section of the South Downs Way.

At the beginning of anything new there is a sense of excitement and anticipation. A desire to make the first image not knowing what the coming weeks and months ahead will produce. What direction will the project take as it evolves over time? Who knows, but I am aware the project will require a title at some point in the future once a clear sense of direction has been esyablished. Whilst I already have a number of ideas as to what this might be it’s far too early to commit, as conceptually it may well change as I become influenced and inspired by the varied scenery I discover. I want to immerse myself in the landscape, capture what I see, not necessarily for its beauty but because that’s how it is – an element of documenting the countryside will form part of the project.

Elements + Aspect ratio = more choices

In my previous entry which you can read here, I posted three images all of the same subject but with differing compositions, aspect ratios etc. I received some interesting feedback so I have decided to post four more versions which reflect some of the comments made.

This first shot again features three groynes but I have moved round so the groynes in the background are no longer in the frame.

This second shot is the same as yesterdays image but instead of a 5:4 aspect ratio it is now 3:2.

Again the same file as I posted yesterday but it was suggested that I move the groyne slightly to the right instead of it being centrally placed in the frame.

And finally the same image as the one above but instead of a 1:1 aspect ratio it is now 5:4.

For comparison here are smaller thumbnails of the three versions I posted yesterday.

I think this selection of images demonstrates a number of points. Firstly that its worth taking a good number of frames when on location unless you are very confident about the finished image you have in mind. Secondly the various permutations are endless and these images concentrate on composition, aspect ratio etc, we haven’t even touched on processing. Thirdly, whilst I try and crop in camera, sometimes it pays to have some additional space around the subject so that other crops are possible. And lastly isn’t photography and being creative good fun? I think so!

Thanks to all those who responded to the first post – additional comments would be most welcome.