Shot of the Week 2019/02 – Light on the Door

My selection for this, the second week of my year long project, crept up on me.  It was certainly not the one which I thought I would end up using.  But as I looked at the options, I found the way the light played on this door in Canterbury Cathedral appealing.  Together with the texture in the stonework and the ancient wood, it stood out from the rest.  For me, it has a magic which the others do not quite have.  And what is photography, if it is not all about the light?

Whitstable

I had spent a couple of days in Whitstable, which is a favourite location.  Especially in the middle of winter when it is quiet and the weather can be dramatic.  The harbour is not the most picturesque, although that is part of its charm.  It is, after all, most definitely a fishing harbour with boats and equipment dotted around.  Next to it, there is an industrial facility which manufactures aggregates.  That too lends a certain look and makes the area unique in my experience.

An alternate view of the harbour.  This is not the optimum view in my experience, which is further to the left.  On this occasion there was a large trawler moored near where I wanted to stand and partially blocked the view.

A shot of the sea front which shows how the aggregate works dominate the area and give it an distinctive and unmistakeable look.

A further shot featuring the aggregate works.  There is an odd conjunction with the beach huts and boats which are used for leisure activities.

The sea plays an important part in the life of Whitstable and the aggregate works are an important source of employment, but there is more to the town than that. There are a number of interesting shops shops which add to the atraction of the place.

Brexit

Oh, how this next image nearly made it to shot of the week. Not for any aesthetic merit, but as a commentary of the times we in Britain find ourselves in. Never have I known such a divisive or disruptive topic as Brexit. It is unbelievable that with little more than two months to go, no one knows what will happen on the day the country is due to leave the European Union.

It is too early to know what history will make of it all, as nothing has been decided. I doubt whether it will be too kind on the politicians who are largely responsible for the situation. They all seem to know what they do not want, yet Parliament as a whole seems incapable on agreeing the way forward. Maybe my pessimism is unfounded, but it is difficult to see how a positive outcome, whatever is decided, will be reached.

This flag has been flying at Whitstable Harbour for some considerable time and I can well understand the reasons for the sentiment it expresses. The flag itself is more worn that it appears in the photograph. As a metaphor for how tired and jaded many people are of the Brexit process, it is apt.

Herne Bay

I like quirky images, even though they are unlikely to do well in competition. It is not the sort of thing which judges usually look for, but I do enjoy the juaxtaposition of different elements which do not necssarily fit with each other. Here I have shown Herne Pay Pier through the windows of a pavilion on the sea front.

This was another shot which nearly became my final choice for the week.

Canterbury Cathedral

Visiting Canterbury on the way home, I went into the cathedral. During the middle of a sunny winter’s day, warm light floods in through the windows on the southern side. It gives the Quire, in particular, a wonderful look. So it was with some initial disappointment that, after paying to enter, I discovered that scaffolding filled the western end for a four year renovation project. The payback was that I was able to take photographs of the works. Two men in a cherrypicker examining the celing of the cathedral while others look on is not something you see everyday.

Other parts of the cathedral were unaffected by the works. I finish with three shots. The Martyrdom, the location of Thomas à Becket’s murder in 1170. The candle which marks the spot where his shrine stood until its destruction in 1538 on the orders of Henry VIII. Finally, a view of the Eastern end of the Quire.