Photographing a Local Castle

Recently, I visited an eighteenth-century castle that is just a short drive from my home. I brought my camera along with the intention of doing some photography.

I have been to this castle many times. I have walked in the grounds, taken a tour of the interior of the castle, visited exhibitions held there and frequently met friends for coffee in the castle coffee shop. But I have not taken my camera there recently so I decided to go there solely with the purpose of doing photography.

My main photography aim was to see if my skills had improved since the last time I photographed there.

I resisted the temptation to watch a YouTube video about photographing castles and to base this visit on my own developing skills in areas such as composition, choosing different perspectives and making the best of available light.

The castle in question is not particularly old so it doesn’t have the look and distinctive features of an older castle, but it is still photogenic and it stands in grounds of outstanding beauty, surrounded by a small woodland of native deciduous trees.

On the morning I visited there was intermittent sunshine, periods when the sun disappeared and rain took it’s place, before a return to sunshine again. It was also quite windy, so I had a mixed bag weather wise.

I brought just one lens with me – a micro four thirds 12-45mm – and experimented with different focal lengths. I walked around the castle looking for wide views with foreground, close-up, detailed shots, and views using various natural frames. I also took some detailed shots and photographs of the gate house and courtyard buildings.

Below are some images of the session.

CONCLUSION

Taking one specific subject and shooting from a variety of different angles brought a fresh approach to my photography that was very enjoyable.

I had the opportunity to practise techniques, experiment with different angles and use a range of focal lengths in a short telephoto lens to bring variety and interest to my photography shoot.