CHEW VALLEY 7 – IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE (MONO + COLOUR)

 

 

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Tombstone beside the Church of St Mary, West Harptree, Somerset; 10 Sept 2015.

West Harptree is at the southern end of the Chew Valley, right under the looming presence of the sombre northern slopes of the Mendip Hills.  I drive through this village en route to the Mendips and also the Somerset Levels, and many times I’ve thought of stopping off for a stroll around with a camera – but the more distant (and exciting) places always call and I’ve never done it.  However on a lovely autumn day, and fancying a look at somewhere completely new – to try and get the photographic juices flowing – I at last got around to it.

I spent most of my time in the little churchyard, humming Florence & The Machine numbers, and looking at anything and everything for a long time.  It was of course a pleasure just being there, the churchyard being something of a quiet and deserted backwater. And, as an excellent article in Black+White Photography recently instructed, I emptied my mind of all extraneous thoughts and simply gazed around – and felt good for doing that.  I also found that humming and singing the songs had a very beneficial effect too – it put me in the mood and, I think, heightened my perceptions – and  it was, quite simply, enjoyable – who wants more???

You can find out more about West Harptree here.

D700 with 70-300 Nikkor at 300mm; 1600 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Full Contrast and Structure preset and selectively restoring colour.
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