208 Theme1 Built Environment - Paul Thetford Professional Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of Location Photography Theme 1 Built Environment 


Research and influences - Paul Thetford Professional Photographer


 Paul Thetford is an architecture and landscape photographer based in North Norfolk. Dawn and dusk are his favourite times of day. His subjects cover sunsets, reflections, churches, historic buildings and nature.

This first image is a straight record shot of a very old derelict building. There is good detail in the stonework showing the colours and textures but the sky is white due to high cloud and a little over exposure in that area. The sky could have been darkened a little at the time of taking with a graduated neutral density filter or in Photoshop post processing. There is also a little too much of the grass bank in front of the building which does not add to the image. 

This is a well exposed image with some light cloud in the sky that helps the picture. It is a little unusual to place the church tower which is the main focal point of the image in the centre of the frame rather than on the left third of the image. However as there is a small tree on the left of the church to add some interest it works.

This is a very good record image of a ruined building that gives a feel of the scale and is well exposed with a nice sky. There are good textures, colours and tonal range. The main focal point is the higher stonework above the tree line which has been placed in the centre of the frame.

A very pleasant image of a small church on a sunny day with a nice blue sky. There is good tonal range and detail in the image. The main focal point which is the tower has been placed just off the centre of the frame for a good composition. The base and right of the image could have been cropped a little to remove some of the large amount of lawn and the few branches of a tree just in the frame.

This is a good image of a church well framed by the tree, bushes and a wall which all add texture and colour. It is also possible that other views of the church were not as good if the churchyard was small. The tower which is the focal point of the image has been placed in the middle of the frame and there is a good tonal range.

Another image with trees to add some interest to the white sky. This time the frame has been filled with church buildings and the steeple which is the focal point has been placed on the left third of the frame for a strong composition.

A very beautiful perpendicular style church but because the tower is so high a wide angle lens has been used which has made the tower look like it is leaning to the right. There are three ways to obtain an image without this problem, to take the image from a greater distance with a longer focal length lens which would probably not be possible. To use a tilt/shift lens which is a very expensive piece of equipment or to straighten the tower in post processing with Photoshop. Other than this criticism the image is well composed and exposed with good colour, texture and tonal range.

A good image of a large house which would have been difficult to take as it is located on a steep hillside. The buildings have been well placed in the frame to show that the house is in a good location surrounded by trees and lawns. The tower is the main focal point of the frame and there is a very good range of colours, textures and tones with a fine blue sky.

A beautiful front of a cathedral with fantastic stonework well shown with good colour, tonal range and textures. The main central door and archway are the focal points but the wide angle lens and close camera position have made the steeples converge a little at the top but not to a great extent. The bright conditions have given a blue sky but also the sky is a little burnt out in the top right hand corner which would have been difficult to correct without also darkening the the sky on the left of the frame. 

A very good picture of a small church with the tower as the main focal point. The subtle colours and textures of the stone have have been well captured as have the range of tones. The image has benefited from the inclusion of not just the church buildings but also the surrounding trees and churchyard.