Pax Aeterna

[Nikonos]

I've just uploaded my second A/V effort to Beechbrook entitled "Pax Aeterna" (Peace Eternal). Transitions have been kept simple deliberately as in keeping with the subject matter. Hope that you all enjoy the sequence! Nikonos

[cottage]

Direct link to Pax Aeterna.

Regards,

Bill

[nelson]

The exposures and detail of the photographs is exceptional, very well done!!!

Kieron

[colin hill]

An excellent production, and good photography. The detail was very good as was the lighting.

Thanks for sharing,

Colin

[Paul T]

Brilliant show and superb photography. I liked the monochrome shots and the de saturated sequences. Also thought the infrared shots, which made the grass white, and the headstones stand out worked well. This type of show is also of great interest to me as I do very similar conservation and restoration work on these types of memorials as a stonemason, and must say the atmosphere you have created in your show is how I have experienced it working in churches with way of the changing light . Thanks for sharing an original and refreshing show.

Regards Paul

[Nikonos]

Brilliant show and superb photography. I liked the monochrome shots and the de saturated sequences. Also thought the infrared shots, which made the grass white, and the headstones stand out worked well. This type of show is also of great interest to me as I do very similar conservation and restoration work on these types of memorials as a stonemason, and must say the atmosphere you have created in your show is how I have experienced it working in churches with way of the changing light . Thanks for sharing an original and refreshing show.

Regards Paul

Thanks for all your kind comments. I very much enjoy working in churches and graveyards (that sounds like a quote from Count Dracula!) I love the atmosphere and the fact that you are often left alone to just to get on with the photography. I prefer to use natural lighting and always carry a large white fold-away reflector - just to bounce a little light back into very dark areas. The Nikon D700 (or D3) is superb at capturing detail in the shadow areas anyway and with a little help from CS4 results can be achieved which would be be difficult with film (especially so with colour). The de-saturated look was deliberate as I felt that strong colours would just destroy the atmosphere I was trying to create.

With the 'overgrown churchyard' shots I had intended to use St. Mary's Church at Whitby - famous for it's Victorian graveyard high above the town (and Dracula fame!). You would hardly credit it, but that very day the local authorities had decided to use an army of council workers with strimmers to clear the long grass from around the graves! However, later in the week I was fortunate to come across a deserted church with a splendidly overgrown churchyard just above Robin Hoods Bay which was even better than St. Marys at Whitby.

The modified D80 IR body is a relatively new acquisition. It works quite well although the focusing seems to have a mind of it's own! Normally I shun autofocus but in this case it seems to be more accurate than manual - which may be to do with the way the focusing has been recalibrated for IR.

Some of the monuments were of extremely high quality (in my opinion) - the opening sequence was shot at Great Tew in Oxfordshire, a particularly fine monument to Mary Anne Boulton It must have cost a fortune at the time!). I did some extensive research beforehand and made a 'hit list' so that I knew which churches to visit. Sadly, in one or two case churches were locked to prevent theft - a sad reflection of our times...

Malcolm

[trailertrash]

That is stunning Malcolm. Just love those types of photographs. The detail is amazing. This one finds its way into my favourit shows folder.

Andrew

[Lakelandlass]

Thanks for all your kind comments. I very much enjoy working in churches and graveyards (that sounds like a quote from Count Dracula!) I love the atmosphere and the fact that you are often left alone to just to get on with the photography. I prefer to use natural lighting and always carry a large white fold-away reflector - just to bounce a little light back into very dark areas. The Nikon D700 (or D3) is superb at capturing detail in the shadow areas anyway and with a little help from CS4 results can be achieved which would be be difficult with film (especially so with colour). The de-saturated look was deliberate as I felt that strong colours would just destroy the atmosphere I was trying to create.

With the 'overgrown churchyard' shots I had intended to use St. Mary's Church at Whitby - famous for it's Victorian graveyard high above the town (and Dracula fame!). You would hardly credit it, but that very day the local authorities had decided to use an army of council workers with strimmers to clear the long grass from around the graves! However, later in the week I was fortunate to come across a deserted church with a splendidly overgrown churchyard just above Robin Hoods Bay which was even better than St. Marys at Whitby.

The modified D80 IR body is a relatively new acquisition. It works quite well although the focusing seems to have a mind of it's own! Normally I shun autofocus but in this case it seems to be more accurate than manual - which may be to do with the way the focusing has been recalibrated for IR.

Some of the monuments were of extremely high quality (in my opinion) - the opening sequence was shot at Great Tew in Oxfordshire, a particularly fine monument to Mary Anne Boulton It must have cost a fortune at the time!). I did some extensive research beforehand and made a 'hit list' so that I knew which churches to visit. Sadly, in one or two case churches were locked to prevent theft - a sad reflection of our times...

Malcolm

Beautifully done; one to keep.

Maureen

[Rickl]

Just have to add my congrats... The lighting is amazing! And the IR shots look out of this world.

I tried to shoot some grave stones that date back to the 1850's here in Manitoba Canada, but the sure don't look like these!!!

Thanks for a great presentation!

Dick

[Nikonos]

Just have to add my congrats... The lighting is amazing! And the IR shots look out of this world.

I tried to shoot some grave stones that date back to the 1850's here in Manitoba Canada, but the sure don't look like these!!!

Thanks for a great presentation!

Dick

Thanks Dick for your kind comments. Oblique lighting is the secret for gravestones of course and if they are leaning it is even better! However, many local authorities here now regard such leaning tombstones to be a hazard due to Health and Safety rules - even though they have probably been that way for decades. Just part of the mad world we now live in I'm afraid!