Bodies of work

When I was invited last year to go and conduct a recorder group in Manchester I immediately decided to use the trip as an opportunity to do some long overdue architectural photography around Salford Quays while I was there. When I arrived there was still a couple of hours left before sunset so I set off to look around and get my bearings, as well as figuring out some possible locations for the following morning.

On the Friday morning a heavy autumn mist had descended on Salford Quays, but that just made things even more atmospheric…

I’d gone to Salford with an open mind about what I might photograph, but I found myself creating several small bodies of work around various parts of the Quays. One of the things that caught my eye was the way the modern architecture on the waterfront was reflected in the shimmering water of the Quays creating colourful abstracts.

While most of my images focus on single buildings, with a vista this dramatic I felt a panorama was also needed to capture the scene, from the Lowry Centre on the left to the Imperial War Museum on the right.

My attempt to create some abstract shapes from the exterior of The Lowry was foiled by this pigeon!

The interior of The Lowry is a riot of colour - a mix of complementary shades of orange and purple. The stark lines of the modern architecture just called out for some minimalist abstracts

Elsewhere in the building the tones are more muted, but no less photogenic.

Another panorama of the Quays - these are the buildings you see in the background on the BBC’s breakfast television show each day!

My circuit of Salford Quays eventually brought me to the Media City Bridge, a cable stay swing bridge which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal, which seemed to call for a monochrome look to highlight its string lines.

Finally I ended my day at the Imperial War Museum. The interior didn’t particularly inspire me, but the curving lines of the exterior have lots of possibilities. I can’t help but wonder what these swooping lines might look like with some low, raking sunshine - a sight I’ll have to hope for on my next visit.

Photos taken 15 November 2024

The magic of candlelight

Last autumn an event popped up on the Southwark Cathedral website which piqued my interest - a candlelit photography evening. I assumed there would be at least some electric lighting so I was surprised to find the Cathedral entirely lit by candles - quite a photographic challenge. Fortunately tripods were permitted, so that made life easier and the slow nature of the photography did at least mean I would have a limited number of images to edit at the end of the evening!

There were only a few dozen of us taking photos so it was easy enough to keep out of each other’s way, and the gloom at the back of many of the scenes made it easier to camouflage the odd photographer who did walk into shot!

As I set up for the photograph below I was initially frustrated when the verger walked into the frame and sat down to check his phone. With hindsight though it’s actually my favourite image of the evening and I think he adds a welcome focus to the picture.

Candlelight reflected off parquet flooring.

Photographs taken 13 November 2024

A hidden gem

It’s been a while since I took a diversion from one of my work trips to explore a new church, but when I realised my route down to Sussex took me within easy reach of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Warminghurst on a sunny day I built an extra hour or so into my travelling time for a spot of church hunting.

With most churches that I visit capturing a good shot of the exterior is usually scuppered by a lack of space or dreary weather. On this occasion, I didn’t have me either of those problems as the sun was out and a short stroll down to the end of the Churchyard gave me this lovely view of the building.

Inside, I found some equally beautiful light, pouring through the windows, and throwing shafts of sunshine across the box pews. This gem of a church may be tucked away in the depths of the Sussex countryside, but the welcome was as warm as the sunshine that day. As well as the beautiful harvest festival displays, there was a large flask of hot water for visitors to make themselves a cup of tea or coffee and even some home-made flapjacks for those who were peckish, presumably provided by the volunteer who opens and closes the church each day.

Above my head, I spotted some beautiful wall paintings – I’m not sure how old they are, but I suspect they’ve been there for several centuries.

The leaded light windows cast such beautiful patterns across the floor in combination with the autumn sunshine.

Naturally, my eye was drawn to some of the small details around the church, such as these mouldings on the box pews, a solitary chair and light flooding onto one of the wooden pillars.

Photos taken 11 October 2024