Ruins of St. Thomas Becket Church '13

[Paul Abbott]

I was in Yorkshire this weekend once again, along with my 'glued' in the hand GR. This was a very contrasty scene but the GR handled it real well with bags of detail in the shadows and highlights...

This church was founded circa 1260, in 1847 it suffered damage by gales and furthermore in 1875 suffered lightning damage, as a result it's now just a shell. The poet Sylvia Plath is buried in the churchyard...

RICOH GR​

 

[Antonio Correia]

Very nice image Paul !
You have used a very subtle tone and the idea of some text at the right border is a good one.
The perspective of the arches finds their counter point in their own shadows leading the eye to the end of the scene.
It is nice that you have left a "slice" of the structure at the right side as it strength the composition.

Good work indeed

 

[Asher Kelman]

..........................
It is nice that you have left a "slice" of the structure at the right side as it strength the composition.

Did you mean the slice on the extreme left side remains? If so, I agree!

Asher

 

[Antonio Correia]

Yes I do !

 

[Paul Abbott]

Hey thanks, Antonio...as for the left side of the image, that was an important part in making the scene work compositionally your right, it kind of keeps our eyes contained within the scene too.
As for the toning, I do like a nice split-tone for a B&W but rarely have the opportunity to use one, although the border is how I like to frame and name my re-sized images now...

 

[Antonio Correia]

Paul, do you use the same crop factor all the time ?

I mean, do you use always the same(s) crop factor when photographing vertical or horizontal ?

This is a nice way - IMHO - to maintain a coherent work.

Using the same border for the text is as important as the crop factor itself

 

[Paul Abbott]

Antonio, i've not taken a picture using this camera's 4:3 factor yet. I did try composing the scene in 4:3 and 1:1 factors but found that the 1:1 didn't suit and the 4:3 lost me some perspective and some of that lovely stone floor a little too. But in answer to your question I only use 3:2 and 1:1 mainly...

Regards...

 

[Asher Kelman]

I was in Yorkshire this weekend once again, along with my 'glued' in the hand GR. This was a very contrasty scene but the GR handled it real well with bags of detail in the shadows and highlights...

This church was founded circa 1260, in 1847 it suffered damage by gales and furthermore in 1875 suffered lightning damage, as a result it's now just a shell. The poet Sylvia Plath is buried in the churchyard...

RICOH GR​

Paul,

It's hard to believe that Thomas Becket's anything is not conserved and rebuilt! This is sad neglect.

However your picture is magnificent. The round shadows compliment to and contrast with the angled sky-side of the roof structure. I must say, this picture ranks so high in my view, that with a dozen more like this, they can rebuild the church and your pictures would show the beauty of the now bared skeletal structure that stood for centuries, abandoned to the elements.

You must go back and complete this project. No one I know could better your judgment in composition and presentation. Imagine, this at different times of the day and seasons, a national treasure enshrined!

Ben Rubinstein has worked diligently for years on one ancient tiny area of the old city of Jerusalem, where sages study the bible from dawn to nightfall. This project highlights thousands of years of devotion and academic questioning. Creating a body of work like that for Becket's 13th Century church would be an equal and stellar achievement!

Bravo!

Asher

 

[Paul Abbott]

Many thanks for that kind comment of yours, Asher. Very nice praise indeed...

I did see another shot on offer but it required a wider lens and it made me think of the GW-3 21mm wide conversion lens that Ricoh offers. Another reason to invest in one I guess.
Your so right about re-visiting this site, Yorkshire is a place where you can get four seasons in one day and there is a very good chance of photographing this place in all weathers in quick time. As for the sun's placement at an earlier time in the year there'd be more alternate shadow play too, which is a great boon from a roofless building like this I guess.

I will soon be moving to live in Yorkshire for good, possibly by the end of the year. My wife is from Huddersfield and we're moving there or local to it, it's a beautiful county...Anyway, that would be the time when I would undertake doing what you suggest, Asher. It would constitute a very nice little series of photographs I guess...
In regard to Ben's work, I loved what he posted on this forum a long time ago but haven't noticed anything from him lately. I think he was putting to great use a 'lensbaby' or two I seem to remember...

As for Thomas a' Becket he died a horrible death through being attacked by four knights and having the top of his head sliced open, there are symbolic portraits of this in the later built church across the way from here. But there are a lot of churches in England named after Thomas a' Becket, none more-so than him I think...

Regards...