All Saints Church, Ballidon

I’ve mentioned before that I often get decision paralysis when looking for somewhere to go create photos, this is something I’ve been consciously working on recently. I seem to have developed a habit of visiting churches, so it only seems sensible to lean into this and use churches as a way to help decide where to venture off to when I get a few free hours. I pick a general area and then spend no more than 10 minutes searching good old Google maps for “churches” and pick the best couple of options. From that point onwards the only restriction I have is time, so I take my time and ensure I make the most of the visit. If I don’t manage to visit more than one of them, onto the backlog they go for another day!

This process is exactly how I found myself parking up by the roadside and heading off on the short walk to All Saints Church in Ballidon. Although it’s only about 15 minutes from Carsington Water in Derbyshire, it feels very remote, the only neighbouring buildings are a barn and farm house. The church feels like it’s been dropped into the middle of a field at random. Having said this, the location makes for a fantastic backdrop and I instantly knew how I wanted to capture this 13th century chapel.

The photo above was one of the first I took and happens to be one of my favourites from the day however, after reviewing it in more detail there are a few things I’d change if I went back today. Firstly, I’d like to shift round to the left a little to expose the bell a bit more and I’d also like to see how the composition would feel moving the church to the right hand side a bit more. I have noticed I have a tendency to prefer a photo which is weighted towards the right hand side so I’m not sure why I chose to position it on the left in this one. I’m still happy with this overall and confident in my decision to choose black and white. I did take a very similar frame on 35mm film however, it's currently sitting in my fridge waiting to be sent off for development so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that one. I also think I took slightly too long scoping the location out and missed the light by a few minutes. Maybe an early morning trip one weekend is on the cards to see if I can capture the sunrise light better.

*Sanctuary in Silence*

Taken during a moment of solitude, bathing in the silence and the gentleness of the morning light.

Apart from sitting down to edit, I never really take the time to study my own work, reflect on the decisions made and note areas for improvement. Shooting JPEG and relying on whichever film recipes I have saved on my camera has removed the need for editing really, so I’m now making a more conscious effort to sit with my work and reflect on it in more depth. I think that’s part of the reason I keep finding myself drawn to places like this. Quiet, empty spaces that feel full of stories, even when there’s no one around. It’s made me realise that while I’ve found a way to remove the friction when it comes to deciding where to go, I haven’t quite done the same when it comes to the people I meet along the way. I’m getting closer to understanding the kind of portraits I want to create, and the stories I want to tell… but I’m Not.Quite.There yet.

Comfort Zone