Tim's One Photograph a Day

Aldermaston Church – St Mary the Virgin.

Aldermaston Church.

Aldermaston Church: St Mary the Virgin.

St Mary the Virgin.

In the midst of storm Doris, the sun managed to poke its way through the fast-moving clouds. Dark clouds were generally the order of the day. We were spared much of the rain.

The plan had been to photograph Aldermaston Hall in the adjacent Park. However, on arrival, I discovered this was private property (although it is a hotel and conference centre), and entry to the general public is not permitted.

Knowing Aldermaston church (which dates back to 1150) was just next door, I decided to go there instead. Unfortunately, the building was locked – a sad reflection on today’s society. However, the exterior was easy to photograph (not always possible, given the number of trees in some churchyards). The stormy clouds creating a moody effect.

I decided to enhance this effect by converting the image into black and white. There was not a huge amount of colour in the scene anyway. The starkness of the monochrome photograph makes the church stand out. What sun there was was behind Aldermaston church, so I was effectively shooting into the sun. Another time, maybe later in the day, a colour image will be more striking.

Photograph Details

  • Taken: 23 Feb 2017
  • Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
  • Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
  • Focal Length 24mm
  • F/5.6
  • 1/125 Sec
  • ISO 100

3 thoughts on “Aldermaston Church – St Mary the Virgin.

  1. Pingback: The Church on the Hill: St Matthew's, Midgham.

  2. Linda Paddington

    I loved your photo. It gave a very atmospheric and gothic feel to the church. Researching into my family history, I discovered the graves of my great grandmother and her parents there. Her sister also has a brass plaque dedicated to her inside the church. She was a teacher and headmistress at the local school for many years.

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