I have just returned from a 12 day trip to the United Kingdom – principally Derbyshire and Manchester, where I shot over 400 black and white medium format images and recorded several magnificent churches using the digital HDR technology that was championed by Dan Burkholder.
The churches form part of my ongoing “Places of Worship” portfolio and six new images have been posted to that portfolio in the last few days. I love doing this work because it keeps me occupied on rainy days when outdoor photography is difficult or next to impossible. Additionally, every church is as individual as a person and has its own distinct personality and aura. My objective is to document a large body of places where worship occurs and to do it in a “conformable” way. By conformable I mean that the interior view is taken from a relatively fixed position – from the rear of the aisle looking toward the altar and taking in some pews (if there are any) and part of the roof architecture. I make no comment on the images other than I find it fascinating to experience the “feel” of these places in relation to the degree of ornamentation and complexity of architecture as well as the age of the building. I would rather leave comments to the viewer although there are many questions that may be asked in connection with this body of work. Check back from time to time as I travel to new places and try to add to the portfolio. Oh, and one last plea – directed at those who watch over these buildings. Please do leave your doors unlocked and please welcome photographers who show respect for those who are using the facility. I encounter too many locked doors and “no photography” signs.
My main reason for this trip to the United Kingdom was to visit the places where I spent much of my happy childhood. I wanted to see what changes had occurred in the 30-40 year period since I last visited these places. I wanted to photograph the places that I remembered so well and to find out if I remembered them correctly. I can honestly say that I feel this is the most important project I have ever undertaken. Many of the places I knew as a child have now gone – my old schools, the movie house where I fell in love with Ursula Andress as a wide eyed 12 year old, the road I walked along to reach the fossil collecting areas near Castleton (well, not gone but no longer usable). Some buildings I knew so well are now boarded up, some have been demolished, some are used for other things and some (miraculously) are still very much the same. I used a 6x6 film camera and black and white stock for this work. The film is not yet developed. I am still mulling over my choices for developer and printing method but I expect to continue with my trusty PMK Pyro developer followed by Platinum printing of enlarged negatives. I also expect to do some traditional silver gelatin printing with these materials. I will post images periodically as they are finalized. Check back in a few months time.
I will also be attending my second Dan Burkholder course at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado from the 4th through 8th August. The course is titled “Platinum/Palladium Printing from Digital Negatives”.
Thanks for reading this. Have fun with your photography!
