Photos help you to see

I was going to show you the main door to Medical Unit 1 at Lancaster Infirmary from a hundred yards, but if you don't know it from this distance then the other photo wouldn't make much difference. What is interesting about this photo is the relief of the Good Samaritan which is the close-up on the right.

Many will walk through this door and not see what they are walking under. Not only does photography help you to see what is around you, it magnifies it and you have time to take in the details. I have seen so much in this relief that I would not normally see even if I had the time to stop and look.

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Morecambe and its microclimate

Morecambe has fine views. You can walk along the prom and take so many excellent photos in the space of a few minutes. You can take the same photos at a different time of day and in a different season. Here are two photos with snow-capped views of the Lake District. It is quite rare for me to include a footpath, road or fence in the frame but it looked quite nice with the light snow.

I am not keen on taking photos in the rain unless I am standing under shelter. We tend to feel better walking in snow, unfortunately the camera isn't too keen. The good news is that Morecambe's microclimate means we usually have really nice weather here.

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Looking for warmer weather

Whether I am at a venue that I have seen or whether it is new to me I look for backgrounds for the bride and groom. It happened to be dark during this pre-wedding meeting but I know we have excellent backgrounds in almost every direction.

This photo could have been taken anywhere but that's not a bad thing. I want backgrounds that are uncluttered as well as those that tell us where we are. On this occasion it was a cold evening. You might be able to tell from the hand positions, but we have ordered some nice weather for the wedding day. At least the sepia version feels a bit warmer.

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Looking for poses

Another thing you can do is talk through some of the poses. If you want to see the back of the dress then you have to take the photo from the back. The easy way to do this is to get the bride looking over her shoulder.

By taking photos of the poses in the venues you can also see what is in the background. It may be that you don't see all the detail at the time but you do have the time when you look at the photo.

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Looking for backgrounds

At pre-wedding meetings I like to see the backgrounds, in particular look for the site for the main group photos. You can do this mainly by walking around the building but we have chosen the site for this main group on the strength of photos advertising the venue. I am not keen on reinventing the wheel and if there is an example of a good pose or background then I am willing to use it.

We also had a look round indoors. The balusters look nice enough in this photo and the whole staircase was lovely but in general I prefer outdoor backgrounds. It is important to look for places to take the photos but expressions are much more important. On the day I take two photos of everything. As for the pre-wedding meetings one is sufficient and you can still convert one to monochrome or sepia or any number of effects.

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And finally of York

The west towers of York Minster present possibly the best view. There is a large square available to photographers but it is nowhere near large enough to get an undistorted photo. I could have stepped back further but the distortion is obvious on the left. With a few minutes on the computer and some photo manipulation you get the less distorted photo on the right, It is amazaing that the eye accepts distortion without question when we are there. Only by putting it down on paper do we start to recognise that things are a little strange.

Happy snapping.

Obviously York

You are more likely to recognise these views of York than the photos in yesterday's blog. However all I did was turn around and walk a few yards to get this view of Central Hall. It is the building for the degree ceremonies. You could hold concerts there, that is until Boomtown Rats managed to stop them in 1985.

York Minster may be seen from a few different directions but if you go too far back in any direction then the view becomes obscured by other buildings. Well it is huge and it is in the centre of York.

Happy snapping