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AVEBURY, STONEHENGE, SALISBURY and SHAFTSBURY
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On day one of each England trip we go west on the motorway, and then explore the southern landscape on our way to Avebury. England's rolling landscape has a healthy variety of deciduous trees, and a selection border the yellow symphony of Oil Seed Rape/Canola. |
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| A section of the Avebury Stones, the world's largest stone circle as it happens, actually has a village built inside it. These days there's no way you'd get planning permission to do such a thing, and just as well. |
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This is the Avebury Post Office built inside the Avebury Stone Circle. Many of the standing stones were removed in recent centuries, and the large white stone blocks in the Post Office wall strongly resemble the stone used for the Avebury stone circle. For more about the history of Avebury go here.
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Day one of each England photography tour concludes at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, and it's nice to have some sort of dramatic sky to enhance the mystery of the stones. Here are a few Stonehenge 'faces' . . .
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Nice side-lighting for this one but little else. I should mention that we have special after-hours permits for these visits to Stonehenge, and are a part of each photo tour of England . . . |
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Stonehenge and the Heel Stone. On Midsummer's day the sun rises above the heel stone when one stands in the middle of the stone circle. |
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Inside the stone circle of Stonehenge. Historians and archeologists tell us that the stones were transported by sea and river from the Preseli Mountains in Wales around 4,000 years ago. |
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A section of Stonehenge in silhouette. |
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Warm side-lighting and foreground interest combine for an uncommon perspective of Stonehenge.
The nearest stone is understood to be the 'slaughter stone'.
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The last of the Stonehenge series is another sunset image. A starburst filter would be useful for this type of shot, but the light point was the result a small aperture, which was f.16 in this case.
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The British Robin joins the Holly and the Ivy on English Christmas cards each year, but this one poses for a spring shot.
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A 'postcard' view of Salisbury cathedral framed by tree branches from several hundred yards away. |
An interior of Gothic magnificence that really isn't done justice by this small low pixel image. |
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Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire. Gothic and magnificent inside and out. In an effort to cope with the harsh light I placed the old lamp, originally a gas lamp, in the foreground.
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This is Gold Hill in Shaftsbury, and I used the rail as a lead-in, but another option is to sit down to the left, include the mosaic of the cobblestones in the foreground, and shoot with a wide-angle.
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DEVON AND CORNWALL
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Above, one of many placid harbor scenes in Cornwall. This one is in the tiny fishing village of Mousehole, as is the image below right. The locals pronounce Mousehole as 'mou-zell'. |
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The church and Celtic cross at Morvah on the north Cornwall coast this time. I did take out a power line that crossed the image near the top, but resisted putting in a graduated blue sky, as I like the dour look on what was a foggy day. Not many folk, even the English, are aware that Cornwall is a Celtic 'county' with it's own language and culture. The name Cornwall in the Cornish language is 'Kernow'. |
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That Automobile Association sign says a lot. We are in St. Mawes in Cornwall, and it's 263 and a quarter miles to London. Myself, I'd rather be in Tregony which is just 10 and a half miles away! |
The English love their dogs, and this serendipitous shot was captured while on a short amble between two small harbours on the south Cornwall coast.
One just has to be ready when they crop up, as nothing else is required!
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The winner of this year's
Winston Churchill look-a-like
contest is . . . .
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Cornwall is noted for it's tin mines, and although the 'golden era' - or should I say rusty? - of tin mining has passed, there are still photo ops to be had. The figure at right is one of our clients shooting the scene.
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 England has St. Michael's mount, above and below, and on the opposite side of the English Channel, France has Mont San Michel. They're actually very similar, and are particularly photogenic at any time of day.
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Beer barrels outside a pub in Polperro, Cornwall . . . |
. . . . and in that same photogenic village on an overcast day. I had the pub sign and alleyway in the frame, and all that was needed was a figure to give a bit of perspective . . . oh hold on!, here comes someone with a multi-colored umbrella right on cue! |
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 Above and below, this is the tiny Cornish fishing village of Polperro in Cornwall, and I 'discovered' this place via a narrow back road when scouting the southwest coast in the early 80's. There is actually a 'normal' road to the village, but traffic is kept from the streets by their narrowness, and thus my first impression of Polperro as an unspoiled and photogenic spot has been preserved.
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Celtic crosses are synonymous with Celtic Wales, and Gaelic Ireland and Scotland, but England's southwestern most county, Cornwall, has it's Celtic history too.
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The second of three stone circles on our England photo tours, Stonehenge and Castlerigg are the others, these are the Merry Maidens. This collection is one of many in the Cornwall region that were oft used for various pagan rituals. Of course, legend has it that the 19 stones, i.e. the maidens, were dancing on the Sabbath and turned to stone as punishment. |
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. . . . and as we make our way to the Cotswolds
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Glastonbury Abbey is one of the many abbeys that fell into disrepair following the dissolution by King Henry the VIII. |
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A Mute Swan that landed right in front of the group in Somerset one year. Special!
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Vicar's Close in Wells, Somerset, is a fantastic step back in time. It has the oldest original cobbled street in England. In the background is the impressive Wells Cathedral.
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THE COTSWOLDS
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This is a Cotswold stone barn which looks different each year as it depends on what crops are planted around it.
Compositionally I decided to lop off the right side of the barn to 'strengthen' the juxtaposition of shape and colour.
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The rustic, historic, and downright photogenic Arlington Row in Bibury, Gloucestershire.
The warm stone is Cotswold stone. |
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A back-lit dandelion head. back-lighting is more pronounced against darker backgrounds, so you might want to consider you camera angle before taking the shot.
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| Wild Poppies randomly grow amongst various crops, but when it's in a Canola field the result is stunning. |
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| The background here is Canola, but the yellow flowers have long since fallen to earth. |
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Brass numbers and door knockers such as this work better photographically on coloured doors as a rule, but exposed properly, 'dull' doors can work too.
Under exposure by around a third to half a stop will fix your meter's tendency to turn the green colour into a shade of grey. |
Chipping Campden's old covered market area provides the 'frames' for shots such as this red door.
Step one is seeing the image, and step two is getting the image into your camera the way you see it.
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The warm Cotswold stone lights up when the late light hits in Great Tew, and the old thatches see out their umpteenth day facing the village green. |
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Also found in Bibury are an abundance of mute Swans. |
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Looks like ice, but they're water droplets on a leaf. The closer you get, the more impact there is.
England is noted for it's landscape, but I also encourage clients to pursue high quality macro shots throughout the trip. |
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Aahhh, Cricket! Let me just say that you probably don't really want me to explain this game to you!
Anyway, I will tell you that the object of the bowler is to knock the bails from the stumps which you can see happened in this shot. The wonderful thing about attending village cricket games and fairs in the UK, is meeting the locals, and hearing their many different accents, some indecipherable! |
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The humble but beautiful British Bluebell. |
A Bluebell wood in the Cotswolds. |
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Symmetry, changing light and an English village.
As one of my clients is apt to say, "It doesn't get any better than this!" |
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A Thatcher at work in the Cotswolds. The roofs last between 30 and 80 years, and some Thatchers still hide a bottle in the thatch containing details of when they did their work. |
St. James church in the village of Coln St. Dennis, Gloucestershire. Framed by the gate and ornate wrought iron lamp arrangement, it adds up to a pleasing and very 'English' composition in my mind. |
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Horses in fields of Buttercups I can often promise my clients on England trips,
but the galloping bit? . . . well, you just never know! |
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| A typical idyllic Cotswold village. Can't you just hear the rattle of teacups and saucers? |
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. . . . and as we make our way to the Yorkshire Dales
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Edward the 1st built most of the English and Welsh castles to keep the locals in order, and today they make great photography subjects. This is a section of Warwick castle looking down the River Avon, which I passed every day for five years on my way to school. |
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On the other side of the River Avon is Bridge End Street pictured here, and I must confess that we used to ring doorbells on the way home from school, then skedaddle back to the orphanage. Aaahh, those were the days, eh?
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Also in Warwick, and a post box on an ivy-clad wall which says England, England, England!
At the top of the box you can make out the letters V and R with a crown in-between. V. R. is Victoria Regina, which means that Queen Victoria reigned when this box started it's useful life.
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| An image typical of most English residential streets. |
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The Lord Leycester historic hospital set against the town wall in Warwick. There is barely a straight vertical line to be found anywhere in the building which adds to it's charm. |
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THE YORKSHIRE DALES
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Herriot country in the Yorkshire Dales. A long lens shot of stone barns and walls that are a common occurrence in this region. The barns, almost one per small field, were mostly used for livestock shelter and hay storage. |
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A long lens view from the moors to Langthwaite in 'Herriot country' . . . myself and clients live for this quality of light! |
Another barn and wall perspective nearby, this one under overcast light. It's highly likely that one James Herriot [Alf Wight] walked these fields in Wensleydale. |
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Medieval meets 'modern at skyline level in Richmond, Yorkshire. |
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Another valley where sheep may safely graze in Herriot's Yorkshire Dales, and below Castle Bolton village framed by an entrance to the castle.
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Two taken just minutes apart in the Yorkshire Dales. The 'lesson' here is that there was dull overcast light until five minutes before these shots were taken. "f.8 and be there" as they say!
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Castle Bolton, and typical Yorkshire barns in the early morning light. |
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A 'George Reigns' [GR] post box on the side of a Post Office in Yorkshire, plus Lance Armstrong's training cycle.
I worked for the Post Office out of school in 1966, and rode these heavy old clunkers delivering telegrams . . . if we were lucky that is, as some deliveries were much further than we cared for back then!
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Even a dull day can yield something with a little bit of impact if our compositions include some foreground interest. This is Fountains abbey in Yorkshire, England |
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THE LAKE DISTRICT
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In 'normal' daylight, the shot of this farm is 'usually' the farm gate, lane, trees and distant farmhouse, but the light on this occasion dictated that the composition be re-thought. That's the point really, as we should consider the differing elements in a scene each time we return to it, and not get stuck in a compositional rut as it were |
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The old and narrow Ashness Bridge in the Lake District. The bridge is so narrow that the only way I can get across it with the group van, is by asking everyone to breathe in. |
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As man-made objects age they tend to appeal to us more, and this is true of this road sign. The circle at the top tells you that you're in Buttermere, and that you have three options to 'get out of town'!
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This is Wast Water in the Lake District of England, for which I got down low and close to the water's edge for some 'strong' foreground interest. |
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Backlit Maple leaves look all the better when shot against a black background.
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One of those moments you live for in a manner of speaking, as what could be cuter than this?!
Perhaps the only thing lacking is a caption such as "Are we there yet Mum?" |
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Another face of the Lake District is of the rugged beauty found on mountain passes such as Hardknott and Wrynose. If the light is changeable when we pass though it is a good day indeed. |
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The limited size of the image is unable to reveal what a classic Lake district scene this is with it's wall and lane lead-in to the whitewashed farmhouse, and mountain peak . . . but it surely is!
A wide-angle set at f.22, and a tripod are recommended for this shot.
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I'm from England, and rode on such steam trains when I was but a wee lad. The Beeching Axe closed many local lines back in 1962, but the following decades have seen a number re-opened by volunteer railway enthusiasts, and they make excellent picture opportunities.
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It may be just another rope keeping the gate closed in the Lake District, but it's undoubtedly a classic 'Still Life on the Run' shot.
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On at least a couple of occasions while in the Lake District we head to the water's edge and photograph boats etcetera. In this shot I have used some weak flash to lighten the foreground just enough. |
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This is the Castlerigg stone circle in the Lake District, shot with a wide-angle in the warm evening light. |
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And the Castlerigg stones once more silhouetted at sunset.
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England by Daniel Attema | England by David Mathies
England by Bill Snoddy | England by Jay Levin
England by Judy Giberson | England by Ivy Broyles
England by Margot Gendre | England by Michael Carlucci
England by Bob Barnhill | England by Carmen Sewell
England by Jana Jirak | England by Joe Smith
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England Spring brochure | England Autumn brochure
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