Important news - my blog has moved…..

As from today I have moved my blog to:-

www.alanfrostphotography.wordpress.com

All 135 posts from this site have moved across, so do please bookmark my new blog.

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Thank you.

Alan Frost

A visit to the North Norfolk Coast

Alone on the shore

My blog has been a little quiet in recent weeks, principally for the reason that we had a two week family holiday in the pretty little village of Weybourne on the North Norfolk Coast in October. We were very fortunate with the weather, it was very relaxing and a great area for some photography. In fact everything you could want from time away from work.

No sooner had we returned from Norfolk and my wife and I went to Bath in Somerset for an ABC of Camerawork course with Andy Beel FRPS. It goes without saying that the combination of these two trips means that I have lot of images to edit and process, some of which will appear on this blog in the weeks ahead. The fact that the clocks have now gone back also means that I can spend a little more time in front of a screen post processing, updating my website - www.alanfrostphotography.co.uk and of course 'blogging'!

For the time being I hope you like the photograph at the top of this entry, which I have called 'Alone on the shore'. It was taken late in the day and is an image of the shingle beach at Weybourne. I never did discover the purpose of the trailer hut, but it never moved from the day we arrived to the day we left. I can only assume it is used by the fishermen, who have their boats and tractors on the shingle bank nearby.

I am already working on my next entry which will be about our day in Bath with Andy Beel. I hope to post it in a few days time. Until then, thanks for visiting my blog and your comments are always welcome.

Light and shade in Chichester

The Cathedral City of Chichester in West Sussex is a very special place. It also happens to be my home town; so I count myself very fortunate that I can easily photograph the streets and buildings at various times of the day without too much inconvenience.

The light at the end of the day is in my view when the city looks at its best and this entry includes a few images taken recently in and around the Cathedral. As a black and white photographer I am always looking for light and shade, contrast, texture and tone. Chichester provides me with a wealth of opportunities.

Last light in West Pallant

Shadows in the Cloisters

Chichester Cross

Candlelit Cloisters

Light and shade in East Pallant

Sometimes it's all to easy to forget what's on your doorstep and plan excursions far and wide to take that extra special shot. Whenever I photograph the City of Chichester I am reminded that long trips are not necessary and that the familiar can be just as rewarding.

Morning glory

There are many occasions when my wife and I will take our dog for a walk in the beautiful countryside which surrounds us, when shortly into the walk she will say -

"Did you bring your camera with you?'

To which I will reply

"No, I haven't."

Almost inevitably a few minutes later a scene worthy of capture will present itself and I curse myself for not having bothered to pick up my camera and thrown it over my shoulder.

Many a missed opportunity, but this morning was the exception and I must learn the lesson to always have a camera with me. It's an old cliche but a very true one.

Within five minutes of leaving our car we came across this scene. The sun was rising, the morning mist lifting and the dew on the ground added another attractive element to this autumnal scene. The birds flew around the lone tree in the field and the distant farm buildings to the right completed the composition. I took the shot and we continued our walk. I am guessing but I would think that five or ten minutes later the early morning mist would have been burnt away and this glorious view would have been lost.

For me this is a very special time of year and I am looking forward to the weeks and months ahead. Needless to say I will try and remember to have a camera with me at all times.

Goodwood Revival - the cars and the people

Jaguar C Type

For many years I have been to the Goodwood Revival - a wonderful annual event, staged over three days in the middle of September. It's pure theatre, from the cars, to the racing and of course the people, the vast majority of which enter into the spirit of the occasion and dress in clothes appropriate for the post war era.

Trying to select what to photograph and what not to, is far from easy, as there is something of interest round every corner or should I say bend.

All the photographs were taken with the Leica M Monochrom and 50mm f1.4, Summilux lens. Restricting myself to one camera and one lens, is not inhibiting. If anything it allows me to concentrate far more on the subject and not be distracted by the question 'which lens shall I use?' In the short time I have been using the Monochrom, I have been forced to slow down, really consider what I am doing and what camera settings are required to give me the 'look' I am wanting. As a consequence I took far fewer photographs than I would have done in the past. The photographic experience is very different to any other camera I have ever used and I think it will be sometime before I feel at ease using a rangefinder.

I so enjoy working on the files from the Monochrom in post processing. The screen on the back of the camera does not do justice to the image, to the contrary it's so poor it's hardly worth looking at. Fine for a quick check for composition and exposure, using either the histogram or highlights and shadows warning, but not much else. Back at home the sheer pleasure of downloading the files in all their glory is well worth waiting for.

Enough about the equipment, here is a selection of photographs from the Goodwood Revival.

Firstly the machines which is what draws the crowds in the first place.

Starting Grid  

In Admiration - of a Blower Bentley

An icon of British Cinema - James Bond's Aston Martin DB5

Jaguar XK 140

Wing mirror

Helmet, gloves and scarf

VIP's Only

  And now for the people.

The Gent

Glam Cab Taxi Girls

Stolen Milk Bottle

1960's Girls

 
It's only two weeks since the Revival and already I am looking forward to next year's event. I hope you can see why.

St Albans Cathedral - a quick visit

Vaulted ceiling of the South Aisle of Nave 

A couple of weeks ago I needed to make a round day trip to Chelmsford in Essex, a journey which is almost impossible to do from my home without joining the M25 at some point or an other. On the way up from the south coast I headed east knowing that I would have to wait in a long queue of traffic to go through the Dartford tunnel. True to form the cars moved at a snails pace, but the queue coming back the other way looked even worse, so my return journey would take me along the northern section round the M25 in a westerly direction and through Hertfordshire. A longer route home but hopefully I would keep moving.

Journey sorted, I took a detour to the rather attractive town of St Albans, specifically to look round the Cathedral and take some photographs. Most cathedrals offer a wealth of photographic opportunities. Architectural features are plentiful and the light can be very special. St Albans is no exception. It has a very long history and is thought to be the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain.  According to the official website the cathedral stands in a place where Alban, the first martyr, was buried after giving his life for his faith over 1700 years ago - more than 200 years before St Augustine arrived in Canterbury.

I have never visited St Albans before, so I was looking forward to visiting another of this country's wonderful Cathedrals. Limited for time before driving home, I was able to take a number of images which I hope show the splendour of this great building.

Lady Chapel

High Altar Screen

Chantry

Presbytery Door

Looking towards The Lady Chapel

One of the three West Doors of St Albans Cathedral

I very much enjoyed my brief visit to St Albans Cathedral. Sadly there wasn't time to explore the town itself but if I find myself in the area again then St Albans will definitely be on the list of places to explore and to photograph of course!

All the photographs in this entry were taken with my recently acquired Leica M Monochrom and 50mm Summilux and 28mm Elmarit lenses.

Quiet as a Mouse - British Flag EP Cover

At the beginning of June I received an email from Alex Moran, a singer and songwriter, on behalf of his emerging Indie Rock Band - Quiet as a Mouse - who are based in Edinburgh, Scotland and were formed in 2012. He was enquiring as to whether or not they could use one of my images for their first EP which was to be released later in the year. It already had the title - British Flag. Needless to say I was very pleased to have been approached.

Click here and go to their website.

Over a period of a few weeks there was an exchange of emails between us and I am delighted they chose one of my images - 'Tree in field of snow' - as the cover for their EP which was released earlier this month on 11th August. It has four tracks and based on some of the reviews they have already received for their earlier work, it looks as though it's going to be a great success and I wish them every luck in the future. Here are just a couple of reviews lifted from their website.

The Sun:

“Quiet as a Mouse are fast becoming one of Scotland’s hottest prospects…’Home Is The Hardest Place To Find’ is a soaring anthem packed full of melody…it reminds me of Snow Patrol’s edgier moments.”

The Daily Record:

“Some bands don’t even achieve such a great track as ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo)’ let alone give it away for free. It’s a contender for Scottish single of the year”

“There is enough in Alex Moran’s band’s armoury to sink a battleship…New single Casketcase is a heady mix of Weezer and Nirvana, its Goth for the new millennium…I love this band.”

Click here and listen to British Flag on Soundcloud

Click here to purchase Brirish Flag EP on iTunes.