Sunday 6 September 2009

Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park

Woke up early but the light was bad and the sky grey and overcast. Undeterred, I plodded up to Williamson Park to take a few shots of the Aston Memorial, Lancaster's 'famous folly'. Fortunately, the park warden was kind enough to invite me inside to take more.

It was an unexpected pleasure to have the place all to myself - I only wish the natural light had been better or I had brought a flash with me. But perhaps I'll return another Sunday at the same time, now that I've befriended the man with the key!

Ashton Memorial, inside 1F, originally uploaded by Lancaster Today.

Ashton Memorial, ceiling, originally uploaded by Lancaster Today.

Lying on my back on the marble floor, but perhaps worth the chill?

13 comments:

  1. Please, Eamon, no excuses! You don't need them. The first shot is excellent and the b&w works very well.

    The other two shots could hardly be better...that soft light just works! With bright sunlight you'd have glare, contrast, all kinds of reflections bouncing around.

    I think this is a beautiful place (sure looks like a church!) and you did a great job of showing off that beauty. And yes, it was worth laying on the cold floor. Photographers have to sacrifice their own comfort often!

    Have a wonderful evening!

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  2. Thanks Jacob, but I just know I could have done better. And I had to shoot a lot more shots than I usually would have just to get these. But yes, you are probably right about the light - but if it had been there I probably could have managed shots that were a lot sharper, even if I had to limit the angles from which I could take them.

    Funny you should say it looks like a church, because it is Lancaster's most popular spot for secular weddings. Most weekends over the summer it is used for that purpose, and the warden told me that all of the available days for next year are already booked.

    Have a great evening yourself, although it is still early afternoon this side of the pond :)

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  3. Fantastic architecture and very nice photographs. Number 1 and 3 are the best I think.

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  4. Well I think they turned out just fine. It was definitely worth lying on the marble for that last shot too!

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  5. Thanks Gunn and Lois. Yes, I know they aren't bad, but there's no harm in wishing for better, and I know there's a better photo in me to show off this building. Just give me a nice bright morning with an interesting sky! I'd also like to try my hand at a HDR photo by blending three shots for artistic effect. Next time there is a good set of clouds above the memorial, I'll be winging my way up there with a tripod and a shutter-release to make an attempt. Watch this space! :)

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  6. A fine series of shots - the temporary cold back you put up with resulted in an excellent third shot. Well seen and taken - perfectly framed :)

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  7. Yes, no harm in wishing for better, but I likes them just the way they is. The light is soft as befits the building.

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  8. The building is very nice. It must have many uses besides weddings.

    To answer your question. The background on the bird photo is glass like wet glass.

    I no longer have the Brookville Daily Photo. I note you have it on your sidebar. The Pick a Peck of Pixels has replaced it. I hope to make it more versatile.

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  9. Thanks all - Abe, I'll update that link to point it to PoP

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  10. I think that the Williamson park is really beautiful, I would like to visit it, I have a friend who is millionaire and he has a similar house as this Williamson Park !!!!22dd

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Thanks for the comment in advance. All thoughts are appreciated ~ Eamon.