208 Theme 1 Built Environment - Richard Southall Professional Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of Location Photography Theme 1 Built Environment


Research and influences - Richard Southall Professional Photographer

Richard Southall is a UK Midlands based photographer and lecturer in photography who has published a number of books. His work is very varied and covers many themes but here I will be concentrating on his architectural images.

This first image is from Richard's book Smethwick. It is a very strong composition with the eye being led from the broken clock in the bottom left third of the frame to a single vanishing point of perspective placed on the centre line of the image but in the right third to balance the clock. The square format has helped with the tight composition. The tonal range of the image is very good with good scale and texture.

Another strong monochrome image with a very good tonal range and a single perspective vanishing point this time placed in a central position on the upper third of the frame. There is a very good balance between the sky and the bridge or walkway over the water. The building at the end of the walkway is almost a silhouette against the sky but this helps to give a powerful image.

Another powerful monochrome image with a perfect tonal range from white to black through a large range of grey shades. The small amount of light in the sky has been balanced well against the floodlight on the building. It is a simple but strong composition which could have been cropped to show just the building but may then have lost some of its impact.

The following two images show well observed architectural details and a good total range of the warm stone colour against the black ironwork in the first image. There are good textures and lines which lead the eye in the first image and do not follow the conventional horizontal or vertical building lines in the second image.

An unconventional image using the converging verticals to emphasise the height of the steeple. The spire has been placed across the diagonal of the image to make it more dramatic which has been assisted by the strong contract in colour and tone between the sky and the building. The strong lines draw the eye to the top left of the frame.

A more conventional image with the building well framed by the arch which also gives a dramatic contrast in tone and colour between the warm brightly lit building and the cool dark arch. The viewer is drawn through the arch towards the spire on the left of the image. The exposure is very good to keep some detail on the left of the frame under the arch and not overexpose the building and sky.

A very conventional but beautiful image of a church which is well composed with perfect exposure and tonal range between the building, sky, trees and foreground. The eye is led towards the church by the trees on the right and left with the tower of the church placed off centre to help the composition and perspective.

A similar but less conventional image of a building this time emerging from behind daffodils. Good exposure and depth of field to hold the foreground and the building. This image is well conceived as this would not have been the obvious perspective to use for this building.

An unusual viewpoint has been chosen for this photograph looking up at the building with a small wall included in the foreground. This wall could have distracted the viewer from the main perspective point of the building in the background but because of the trees on each side and the well exposed building the eye is drawn up the hill. This is also helped by the building being placed on the upper third of the image and the wall placed on the lower third. The colours and tones are very good with the sky not overexposed compared to the foreground. A small aperture has been chosen to keep all of the image in focus.

Another well observed image showing detail on a bronze statue and on the carved stonework of the building. The exposure needed to be spot on to keep the fine detail on the bronze and on the light and shadow of the building, also without overexposing the sky. A small aperture has been chosen to give a large depth of field to keep the statue and building in focus.

This image is all about colour, tone and a perfect balance of exposure between the cold blue sky and warm lights inside the building. It is well composed with the building not square on to the camera to help lead the eye across the image from right to left.

The lessons to be learned from the above images are that exposure is vital to show good detail in all parts of the photograph, an aperture should be chosen to keep all important parts of the image in focus. A focal point is needed to draw the eye into the image but an unconventional positioning of items within the frame can help the perspective and make the image more dramatic. Images should be viewed in monochrome to see if this helps to produce an image with increased impact.

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.  

208 Theme 1 Built Environment - Ian Aiken Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of Location Photography Theme 1 Built Environment


Research and influences - Ian Aiken Photographer


Ian is a photographer of historic buildings who appears to take many of his images at night. This is probably because his other interests are astronomy and astrophotography. His other photographic subjects cover coastal, countryside, industry and wildlife. He uses a small range of modest equipment including an SLR with C size sensor and 3 zoom lenses with focal lengths from 10 to 400.  

The first image below is a well composed study showing all of the main parts of the building even though there are dark areas between the highlighted sections. The floodlights have helped to show the textures in the stonework and the colour balance from the lights and the camera settings have complimented the colour of the stone. There is a good tonal range from jet black to white highlights in the left corner. The eye is led into the frame from the tower down the church to the highlights. 

The exposure of this image is spot on with a little blue light in the sky a well illuminated church and a small amount of light on the gravestones in the foreground. If some of the gravestones had not been illuminated with there being so many they would have appeared as a black mass of silhouette that would dominate the foreground. So this has been very well conceived and controlled. The eye is led into the frame from the gravestones to the church which is the main focal point. The colours, textures and tonal range are very good.

This is an unusual view looking up at the beams on top of the columns. This has used the converging verticals from a wide angle lens to its advantage to accentuate the height of the building. The exposure and tonal range are very good and the rich colours and fine textures of the stone are very well depicted. The eye is drawn up the columns to the lighter beams and along the converging beams to the focal point at the end of the building.

By taking the scene at night, the long exposure has made the river appear smooth and glass- like reflecting the lights. The eye is led down the river by the lighter stripes in the water to the bridge which is the focal point of the image. There is a very good tonal range and nice warm colours of the stone bridge and buildings.

A well composed study with a tree used to shade the bright sky to help show the details in the building and to also add interest in the foreground. The exposure has been well controlled to show the colours and textures of the building. The eye is led from the foreground up the steps to the decorative top of the building which is the focal point of the frame. 

This is a well composed and exposed record image of a public building. The cars in front of the building detract from the overall composition but if the image had been taken at a different time of day when the car park was empty the lighting may not have been so good. The clock tower which is well exposed and sharp is the focal point of the image.

The next two images are night shots and both have the moon as the focal point. They are well exposed with the moon balanced against the buildings. There is very little light on the lighthouse but this has helped in being able to see the beam of light. The compositions are strong with the main points of interest on the thirds and the colours are warm.   

A very different building and again a car in front of the building detracts from the main points of interest. The sky is a little over exposed but this exposure was required to be able to see the decorative detail on the building. A neutral density graduated filter could have been used to darken the sky when the image was taken or the sky could have been darkened using photoshop.

Another flood lit building but this time the image was taken before sunset to keep the sky blue. The exposure is spot on to balance the deep blue sky against the building. The tower is well placed for a good composition on the right third of the frame and the eye is drawn up the tower and spire. However there is a large grave stone obscuring part of the church on the lower left but this may also stop flare from one of the lights.

208 Theme 1 Built Environment - Val Corbett Professional Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of Location Photography Theme 1 Built Environment


Research and influences - Val Corbett Professional Photographer


Val Corbett has been a freelance architectural and gardens photographer for 25 years. She is based in the Lake District. She has regularly contributed to Country Life and Cumbria Life. She also takes landscapes of the Lake District and has had many published in books about the area.  

The first two images are of garden follies and show the buildings and their surroundings very well. They are well exposed and sharp with the main points of interest i.e. the buildings placed on or near the centre of the frame. The first image has good symmetry and the eye is drawn to the interior of the building between the chairs. In the second image the eye is drawn from the foreground detail to the boat and the dark interior of the building. There is a good range of textures and colours in the images.

There is a very good perspective as the eye is drawn down the pyramid shaped trees to the white building in the background which is the focal point. This is balanced by the tree in blossom on the right and divides the frame into quarters for a strong composition. The lighting and exposure are very good.

There are some beautiful warm colours in this view of old buildings. The buildings in the foreground are obscured and do not detract the eye from being drawn into the centre of the frame to the tower which is the main single focal point. The sky is a little light but the background hills offer a good backdrop.

This image proves that a grand building is not required for a good photograph. This is a pleasing well balanced study with the eye being drawn up the path to the open doorway which is placed on the right third of the frame. The lighting is good without too much contrast and the colours are strong.

This is a very well exposed image to keep a little detail in the sky as well as good detail, texture and colour in the castle. The eye is drawn from the right up to the higher and brighter part of the building which is on the left third of the frame.

A good composition with the flowers providing good foreground detail and the gateway, wall and trees a strong background. The eye is drawn across the path to the gateway which is the main focal point but also via the diagonal wall to the break in the trees. 

This image is split into thirds with the cricket pavilion and players in the foreground which is the main focal point. The diagonal line of the trees in the middle ground leads the eye to the hills and sky in the background. The shutter speed is high enough to freeze the players but the exposure has retained the subtle colours, textures and details.

This moment in time has been well captured with a rainbow over a well exposed folly with good colours, textures and detail. The building is the single focal vanishing point of the image and has been placed in the lower centre of the square frame but the composition is strong.

A simple but beautiful image with the tower placed on the right third of the frame for a strong composition and balanced with the flock of white birds. The high contrast lighting and dark hills and sky in the background give strong dark colours and textures which add to the atmosphere on the photograph.

208 Theme 1 Built Environment - Lance Wittenberg Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of Location Photography Theme 1 Built Environment


Research - Lance Wittenberg Photographer

As well as taking photographs of historic buildings Lance also takes images of motorsport, aircraft and wargaming.

Around Lincoln

The main thing that I notice about the images below from around Lincoln by Lance Wittenberg is that he is not afraid to get very close to very tall buildings with a wide angle lens. This accentuates the converging verticals and often cuts off the bottom of the building. The perspective is a little unusual with a single vanishing point at the top of the building. However it does bring the observer close to the building so that the details, textures and colours are better seen.

The archway below has also been observed from close up rather than further back with a longer focal length lens. The textures and colours of the fine details around the arch are shown very well.

Again the following images are taken looking up from close to the base of the building and this time with a white sky which isolates the building. However again the result has shown the textures, colours and style of the building very well.

Croome Park

The following images taken at Croome Park are again a little unconventional from a perspective point of view.

A wide angle lens was used relatively close to the building for the image below which has given the converging verticals. The sky and the top of the building is a little burnt out which also gives a white sky.

Another unconventional viewpoint in the image below. The photographer probably wished to show that the church was in an isolated position and not part of a village or close to other buildings. This has been achieved but the building has been placed unconventionally in the centre of the frame not on one of the thirds. The horizon has also been placed almost on the centre of the frame so the image is subdivided 50/50 in both directions.

The next three images again have a relatively close proximity between the camera and the building in common combined with a wide angle lens which gives converging verticals and a viewpoint looking up at the building.

The image below is a more conventional view of a building taken from a distance with a longer focal length lens which gives straight verticals. The exposure is good with a well lit building and a blue sky.