A fiery London sunset

click photo to enlarge

Sometimes the colours and beauty of a sunset are quite overwhelming. Such was the case on a recent evening when I happened to look out of my balcony in London. I'm used to getting great views and interesting shots from this location when I stay in the city. And I've seen and photographed quite a few good sunsets. But I was unprepared for the colours and the definition of the scene that greeted me when I went to see which boat I could hear passing by. That happened to be nothing more than one of the Thames Clippers catamarans that regularly race up and down the Thames in their role as water buses, and on this occasion its engine sound had fooled me because it was going much slower than usual: perhaps it was finished for the night. I made a quick bee-line for my camera and started firing off shots intent on capturing the sight.

The ND8 graduated neutral density filter happened to be on the camera so my first few shots (of which this is one) were modified by that. However, apart from it darkening of the upper sky, possibly emphasising the blues a touch and giving more faithful delineation of the cloud, the image is what came out of the camera and involves no post processing. I don't recall seeing a better sunset than this one for a couple of decades, if at all. The people in some neighbouring flats were equally impressed because they too were out on their balconies with cameras. I took some photographs without the filter too, but this one, with the foregound interest of the passing boat, is the one I like best.

For an idea of what this section of the Thames from this vantage point looks like during the day see here and here.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 45mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/50
ISO: 800
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: O
Filter: Graduated ND8

Getting the best photograph

click photo to enlarge

One of the joys of digital photography is the ease and lack of extra expense involved in taking multiple shots of the same subject with the intention of securing the best possible image. Today's photograph, like yesterday's, is one of six that I took the other day of clouds reflected in the glass curtain wall of some London offices.

Here are the main advantages that I see in taking more than one shot of your subject. Firstly, if conditions dictate a low shutter speed that is hand-held, multiple exposures increase the chance of you getting a shot that is sharp. Secondly, you can experiment with the composition by either zooming, changing your position, adjusting the elements that you include in the frame, changing the depth of field etc. Thirdly, you can adjust your camera settings to, for example, control highlights or modify colour saturation. Fourthly, through taking more than one exposure of a subject you inevitably think more about it and that often results in a better outcome. There is a downside with multiple exposures (and indeed the general ease of digital) and that is the amount of storage space required for images if you don't ruthlessly cull the "duds". But, that notwithstanding, multiple exposures make a lot of sense.

However, here's the paradox. When I take multiple shots of the same subject I usually find - about nine times out of ten - that my first shot is the best! Is this because I'm an instinctive or intuitive photographer rather than one who thinks long and hard about each shot? Perhaps. And if that's the case why do I still take multiple shots? Well the answer lies in those approximate statistics: every now and again the first shot isn't the one I prefer, or something went wrong with it, and then I'm very grateful for the "duplicates".

From the above you'll gather that I like yesterday's shot over this one. But, I've been taking photographs long enough to know that many people will prefer the one above.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 12.8mm (60mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/125
ISO:125
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Curtain walls and coincidences

click photo to enlarge

It would be great to believe that the modern world had done with the concept of "good luck", that the superstitious attitude that leads people to waste money on lotteries and other gambling would have gone the way of belief in fairies and the efficacy of a daily dose of castor oil. But no, people queue up to give away money they can often ill afford to lose in the hope - sometimes expectation - of becoming a millionaire.

But the fact is, despite the Enlightenment, despite the rise of modern mathematics and science and despite universal education, many people have only a hazy grasp of concepts such as chance, probablity and coincidence, and frequently fall back on the superstitious beliefs of centuries ago. If only I stick with the same set of numbers, some say, I'm bound to win the lottery one day, while another group are equally convinced of their belief that changing the numbers is a better way to beat the odds. A much smaller group realise that the odds are the same each time you play your numbers, whatever the numbers are. Similarly, many people will accept that the probability of two people sharing the same birthday is 100% when there are 366 people in a room (excluding February 29th birthdays), but will dispute the fact that there is a 99% probablity when there are only 57 people. (For further information on this probability theory paradox see here).

My most recent blog post was about my liking for using glass curtain wall grids in photographs. What a strange coincidence then, that on my next photographic outing (that happened to be in London), I should return with just such an image, a semi-abstract example taken around sunset. Not really. I like the subject, I'd been thinking about it recently, and I was in a city with a multitude of glass boxes, so the fact that I should take such a shot is not at all unlikely: it's simply the sort of coincidence that occurs regularly throughout our lives.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 10.2mm (48mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.6
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO:125
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Grids and reflections

click photo to enlarge

What I consider to be one of my better photographs shows a regular grid of glazing bars holding tinted glass that is reflecting a blue sky and clouds. Glass curtain walls have a certain fascination for me. I appreciate that they are not everyone's cup of tea, but the regularity of the rectangles contrasting with the irregularity of the reflections is someting that I find attractive. This photograph that I took at Canary Wharf, London perfectly exemplifies the appeal to me.

Such reflections, however, are often combined with a glimpse of the interior of the building and when that happens it is the complexity that I like; the difficulty discerning just what it is that I'm looking at definitely has its attraction. I've posted images of this kind of effect before too, as in this example at Imperial College, London. I took a further photograph in this vein on a recent visit to King's Lynn, Norfolk. The side of the town's municipal offices are glazed and as I passed by I saw a modern building, the pretty lead spire of the medieval church of St Nicholas, and a tree reflected in it. But the reflection was not perfect and through the glass I could see the zig-zag of stairs connecting the floors with people going up and down them. Its a shot that I find pleasingly confusing.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 70mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 125
Exposure Compensation:  0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Bewildering headlines

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I consider myself to be reasonably well informed. I get the "Guardian" newspaper daily, read news websites, watch some television (though not a lot), listen to some radio, buy and read books, and discuss many topics with family, friends and acquaintances. But, for all that there are many parts of modern life in which I can claim little or no knowledge. Television, celebrity and sport are three such areas. Consequently I can be completely puzzled by a headline such as this one that I saw on the BBC News website: "Abercrombie alarm at Jersey Shore".

To have any hope of decoding it I would have needed to know two salient facts: that Abercrombie and Fitch sell clothes (I thought it was one of the big three global credit rating agencies) and that "Jersey Shore" is a so-called "reality" TV programme about "rowdy, hard-partying" and "loud" young Americans. If I had known those particulars I wouldn't have read the article. As it was, my interest was piqued by the indecipherable quality of the headline and what I gleaned made me, firstly, laugh out loud, and then slap my forehead in despair. Apparently Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (one of the men featured in this programme) wears clothing made by Abercrombie and Fitch and they want him to stop doing so. You might wonder why they don't want the exposure that he presumably gives to their brand. The article revealed all in a quote from the company: "We are deeply concerned that Mr Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image...We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans." If you find that incredible (I find the idea of a clothing company having "distressed fans" simultaneously preposterous and wonderful), it gets worse. It seems that Abercrombie and Fitch have offered Mr Sorrentino, and the TV company producing the show, a sum of money to wear another clothing brand.

The thoughts that this set racing through my mind came thick and fast. Would it be O.K. for him to wear any other brand, or would Abercrombie and Fitch specify which one? A competitor perhaps? Is causing distress by wearing clothing an actionable offence? Are there out-of-work-actors and newsworthy reprobates already combing the stores for "aspirational" brands intending to have themselves photographed, then inform the manufacturers, and commit to wearing something else on receipt of a payment? Moreover, isn't an aspirational brand - even one "rooted in East Coast traditions and Ivy League heritage" and "the essence of privilege and casual luxury" - a product that is bought by people with a poor self-image, limited self-confidence, debatable intelligence - or all three - and isn't it therefore, by definition, the sort of clothing that should be avoided because it advertises this to the world and in so doing says the opposite of what you intend? Or am I over-thinking the matter of aspirational clothing? If that is remotely possible!

All of which has little or nothing to do with this composition featuring people and a mural at the Design Museum, London. For a different shot at this location (with a different mural) see here.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 47mm
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Semi-detached blogging

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People are incidental subjects in most of the photographs on this blog, yet lately they are the main subject filling the memory cards of my cameras. Not since I was a parent of young children has this been the case. So what has brought about this change, and why are there still few shots posted that feature a person? Well, the fact is that our first grandchild appeared a few months ago and, understandably, I've found her to be a compelling photographic subject, albeit not one that I will post on PhotoReflect.

It also accounts for the semi-detached nature of my recent blogging. I've fitted in photographs and the associated prose in between travelling, fulfilling the job description of grandfather, and undertaking the essential everyday tasks that just don't go away. Which is my way of explaining and apologising for the lack of replies to people's comments, and for the nature of my recent output. The fact is my mind, attention and efforts  have often been directed to other areas of my life. You can tell that this is so because when I'm busy I often turn to my garden for a shot or two, as with today's image of a hoverfly on one of my favourite showy flowers, the gaillardia.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 100mm
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 125
Exposure Compensation:  0
Image Stabilisation: On

Look up, but look down too

click photo to enlarge

It's a natural reaction, when approaching a medieval cathedral, minster or abbey, to look up. The architecture, indeed the main premise of such a building is to inspire that reaction in people: to make the passer-by admire the soaring towers, the pinnacles, the buttresses etc but, more importantly, to gaze heavenward. Identical intentions attach to the interior of these great churches, though here the iconography is more explicit and a visitor can be in no doubt of the message that is being broadcast.

In truth there are precious few surfaces of a cathedral that are not enlisted in the proclamation of the faith. From the "unnecessarily" ornate carving of capitals, windows, roof bosses etc, the celebration of Biblical figures in carving, stained glass and other materials and the heavy use of symbolism, to the beautiful carved and painted scripts that proclaim their messages, the building is a vehicle for the religion that erected it.

But, whilst it is natural to look up in a church, fewer people look down at the floor beneath their feet. Yet here too beauty and the message can be found. Some of our churches still have the original stone paving that replaced the rushes and compressed earth of the first religious buildings. Others retain medieval tiles impressed with geometric shapes, foliate crosses, leaves and other patterns, including the elaborate letter "M" signifying Mary or Madonna. Marble paving of the eighteenth century can also be seen: I posted a photograph of a trompe l'oeil example in the choir of Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire, earlier this year. The great restorations of the nineteenth century have left a wonderful legacy of floor tiles. Many of these take their lead from the medieval styles and colours but original designs abound too. This photograph of the area around the font of the church at Swineshead, Lincolnshire, shows very characteristic Victorian tilework. And then there are examples that are difficult to date because stylistic clues are few.

Today's photograph is such a tile scheme, also at Beverley Minster. Is it eighteenth or nineteenth century, or does it date from some time in the twentieth? Whenever it was made it works well. The eight pointed star is centred under the crossing tower, and the complexity of the pattern lessens as it spreads into the transepts. The design is strong, with contrast, but the colours are relatively muted, and it works with the surroundings. My photograph shows visitors in characteristic pose, faces turned upwards to the glories overhead. I wonder if they also looked down at the lesser, but also interesting, beauties beneath their feet.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 29mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/25
ISO: 1600
Exposure Compensation:  -1.0
Image Stabilisation: On

The poor man's fish-eye lens

click photo to enlarge

Skimming through this year's PhotoReflect images it occurred to me that I haven't posted any reflected self-portraits recently. So, in a bid to catch up with my self-imposed task, I took one recently in St James, the church at Castle Acre, Norfolk.

It shows yours truly reflected in the base of a large candle holder that was placed on the octagonal steps on which the font can also be found at the west end of the building. Behind me can be seen the Victorian tiled floor, the wooden pews, the nave arcades of the C14 and C15 and the distant chancel arch and east window. In recent years candle holders of this sort have become quite a common sight. They usually involve a tall, turned, wooden column (this one has a brass base) with a big, brass cup at the top in which is placed a very large white or cream candle. Often these have symbols or writing on them, usually in red.

Over the years I've seen a number of fashions and ideas circulate around churches. Many have set up play areas for young children at the back. I've seen small lending libraries too, as well as kitchens, small "cafe" areas and exhibitions about the history of the building and parish. At the east end of the church many congregations have brought the altar forward from under the eastmost chancel window to a point slightly west of the chancel arch: a development that meets the needs of the smaller congregations of today as well as the desire to make the people feel more a part of the service. The large candles have become an item of church furnishing that has grown in popularity. They are often near the font, perhaps having a symbolic connection with the entry into membership of the church that baptism confers.

I've shot reflected self-portraits in the ball at the base of ancient church chandeliers and achieved a similar "fish-eye" effect to that which the candle holder has given. In fact, I quite like this spherical distortion. However, I've never been able to justify buying a fish-eye lens. They are fairly expensive, and I have the feeling that it is a lens whose single effect would soon pall and it would quickly be put in a cupboard or sold. On the whole I'm happy enough using the "poor man's fisheye lens" when the right curved surface presents itself.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 40mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/40
ISO: 3200
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33
Image Stabilisation: On

OM right-angle finder on Canon

click photo to enlarge

My sons have frequently told us that we keep things too long. I guess that's an age thing, and their children will doubtless say the same to them. But, one of the virtues of making things last a long time, and hanging on to some things that look like they might have a use in the future, is that it can save you some of your hard-earned money. Today's blog post is an example of this.

Mounted on my Canon 5D Mk2 is a right-angle finder - the sort of thing that has, for some, been supplanted by the hinged live-view screen. An optical finder of the sort shown above allows you to look down when lining up a shot in front of you. In fact, the finder rotates through 360 degrees so, in theory, it can be used in other positions too. This is particularly convenient when shooting from a very low position - for example, when taking macro shots or simply looking to achieve a low viewpoint. It can save you getting the front of your body wet and muddy or can make viewing possible without bodily contortions and strain. Canon make a right-angle finder for which they charge the absurd price of c.£170. Less expensive versions by independent suppliers are available in the £35-£50 range.

When I've been looking through my old photographic equipment that I used with my Olympus OM1n film SLR I've always passed over this Ohnar finder. It's not that it's very cheap and nasty or anything: it has a black anodized metal body, 6 element optics, a coated mirror and a +/- 2 diopter eyepiece. Because it is designed to fit an Olympus (OM) eyepiece coupling shoe I've always felt that it clearly couldn't fit on a Canon DSLR. Well it wouldn't, would it? Well, yes it would, as I found when I tried it. The fit isn't perfect - there's a little left and right play - but it's not so much because I can turn the camera upside down and the finder doesn't fall off. Best of all, and what I didn't expect, I can see all of the camera's viewfinder.

So, I've pressed it into use and it should make my macro photography a little easier. There's just one thing: the finder flips the image horizontally. That's not a big deal, however, and I got used to it thirty or so years ago, so I guess I will again!

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 10.2mm (48mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.6
Shutter Speed: 1/50
ISO:400
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Alien invaders and birds of prey

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I didn't realise, until the other day, that of all the alien wildlife invaders in the UK the worst of the worst was the so-called "killer shrimp" (Dikerogammerus villosus), a native of the Ponto-Caspian region of Europe, that is killing off our native shrimps and small fish. The BBC website carried a report by the UK's Environment Agency that listed (in the way that people do today) the "top ten" alien invaders. The list reads (starting with the worst) "killler shrimp", water primrose, floating pennywort, American signal crayfish, topmouth gudgeon, giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, and parrot's feather. What this list said to me is what a good medium water is when it comes to the spread of exotic plants and animals. The murky depths make it so much more difficult to detect the arrival and initial spread of an introduced species, to the point that when it does become apparent to scientists and lay people who spend time in and on water, it has reached a situation where containment or eradication is difficult, if  not impossible.

But, native wildlife has a remarkable propensity for holding on even under the strongest pressure as our red squirrels have shown in their fight against the onslaught of the introducd grey variety. Our birds of prey have been among the most oppressed species. Here it has been man that has caused their decline as landowners tried to rear ever larger numbers of gamebirds and farmers tried to kill off insects and plants that harmed their crops. But, with wider public pressure and awareness, legislation and scientific management, what appeared to be a hopeless situation has been turned around. Not for all species, of course - hen harriers are still being persecuted and numbers have fallen again after something of an increase - but for many. I read a while ago that the common buzzard has usurped the kestrel as the most numerous British bird of prey. They're certainly fairly frequent sightings in most parts of the country where formerly they were unusual.

One evening when I was photographing the strongly silhouetted shapes of these electricity pylons near a Fenland substation I became aware of a softer, "natural" shape among the sharp angles of the metalwork. Binoculars reveealed it to be a Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) surveying the island of waste land below the steel "trees". Even in this instensively cultivated part of England the buzzard flourishes. Can you spot this one?

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 300mm
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

The lime tree avenue

click photo to enlarge

A title or caption to a photograph works very much like the title of a poem - it influences the way you see what follows. A photograph I took in Swineshead, Lincolnshire, illustrates this quite well. The old brick building with the pointed door and shadows from nearby trees looks interesting. However, with the title, "The Gravedigger's Door", it takes on an entirely different character. You wonder what's behind the door, your mind begins to wander into darker places, and the shadows, perhaps, take on the appearance of fingers!

Today's photograph shows an elderly lady walking her dog along a fine lime tree avenue at Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. The character of the image is fairly neutral. However, if I tell you that the gates at the end of the avenue open on to the cemetery a different mood may well start to pervade the shot. The age of the person can become more significant, and there is the temptation to to fabricate little storylines in your head. Why is she alone? Is she going to visit a grave? Whose grave?

Of course none of this may have been in the mind of the person who took the shot because any appreciation or reaction to an image is a consequence of what the photographer offers and what the viewer brings. In fact, I took the shot, very quickly, solely for the composition down the path with its rows of trees. The figure added foreground interest and by being off-centre broke the symmetry quite well.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 90mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 1250
Exposure Compensation:  0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On 

Revealed - the death of the word "announced"

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I can reveal today that the word, "announced", is officially dead. Procedures have been put in place to expunge it from the dictionary and it will never more be seen again. No one knows when the word last appeared, but searches through newspapers have failed to turn up any recent examples. The usurper of this venerable word is, however, to be seen everywhere, especially in newspapers and on the web. Which word you may be asking, has taken the place of "announced"? I am able to reveal that the usurper is the word, "revealed". Having decided that "announced" is too boring - a straightforward, accurately descriptive word with no hint of mystery, no implication of journalistic enquiry, no impact - the purveyors of the printed word have toiled long and hard to replace it with "revealed". The headline that was seen as crowning the triumph of "revealed" appeared on the BBC News website on 2nd August 2011 and read, "London 2012 Olympic Park neighbourhood names revealed."

There is of course the possibility that a man dressed in evening-wear with a magic wand in one hand dramatically plucked a white cloth off a table to uncover a hidden list of these much sought after names. In which case "revealed" would have been used in the old and proper sense and the announcement of the final expiry of "announced" is premature. Or, perhaps the Olympic committee may have been trying to keep the names of the Olympic Park neighbourhoods from the public for reasons best known to themselves - they could, for example, be as ridiculous as the Olympic 2012 logo - and journalists could have been probing long and hard to bring them to light. In that case too there would have been no usurping of "announced", and revealed would have been perfectly appropriate.

But no, apparently the chief executive of Olympic Park Legacy Company (yes, such a person and organisation does exist) and the Communities Minister (on a day off from destroying what is left of the UK's communities) announced (sorry, "revealed") the names to the summoned representatives of the press. Asked why headlines would say "revealed" instead of "announced" a man from the BBC replied, "because it's sexier and it makes it look like we've done some real journalism to uncover a story."

All of which has nothing to do with today's semi-abstract photograph taken a few months ago. If, by any chance, you're wondering what on earth this blog post is going on about take note of just how many times the word "revealed" is used in a headline where "announced" makes much more sense.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2
Shutter Speed: 1/60
ISO:80
Exposure Compensation: -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

The manicured countryside

click photo to enlarge

I frequently walk and cycle on a track across some fields near where I live. The crops at each side of the path vary: often it's wheat, sometimes it's beet and occasionally it's brassicas of one kind or another. Because this is the Lincolnshire Fens the land is intensively farmed and areas of uncultivated land are few. There is a nearby stream that has reeds growing alongside it, but apart from that, for much of the route, the track itself provides the only place where wild plants thrive. Each year I've delighted in the lesser bindweed, dog daisies, chamomile, cornflowers and many other species that grow at the edges of this route that is used not only by walkers but horse riders, cyclists and agricultural vehicles. In an area such as the Fens even a small patch of wild land is a magnet for mammals, birds, and insects. Along this track the wildlife I commonly at various times of year includes see partridges, skylarks, reed buntings, yellowhammers, snipe, little egrets, wheatear, goldfinches, linnets, sedge warblers, yellow wagtails, hares, stoats, and various butterflies and insects. The other day I stood on it and watched a hobby circling above me: buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels are not uncommon and I've even seen a passing red kite.

So, you can imagine my disappointment and anger when, a couple of months ago, I went along the track and found that a tractor with a grass cutter had mown everything on and alongside it, almost up to the edge of the crops in the adjacent fields. It seemed a completely pointless thing to do. The crops are sprayed with herbicide and pesticide on a predetermined regime, so any seeds or insects going into them from the track have little if any chance of thriving. But, of course, all the wild plants were cut down and the number that completed their life cycle was drastically reduced, limiting not only their viability ut also the seeds available for local birds. Moreover, the beauty of the route was destroyed. I suppose to a certain kind of farmer it looked "neater". However, it's hard to keep nature down and the plants started to grow again. But recently it was all cut down again in the same way! Utter madness!

It occurs to me that acts of this sort are often quite mindless, and are frequently a result of either boredom (there are times when even farmers are at a loose end) or a desire for tidiness that borders on the obsessive. Not all farmers are this way inclined: many now farm with a keen regard for wildlife as well as their profit margin, and don't manicure every acre. In my part of the world many take advantage of agricultural subsidies intended to promote biodiversity, and leave strips uncultivated. But, there are still farmers who see nature as a competitor rather than a necessary and valuable part of the landscape and are determined to either obliterate it or keep it under very tight control.

Today's photograph, that prompted today's "reflection", shows "weeds" i.e. wild flowers, growing along the edge of a wheat field in Norfolk.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 45mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On 

Castle Rising, time and photography

click photo to enlarge

There are those among my family, friends and acquaintances who think that I spend a lot of time on photography. Compared with a casual snapper I do. And, given that I'm retired, I suppose I spend more time taking pictures than the average enthusiast. But in some respects I still feel that the time I devote to photography is insufficient. Let me explain with respect to a recent example.

A couple of weeks ago I was travelling through Norfolk on my way to spend a few days near Wells next the Sea when I passed Castle Rising. This Norfolk village is a place I've visited once before to see its church. On this occasion, however, we'd decided to break our journey at that point to have a look at the Norman castle remains, some of the best of their kind in the country. The time of day (mid-morning) and the weather (sunny with areas of small clouds) was pretty good for photographing architecture - shadows help to delineate and describe the structure and sky interest is always welcome. I knew I'd take some details but I also decided to try and get a shot of the keep in its bailey. The first one I took is the main photograph at the top of the post. It's a shot showing the structure from the earth bank near the entrance gateway and has a few things to commend it - the asymmetry of the main subject, the path leading from the "empty" side of the shot, the angle of the building to the viewer with the side in shadow giving a strongly three-dimensional character, the balance of the main elements and the colours across the frame. But, the sun was slightly filtered by an area of cloud at the time, and the shot is consequently a bit "flat".

With an eye on that passing area of cloud we went to have a second look at Castle Rising church and a wander through a couple of village streets. The second and third shot were therefore taken a little later when the sun was stronger. I took one shot of the keep from ground level but the angle of the sun relative to my position wasn't the best so the areas of shadow are few. However, the simplicity of the shot - grass, building, sky - has a certain appeal. It was probably the absence of shadow in this photograph that caused me to take the next one from beyond the arch of the entrance gateway tower. Framing of this sort can be overworked, but here I'm fairly happy with it in terms of the dramatic strength of overall image. The downside of this position for photographing the keep is that you are face on to a single wall and consequently the image tells you less about its structure.

And that's where I come back to time and the amount I spend photographing. Most of my shots are taken on the hoof. By that I mean we are either walking, cycling or driving, and the purpose of our time when I grab my images is only partly photography. Were I to devote more time to photography I'd plan the best angles for a shot of this building, keep an eye on the weather, and return with a specific shot in mind, repeatedly if necessary until I secured it. If photography was my source of income that's what I'd have to do. I'm very glad it isn't.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/640
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On 

Chairs are hard

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"A chair is a very difficult object. A sky scraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German-American architect (1886-1969)

In February 2006 I used the quote above to preface a shot that I consider to be one of my better efforts. It shows a detail of a stack of shiny cafe chairs. In that post and elsewhere I've made the point that chairs can be beautiful, chairs can be comfortable, and chairs can be both beautiful and comfortable - but they rarely are. When the fusion of aesthetics and utility is achieved it is often justly celebrated and the designer becomes, if not a household name, then someone who is known to those who appreciate good design. So, the chairs of Michelle Thonet, Marcel Breuer, Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe, Arne Jacobsen, Robin Day, Konstantin Grcic and the like are found not only in the homes of such people, but in the world's museums and galleries.

My mind returned to this subject the other day when I saw this set of two chairs and a table. They are made for outdoor use and fulfil the requirement to stand up to the weather reasonably well - the hard ceramic/plastic surfaces will last a long time, and so will the metal, though it has rusted. And, aesthetically, I suppose they look fine in a cottagey sort of way. The co-ordinated pots are an unusual touch. But when it comes to sitting on them, drinking a cup of coffee, surveying the garden and chewing the fat - or even the cud - with a partner or friend, then the chairs look to have very obvious limitations. In fact, they look as though they would be torture for the posterior: cold in anything but the mildest weather, wet for a long time after rain, and hard, hard hard whenever you chose to sit on them! However, as objects to add detail, a certain character, and a suggestion of alfresco living they are fine. And as a composition for a passing photographer they looked fine too. 

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 119mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -1.0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Sculpture, galleries and photography

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It's fairly common for photographers to be told that they can't use their cameras in certain locations. Regular visitors to this blog will remember my experience photographing in the private "estate" of More London on the South Bank. Shopping malls ban photography. So too do the majority of galleries and museums, even where they are essentially tax payer funded institutions. So, it's a real pleasure to come across somewhere that does allow photography inside their premises, as I did at The National Centre for Craft and Design (known as "the hub" - I don't like the lower-case) in Sleaford, Lincolnshire*. This venue regularly stages exhibitions, and we frequently go along to see them. I've said elsewhere that these are not always to my taste. However, that doesn't matter because one of the points of visiting such a place is to expose yourself to new ideas. Moreover, I find that I do enjoy the exhibitions sufficiently often that I keep returning.

The two exhibitions I saw on my most recent trip to Sleaford couldn't have been more different. Jason Lim's "New work in ceramics" didn't appeal to me very much at all. The shapes and textures of his clay work offered me neither beauty nor interest. I did like some of the colours and patterns of his glaze, but that was about it. I was, however, most impressed by Claire Morgan's sculptures. These featured stuffed (as in taxidermy) animals - all road-kill I believe - placed in volumes constructed of monofilament on which were fixed various plastics and even dandelion seeds. The exhibition was called, "About Time", which sums up the artist's motivation in creating these pieces. However, had I known nothing of this - and a video gave further insight into her ideas and techniques - I should still have liked the pieces featuring the crow and the fox.

The fox was standing in a grid of vertical lines on which were fixed torn shreds of back plastic arranged in such a way that the animal appeared to be in an inclined cube. The strongly directional lighting of the gallery emphasised texture, light and dark and the sham solidity of the sculpture. The crow was up-ended on the ground as though it had just crash-landed and was surrounded by two part-spheres made of dandelion seeds fixed to a grid of wires. A third piece with the rabbits - both "alive" and dead - had the word "Shhh..." backwards, made of pieces of pink plastic floating above. Descriptions such as mine don't do justice to the pieces, nor do my two-dimensional photographs: they have to be seen and walked around to be properly appreciated. If you can, go and see them.

* I asked at the "The Hub" if I could take photographs in the gallery and was told I could. I believe, from previous conversations on the subject, that photography is allowed with some exhibitions and not others - a policy that is much better than that of most museums and galleries.

photographs and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 8.8mm (41mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.5
Shutter Speed: 1/30
ISO:400
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Eye scorching colour

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I don't like shopping. Lots of men (and quite a few women) don't. Food and essentials I can cope with: it's the infrequently bought items that I find harder to deal with - clothes, domestic sundries, shoes, etc. They mean visiting bigger shopping centres and scouring more places, often with no success. In recent years I've sometimes found myself in one of the assemblages of so-called "outlets" (what a horrible word that is), notably the Fleetwood Freeport in Lancashire and Springfields at Spalding, Lincolnshire. These places are "themed" - at Fleetwood its sited next to a marina, and at Spalding it adjoins the Festival Gardens. This pairing of an "attraction" with a large, purpose-built shopping area with its acres of parking is an attempt - or so it seems to me - to make buying stuff more interesting and palatable.

The other day we were at Springfields, Spalding. We came away with only a couple of small items that were on a longish list, but not before we'd had a wander around the gardens. I've taken a few photographs there before, principally of the sculptures. Probably my favourite shot from this location is one showing a detail of some large, painted, concrete shapes designed by Chris Beardshaw called "Sculpture Matrix". As we once more came upon these among the trees and planting I noticed that the colour scheme of pink exteriors and pale blue interiors had been changed and now the inside of the shapes was what I can only call neon green or a very bright lime green.

I used the LX3 to take a few more shots of these shapes with their now quite eye-wateringly colourful paint scheme. The best of the crop is the main photograph taken through one of the "viewing slits" that let the spectator see into the sculpture. However, since I rarely photograph anything with such jarringly juxtaposed colours, I also took a few shots of the corners and edges where the pink and green came together.

photographs and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO:80
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Hamming up the horror

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I've never been one for horror films. The graphic, gore-laden offerings of today leave me cold, and I simply exclude them from my viewing. I can't say that I'm particularly enamoured of the older horror films either, though there have been a few that I've enjoyed. These have usually been those that approached the subject with either "art" or "comedy" uppermost in mind.

Of the artistic horror movies my favourite has to be Werner Hertzog's 1979 film,  "Nosferatu the Vampyre". It's a homage remake of a 1922 German silent film, and though Bram Stoker's basic Dracula plot underpins it there are differences, principally the focus on Nosferatu's loneliness and disgust with what he does. It's usually the very different depiction of the vampire in this film, and the absence of camp humour that people see as setting it apart from others of the genre. However, I would also cite the sets and the photography as very different from the usual Stoker-derived offerings.

Of the humorous takes on horror one that I liked better than most of the critics and fans is another one based on Bram Stoker's tale. "Dracula: Dead and Loving It", the 1995 film starring Leslie Nielsen is fun and funny. But, being British, I've also seen quite a few Hammer horror films. These were often made with a fairly serious intention - in so far as you can be serious with any horror film - but often ended up being unintentionally funny. They seemed to almost invariably cast either Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing, with, often, Ingrid Pitt to add the glamour. Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummies and the murders of Victorian London seemed to figure large in their plots.

It was Hammer Films that came to mind when I visited this ruined medieval church in Norfolk. It is located in a piece of woodland close to a country house, and in the past was used as a folly-cum-eyecatcher by the owners. They built ruinous arches and other structures around and in it to make it into a romantic feature that the family and guests could come upon during short walks from the house. The Victorian tomb must have been placed there at that time, and perhaps the medieval stone coffin. A wooden cross had been placed at one end of the building, and its derelict state combined with the other artefacts suggested the kind of set that a Hammer Films version of Dracula might use. To that end I converted my colour image to black and white, upped the contrast, gave it a slight vignette, and burned in the clouds that the graduated ND filter had already made quite striking. Perhaps you can imagine Christopher Lee in a long black cloak hurrying in through the pointed arch as he averts his eyes from the cross.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/50
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
Filter: Graduated ND8

London's rubbish

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The apostrophe in today's title is used in the possessive sense rather than as an elision (no insult is intended!) because the photograph shows Cory Environmental's tug, "Recovery", pulling two barge loads of containers containing waste down the River Thames to either their materials recycling facility or the "energy from waste" power station.

I've photographed this activity before but the last image I posted was taken at night. Here the weather and light was excellent for photography, and I used it as an opportunity to try out my graduated neutral density filter. I also wanted to try a wider view of this section of the Thames opposite the red brick pyramids of Free Trade Wharf. I'm pleased with the result.

In future I'll note when I use a filter on the camera. You won't be surprised to find that quite a few of the forthcoming posts feature the one used in this image.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/800
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
Filter: Graduated ND8

Using graduated ND filters

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In the days of film photography I used a fairly wide selection of filters on my SLR camera lenses, and one or two on my rangefinder camera. I still have most of them, and several weeks ago I was looking at the collection, trying to decide which had a future and which I would be unlikely to ever use again.

I think its very doubtful that the red, yellow, orange and green filters that I used with black and white film will find a place in my future photography. The digital equivalent of these, applied to a colour image converted to monochrome in post-processing, seems to me to offer significant advantages over shooting in black and white with a filter on the lens. Nor too, I think, will the 49mm polarising filter be used again: my current lenses have much bigger filter sizes. I suppose, however, if I ever bought a compact system camera - M43, NX, NEX or somesuch, it might fit a lens. I also have a set of square filters of various kinds with a group of mounting filters, but once again these are of a size suitable for smaller diameter lenses. So, even though some of them, such as the neutral density filters, continue to have a very real purpose in these digital times, they are just too small for the lenses I currently use.

My attention had turned to filters because I was wanting to use a graduated neutral density filter to make better use of the sky in my images. It's true that with digital you can expose for the sky and then bring up the underexposed ground in post processing. But the fact is this takes time, effort and skill. Moreover, it's often the case that the dynamic range of the shot is too wide to do it completely successfully. The graduated neutral density filter tones down the brightness of the sky at the moment of capture and makes the details more as our eye sees them. It's especially useful, I find, on overcast days where the sky is white (but figured) and the ground dark and without obvious shadows. It is also useful when the camera is pointed anywhere near to the sun. Occasionally, however, this kind of filter does make too much of the sky's details and it can look a touch apocalyptic!

The upshot of all this is that a while ago I bought a 72mm mounting ring, filter holder and a square ND8 graduated neutral density filter. Fortunately the 24-105mm and the 17-40mm lens both have 72 mm filter threads, so the two lenses I own that are most suitable for this kind of filter can be accommodated by the single setup.

The photographs above were all taken on a rather overcast day using the filter. They show the late C15 (and later) Mannington Hall, a moated house in Norfolk. I may have been able to achieve the balance of the first image without the filter, and perhaps the second one too, but the third shot really benefited from it, acquiring a mood that would have been difficult to reproduce with a normal exposure and post-processing.

photographs and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 28mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/125
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
Filter: Graduated ND8

Butterbur leaves

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The UK isn't the first place that comes to mind when we consider the giants of nature. On a world scale our rivers aren't big: the longest is the Severn at 220 miles (354 kilometres). Nor are our mountains very high, with Ben Nevis at 4,409 feet (1,344 metres) the tallest peak. Neither does the area of our biggest lakes stand comparison with many other countries. The highest sea cliffs exceed 400 metres, middling in world terms, but our biggest land animal -the red deer - is relatively small, and our tallest tree, a Douglas Fir 210 feet tall, is only a little more than half the height of the tallest Giant Redwood. But, size isn't everything, and what the UK lacks in the giants of the natural world it makes up for in the variety that it offers in a relatively small area.

However, it wasn't variety that I thought about when I was photographing these leaves of the common butterbur (Petasites hybridus) , but rather their size. They are the largest leaves of any British plant with a diameter anywhere between 40cm and 70cm. But, despite this unique position in Britain's flora, and the fact that I have known the plant since I first saw it as a child in the wet lanes and riversides of the Yorkshire Dales, at the time I was taking my shots I couldn't bring its name to mind. It must be my age catching up with me. But, when I'd finally named it correctly I remembered that we also used to call it "wild rhubarb", though I now know it to belong an entirely different family from the cultivated crop.

As a photographic subject butterbur isn't terribly promising, though I did think that if I'd had a small child with me I might have been able to do something with it. However, when I saw this patch of butterbur reflected in the relatively calm water it did seem to offer possibilities.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 175mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 250
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Dead heads

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If you are of a certain age and interested in popular music then the words "dead head" mean something entirely different to what is understood by someone who is a gardener. If, however, you're of a certain age, interested in popular music AND gardening then you use both terms very easily, depending on context.

The musical "dead head", or rather "Dead Head", is a devoted follower of the San Francisco-based band, the Grateful Dead. I can't claim the level of adoration that qualifies a person to be a "Dead Head", but I do own some of their music and have a particular liking for the albums, "American Beauty", "Workingman's Dead" and "Live Dead". The gardener understands a dead head to be the product of "dead-heading", that is is to say, the removal of faded flower heads so that they don't turn to seed. Regular removal of declining blooms encourages the host plant to put out more flowers than it would otherwise poduce, and thereby extends its period of flowering, something that gardeners like to encourage.

Recently, I was doing the rounds of the flower beds and pots removing such blooms and picking up heads that had been blown off by the wind or knocked down by recent heavy rain. I put the heads of the begonias, cornflowers, marigolds and the rest into my bucket, and in so doing glanced down at my work of the past hour or so. The decaying beauty of the spent flowers caught my eye so I put the macro lens on my camera and took this photograph. There's something rather melancholic about the sight of flowers that are past their best. Perhaps it's the way we see in our minds eye the ripe beauty that was, as well as the dishevelled reality that is, and in so doing are reminded of the mortality of all life, including our own.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 100mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 160
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33
Image Stabilisation: On

Fishermen, photographers and survival

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Sometimes my mind wanders on tangential paths and ends up in odd, even strange, places. For example, I have a theory that following the next cataclysm to hit the earth - an asteroid impact, suddenly rising sea levels, a world war or whatever - any survivors will include a disproportionately large number of fishermen, but precious few amateur  photographers. Why? Well, over the years I've noticed that an increasing number of fishermen are equipped for longer fishing expeditions. You've perhaps seen the sort of thing that I mean: they have a small tent or combined umbrella/sheltersuitable for over-night stays, waterproof and warm clothing for whatever the weather brings, boxes packed with food and basic cooking equipment and utensils, as well as the usual range of rods, lines, etc. And all of this is packed into a convenient, wheeled cart that can be pulled to the places where the fishing is to take place. It occurs to me that all of this stuff is ideal for survival in a post-apocalypse world, providing not only warmth, shelter and transport, but also the means of furnishing your next meal.

On the other hand, the resurgence of the popularity of SLRs has produced a large number of amateur photographers who load themselves down with multiple bodies and lenses, a stack of accessories and often a tripod. I see quite a few who fit all this into and on the outside of a purpose-made backpack. Consequently, I foresee these people, after the next world-scale incident, loading themselves up with the "necessary gear" to get the best possible images of this once in a lifetime event, skimping on the useful and essential items needed for survival, and happily perishing in the knowledge that they've secured cards full of amazing photographs! A further thought occurs to me: perhaps there's a market for a trailer camera case for the photographers who suffer from separation anxiety disorder, and can't leave a single piece of kit at home in case they find they need it. Or perhaps not.

Of course not all photographers and fishermen conform to my descriptions. There are plenty of snappers down-sizing to mirrorless or compact cameras who get great pleasure from their diminutive outfits and take excellent shots with them. And there are lots of fishermen who enjoy their sport using a very basic set of equipment that is not burdensome in any way. I saw one such person on the beach at Hunstanton in Norfolk. He was standing among the groynes and tall groyne markers, casting into the incoming tide, content with his minimalist lot.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 300mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

James Bond versus The Wash Monster?

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I have a few rules of thumb for choosing the films that I watch. One of them is is that if the film's trailer includes a shot of a couple running from a building, usually a wooden structure, that suddenly explodes in a ball of orange flame and shattered timbers, throwing them forwards to the ground - but leaving them unscathed - then I know it's not for me. Consequently you won't be surprised to hear that I'm not a fan of the James Bond franchise. However, the regularity and ubiquity of the 007 offerings is such that I have, at various points in my life, seen clips, longer sections and occasionally a whole film starring the all-action hero. Therefore, when I saw this motorized parachute (also called a paramotor) buzzing The Wash Monster off the beach at Hunstanton, Norfolk, I wondered if the the suave spy was on a mission for her majesty. I knew it couldn't be 007 when a second paramotor swooped down and did the same thing: a man of Bond's calibre doesn't need a partner to accomplish his missions of derring do!

Until I visited Hunstanton last week I wasn't aware of The Wash Monster, a 60-seat, ex-U.S. military amphibious vehicle that gives calm-weather rides on The Wash. But, the deep thump of its motor, the gaze of onlookers and a huddle of people on the promenade next to its booking office, soon brought it to my attention. I've seen ex-military DUKWs on the River Thames in London, and I've heard of their use elsewhere in the UK, but this is the only one I've seen operating on the sea, and it's certainly the biggest I've come across.

I took a few more shots of the vehicle after it had lumbered up on to the sand, one of which I include. There's also another shot of the skilful, if a touch imprudent, paramotorist.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 228mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/800
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Spires, views and hits

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Ever since July 2010 I've used Blogger's in-house hit counter to analyse the traffic that comes to this blog. It's called "Stats" and it gives a reasonable summary of information: not as much as some of the other free offerings - I also use StatCounter and Google Analytics - but enough for it to be my main port of call. Regular readers of this blog will recall that in August 2010 I posted a list of the top 10 pages by hits and speculated on why they were popular. I looked at this information again recently and found some interesting developments and, once again, more questions. The current 1 to 10 (with last August's placing in brackets) are:

1 (1) Tree shadows and architectural drawings
2 (2) Lichfield Cathedral
3 (5) The corrugated chair
4 (new) Old tools and toffee hammers
5 (3) Promenade silhouettes
6 (new) Views with spires
7 (new) The story of a blog post
8 (new) Church music
9 (new) Colour or monochrome?
10 (new) Rooks, hoar frost and adverts

I find it interesting that only four of last year's top ten feature in the current list, though given the relatively short amount of time I'd been using Stats when I did the first survey perhaps that's not so surprising. As before I'm given to wondering why these particular posts receive more hits than others. However, one of the newcomers is, I think, particularly noteworthy. The entry, View with spires, dates from as recently as May 24th 2011, yet in that short time it has become the 6th most viewed blog post with 351 hits. Not as many as the number one with 2,101, but a high number (for this blog) in quite a short period. Why? The photograph isn't what I'd call my best, and the writing that accompanies it is unremarkable. So what is it that brings so many viewers to that particular page? I haven't a clue!

Incidentally, in October 2010 I noted the top ten countries providing the hits for PhotoReflect. Here is that list compared with today's:

2010 (2011)
1 UK (UK)
2 USA (USA)
3 Australia (Australia)
4 Canada (Canada)
5 India (Germany)
6 Germany (Netherlands)
7 Netherlands (India)
8 Brazil (Poland)
9 Italy (France)
10 France (Russia)

Much less of a change here: eight countries remain in the top ten, with Brazil and Italy being replaced by the newcomers, Poland and Russia. The connection of all this with today's offering is tenuous, but my photograph sparked the line of thought that resulted in the subject of this blog post. The Swaffham church shot is a view with a spire, a lead-covered spire that looks like a later addition to a tower of about 1500. However, it seems that a spire was part of the original design, was replaced by a Gothick version in 1778, and the one we see today is a rebuilding of the eighteenth century incarnation that dates from 1897.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 21mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/250
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -1.0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Cottage gardens

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If I lived in a cottage I'd have a cottage garden. Perhaps that sounds self-evident, but it isn't because a "cottage garden" these days means a particular type of planting and presentation rather than any just any old garden that happens to be attached to a cottage. The other day, as we walked through the village of Castle Rising in Norfolk, we passed the pair of cottages in today's photograph and, impressed by the front gardens, I took this shot.

The planting exemplifies much that I like about the cottage garden. On the right is a golden privet with a few white flowers showing. This shrub often forms an evergreen (actually "ever-yellow") hedge in older gardens but here it was a bush that in summer was offering its vivid colour and in winter would do the same, but give structure and height too. It was poking over a length of stone, brick and tile wall.The remainder of the flowers are typical cottage garden perennials, intermixed to an extent, giving a variety of colours at different heights. There are white-petalled marguerites with their yellow centres hanging over the picket fence, pink mallows, glossy skimmia with its red berries, aquilegia, lillies, orange roses, three kinds of clematis, tall hollyhocks - the quintessential cottage garden flower - and much more. Set against the brick and stone walls, with the white ornate porch, the dormers and the pantiles above, the planting makes for a picture of a typically English rural cottage.

I used the 17-40mm lens at its widest setting for this photograph and had to over come my natural inclination to step back and produce a more architectural image with "correct" verticals.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 17mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/320
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

St Augustine, Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire

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Is it possible to become a billionaire by ethical means? When I look at many who have achieved this dubious distinction I think the answer is that it's somewhat unusual. Many Russian oligarchs achieved their vast wealth by exploiting political and social chaos to transfer money and resources from the public sector to themselves. More than a few manufacturers, newspaper magnates, etc. in other parts of the world secured their fortunes through striving to become monopolies and through other predatory practices. Such people tend to shelter behind the amoral, non-ethical shield of "the market" to explain and justify their success. The donation of some of their fabulous wealth to charities or to deserving causes too often looks like an attempt to clean up their images or to salve their consciences.

What then of Skirlaugh church? It is, in John Betjeman's words, "a lavish Perpendicular church replete with parapets, pinnacles and buttresses...". Pevsner calls it, "...perfect because built not only lavishly but also quickly and to one plan." It is relatively small, certainly is lavish - I particularly like the pierced battlements of the tower - and incorporates the fifteenth century development of a nave and chancel in one with no structural divisions. When I lived in Kingston upon Hull I often stopped by this perfect little church and admired its college chapel-like appearance.

St Augustine was built in 1401-5 by Walter Skirlaw. He was bishop of Lichfield, then Wells and finally, from 1388, Durham. As his name suggests Skirlaugh was his native village though he was actually born in nearby Swine. It was during his bishopric at Durham that he gave the money for the building of the church, and it was completed a year before his death in 1406. Walter Skirlaw built a number of bridges in the Durham diocese, the chapter house at Howden, and contributed funds for the construction of York Minster's central tower. He was also responsible for much work at Durham Cathedral including the building of its cloisters. Much of this is what we might expect of a bishop of Durham. But what about the church at Skirlaugh? Was the construction of a fine church in his home village a proper use of the finances that he controlled, or was it, perhaps, a nepotistic display by the local boy made good?

I visited Skirlaugh church at a time when a prince of the press, phone hacking, the "News of the World" newspaper, and all the associated shenanigans were headlines in the press. Perhaps it was the despicable display of money, influence and power in that ongoing saga that made me wonder if this church was a result of a medieval equivalent involving a prince of the church. That's one of the problems with societies that allow people to accumulate such great wealth and power - they often exercise it in ways that undermine democracy and support themselves, and in so doing make us suspicious of what can be perfectly ordinary transactions.

Incidentally, the photograph of the church interior clearly shows the lack of differentiation between the nave and the chancel, something that is not too common in English churches. The shot also shows a recent development that is becoming increasingly common: the pews at the back of the church have been removed to make a space for a weekly coffee morning and other small social events.

photographs and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 28mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/800
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On