A photograph in Westminster Abbey

There was a day when I was asked by my friend, to take a photograph in Westminster Abbey where her ancestor is laid.

Today while listening Bach’s Cello Suite performed by a Spanish cellist and conductor Pablo Casals who passed away in 1973, and Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas by Janine Jansen, I thought this is a perfect moment to write something about it…

I went to take a photograph in Westminster Abbey on Friday hoping that all tourists will be gone. How foolish I was…. Whoever was there, those know that there’s no a single day where there’s no tourists (sometimes I think about myself that I do not follow the time…). That could not stop me! Having years of experience taking street photo where no one wants you there, I knew how to achieve my goal! I followed the crowd as a regular tourist. When I found this place…. there was no light in there….. How on Earth I can take a picture here?

Sometimes I think that the person how was laid there helped me with the light… I can’t show this picture here as I gave my word that I won’t do it. I can however, show you an another picture which I took there in very similar light conditions (if not worse ones…). It is quite sad one. Please have a think about this sad moment and the words inscribed on it… It was a tragedy to someone, so I’ll appreciate your attention…

Developing tips…

For technical darkroom geeks… when you have little light available, you can overexpose of 1-2 stops. This way you will give more light than your light meter shows, and you can open up a highlights in expense of blacks. Keep in mind, that each light meter gives you a measurement assuming that you will have an 18% grey (as per Kodak’s grey card). Any exposure change depends on that rule.

Keep in mind the second rule… If you’re taking picture in a dark, then you must set your light meter on 1-2 stops higher than your film supposed to be. For instance 400ASA film should be exposed as 800ASA or 1600ASA (if you’re taking picture at night). Otherwise, you will have a grey picture with burnt out highlight and grey blacks…which is very very difficult to print in a darkroom.