Published - Western Gazette: "Snapper Richard discovers inspiring shots on trip home"

You may recall recently that I blogged about Sherborne Abbey and the fact Hannah and I had the great opportunity to see some of the unseen sights it has to offer, mainly the panoramic view from the bell tower. I was thrilled when a BBC Dorset Journalist published some of the images on their BBC News In Pictures section, however never did I expect that a fleeting visit to the Abbey would result in the local newspaper asking to write an article about me. The Western Gazette, founded in 1737 and having a circulation of 31,000 is a newspaper spanning the areas of Dorset and Somerset. Growing up in Sherborne i've often read this paper, so to have them contact me and request an interview for the upcoming edition I was both shocked and excited to say the least. The article touches on the beginning of my photography career, the experience we had at Sherborne Abbey and includes a rather scary picture of myself (credit to Hannah for taking that!).

Thanks to my mother for the above scan, who managed to purchase the paper in a local supermarket and glance over it before even realising it was me! All of this just goes to show that opportunities such as photographing the Abbey should be grabbed with both hands. It's an approach I always try to adopt with my photography and personal projects as you'll never know where things might end up! If your local to Dorset or Somerset then why not grab a copy and take a look at yourself on page 4 :)

Published - BBC News In Pictures: Inside Sherborne Abbey

Commented as one of Dorset's most historic and ornate buildings, the BBC have just published my images of Sherborne Abbey as part of their 'In Pictures' section of the Dorset News website.

After a brief conversation with a BBC Journalist, five images and suitable captions were chosen to publish on their website. If you'd like to take a look, please feel free to click the following link: BBC Dorset News - In Pictures: Inside Sherborne Abbey

Location - Sherborne Abbey, Dorset

The magnificent Sherborne Abbey dates back to 705 when it was originally a Saxon Cathedral. Having grown up in Dorset I really wanted to show Hannah what this beautiful Abbey had to offer. The weekend just gone found us visiting my parents, as James and I were photographing a gorgeous wedding in Somerset (more to come of that on our wedding blog later). Knowing that Han and I had a band shoot to conduct later that Monday evening, we decided we would visit the Abbey before journeying back to Hertfordshire.

Han has recently found her first Pentax K1000 35mm Film SLR, which is fantastic as she is going to put it to the test and relive where her passion all started (can't wait to see the outcome of this, and i'm sure if you keep an eye on her blog you'll see some results soon). With that said, the decor and architecture that Sherborne has to offer is a great subject for any camera, so off we headed.

On a somewhat overcast and windy day the intention was to focus (excuse the pun) on the interior of the Abbey. Over the years of living away I had forgotten just how stunning the inside of the Abbey was, and quite happily stood in awe of it's beauty.

It's all about being in the right place, at the right time and what happens next is testimony to that. The Head Verger of Sherborne Abbey approached us saying we both looked like keen photographers, and after a brief conversation of why we visiting he offered us a fantastic chance to head up the bell tower and onto the roof of Sherborne Abbey. That's an offer no one can refuse, and before he could finish his sentence me and Han had already agreed to do so.

Through the narrow door, up the windiest and tightest (I'm 6ft2 don't you know?!) of staircases we climbed out of the hatch (right picture) on top of Sherborne Abbey to witness the magnificent view across the town. So thrilled to be up there, we spent around 20 minutes being blown back and forth by gusts of winds as the Sherborne Abbey bells rang out.

The above photograph is a panoramic stitch of 7 images just showing you how overcast, but also how great the view was. Shame about the weather, but never the less an unforgettable experience and one that we cannot thank the Head Verger enough for letting us do so. On the way back down from the roof I paused to get a quick shot of the bells:

We never took these photographs with the intention of blogging them, but it was an experience we wanted to share. If your in Dorset or plan on visiting sometime soon, Sherborne Abbey is a must-see. From it's intricate details on the ceiling to the reddened stone under the Tower caused by a fire during a riot in the 15th century, it all adds up to make it breathtaking.

On a photographic note, these images just go to show the capabilities of  handling high ISO on the 5D MarkII. All images used in this blog post (except the panoramic) are taken between ISO2000-6400 using shutter speeds as slow as 1/20th handheld!

The visit to Sherborne Abbey has inspired me to take on a personal project. Seeing as James and I grew up in and around Sherborne, we're going to embark on producing a photographic book of the area. Looking forward to working on this over the year.