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Harry Coombs' |
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Notes of Harry Coombs’ lecture when showing his slides on “Churches in Britain”.
Appreciation of the beauty of architecture
“The beauty of the edifice consists of an exact proportion of the parts within themselves and of each part with the whole. For a fine building ought to appear as an entire and perfect body wherein every member agrees with its fellow, and each so well with the whole that it may seem absolutely necessary to the being of the same”
Taste
Faculty of discerning and enjoying beauty or other excellence, especially in art, literature and music. Disposition or execution of work of art, choice of language, conduct, concerned in viewing, dictated or seen in the light of the particular faculty.
Particular Interests
The practice of photography usually means the use of stands because of the length of exposure.
The first principles, or methods, of taking photos in church, is to set up your camera on a good stand, and be prepared to spend some time in finding out the best projection for taking a particular subject. Lighting is not always right so, one has to wait for shadow and sun to fall in with your wishes.
Although I have obeyed the rules at one time I now break them. I have not used a stand for many years. With camera held, lean against pillars or walls, or rest on pews and ledges.
Many photographers concentrate on particular aspects; pulpits, fonts, altars, ceilings, columns, general fabric, old pews, windows, architectural features. I am afraid that I do not concentrate on any particular features. I have no special ideas and simply photograph anything which I see and want to remember.
Why do I take interest in Church photography? I do not really know! I started at the age of five, when my grandfather gave me a home made camera. The first photograph I took was of a church, which just happened to be standing there! From that day on I was hooked, but did not do any more until I was a little more mature.
Preliminaries
First one cannot legally walk into a church or any other closed building and take pictures. Permission must be obtained, in the case of a church from the incumbent. That permission is usually given but in some cases it is withheld. Normally one is expected to either pay for the privilege, or at least offer a form of contribution to the church funds. In the case of a Cathedral get permission from the Dean, Provost, Head Verger or Clerk of Works.
There are about 17,000 churches in Great Britain. It was my ambition to take pictures of interest from as many as possible but with the costs of films I estimated it would cost about £50,000. So, I have managed only to touch the fringe of this number – but I have enjoyed doing the few I have. To take all the pictures would have taken many more years than I am likely to be on this earth.
One other point is that in churches we see history and can follow it through.
Up to about 25 years ago my work was essentially in black and white with occasional colour s there was not a really suitable colour medium. Now I use colour materials and when ordinary lighting is not suitable I use electronic or flash.
In illustrating this talk I have found great difficulty in cutting the number of pictures down. These are the selected pictures you may nor may not like. Many were taken holding the camera against a wall or pew and giving time exposures. The remainder are likely to be by flash or fractional according to the available light.
I have several hundred black and white and between 700-800 colour. Most of the photograph slides are taken inside the building.
Advent of Colour
Flash bulbs – electronic flash. 35mm reinette.
Sunshine angle – time of day better
TTL & SLR cameras
Windows – a bright day but not direct sun.
1/250 varies
Shutter set for external light.
Aperture for flash.
Notes taken by Joy Phillips
N.B. Only the colour slides have been passed on to David Phillips and feature on this website.