How crazy is england for large format photography ?

I have never been to england but would like to go this year for a few weeks to photograph some old cathedrals and maybe commentaries as well as some english landscapes. I shoot large format and need to use a tripod. My question is, how difficult (and safe) is it to take photos around london or other smaller towns without getting harassed when you are standing there with a strange looking camera and tripod ?
Are there problems getting sheet film onto the plane going to the UK and back ? (i'm in canada). Has the terrorist on the plane with bombs disguised as hp5 threat died down a little or is travel to and around UK very restrictive right now with anything more than a digital point and shoot ?

Any advice ?

Providing you are not causing an obstruction, and are on public property, then you may photograph anything, anywhere, at anytime, whether it is safe to do so must remain a matter for your own judgement as anywhere in the world. If you want to go on/into private property then you have to make arrangements with the owner. Cathedrals generally make a charge if you are using a tripod and may restrict the hours that you can use it. Others may want to charge “Professional” photographers, that includes those that use tripods. Don’t expect to be allowed to walk into Buckingham Palace and set up you equipment without asking the Queen first.
Sheet film is available from many specialist suppliers, but not always from a local shop selling photographic materials. I imagine that you can make arrangements to pre-order it and collect it when you get here. There are several outlets in London and around the country that keep it in stock, but still best to reserve it for you. Enjoy your trip, and by the way; it's England that you plan to visit.

Dave Miller said:

Providing you are not causing an obstruction, and are on public property, then you may photograph anything, anywhere, at anytime, whether it is safe to do so must remain a matter for your own judgement as anywhere in the world. If you want to go on/into private property then you have to make arrangements with the owner. Cathedrals generally make a charge if you are using a tripod and may restrict the hours that you can use it. Others may want to charge “Professional” photographers, that includes those that use tripods. Don’t expect to be allowed to walk into Buckingham Palace and set up you equipment without asking the Queen first.
Sheet film is available from many specialist suppliers, but not always from a local shop selling photographic materials. I imagine that you can make arrangements to pre-order it and collect it when you get here. There are several outlets in London and around the country that keep it in stock, but still best to reserve it for you. Enjoy your trip, and by the way; it's England that you plan to visit.

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Thanks for the reply, that's helpful. When it comes to locations, what are the best places for photographic castles ? Is there one are of the country that has a higher concentration of them than another ?

Don't forget to visit Scotland, Wales and Ireland too. As well as the great locations in England there are many in the other countries. A very diverse set of landscapes and cityscapes on these islands.

In Scotland you have an absolute legal right of access to the land as long as it's not someone's garden and you are not causing any damage, to crops etc. Similar restrictions to England, on photography within buildings, may exist, especially if you want to use a tripod. Most can be smoothed over if you contact in advance.

larkis said:

Thanks for the reply, that's helpful. When it comes to locations, what are the best places for photographic castles ? Is there one are of the country that has a higher concentration of them than another ?

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Do a web search for English castles, we have so many they are difficult to avoid. Certainly we have more castles than shops selling large format film. Check out:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

larkis said:

Thanks for the reply, that's helpful. When it comes to locations, what are the best places for photographic castles ? Is there one are of the country that has a higher concentration of them than another ?

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Firstly, I have to admit bias in this. I am Scottish and live in highland Perthshire. I think Scotland has just about more castles than the other countries put together.

There are fabulous castles in England, Wales, Ireland. Some of the Welsh ones are about as good as it gets.

In Scotland we just seemed to love them and built them everywhere. Perhaps it says something about our attitudes to our neighbours! The definitive reference work on castles in Scotland is The Castles of Scotland, by Martin Coventry. It lists about 2,700 in Scotland from those in fine condition, still occupied today, to the faint outlines on the ground. I can think of five castles within 5 miles of my home.

Hope this helps.

lyonheart said:

Firstly, I have to admit bias in this. I am Scottish and live in highland Perthshire. I think Scotland has just about more castles than the other countries put together.

There are fabulous castles in England, Wales, Ireland. Some of the Welsh ones are about as good as it gets.

In Scotland we just seemed to love them and built them everywhere. Perhaps it says something about our attitudes to our neighbours! The definitive reference work on castles in Scotland is The Castles of Scotland, by Martin Coventry. It lists about 2,700 in Scotland from those in fine condition, still occupied today, to the faint outlines on the ground. I can think of five castles within 5 miles of my home.

Hope this helps.

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What is the best way to get around Scotland with the intent of photographic landscapes and castles ? Also what is the best time to visit both of the countries to avoid daily rain ?

larkis said:

What is the best way to get around Scotland with the intent of photographic landscapes and castles ? Also what is the best time to visit both of the countries to avoid daily rain ?

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If you want to anywhere outside the main cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth, Inverness) then I have to be honest and say car is really the only choice. Train/bus not too bad in built up areas. But for the highlands it can be a real challenge to get around without a car. It all depends how much time you have.

We must obviously turn to the subject of rain. There is no "daily rain" time. It can rain all the time, it can rain at any time. It often rains! The west is wetter than the east (most weather systems come from the atlantic.) And the "rain" often means moody weather and dramatic skies - so this can be a real opportunity as well as a PITA.

I'm just starting out with 4x5 and bought a waterproof darkcloth which is handy for throwing over the camera it it turns showery. I also carry an umbrella.

Check out the Met Office web site http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/scotland/ for rainfall charts etc. The driest months are April-August.

larkis said:

What is the best way to get around Scotland with the intent of photographic landscapes and castles ? Also what is the best time to visit both of the countries to avoid daily rain ?

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Rain can generally be avoided between 3.56am and 3.57am, other than that you take your chance along with the rest of us. The rest of the day we have weather.

Getting around rather depends on the time available, and where, and how far you want to go. You could plan your trip around the railway and ferry network, or you could rent a car and drive yourself. The greatest mistake that our visitors make is to think they can see everything in a week. I've been touring the United Kingdom for 65 years and still have quite a lot left to visit, so allow yourself plenty of time, and restrict the area that you plan to visit.

lyonheart said:

In Scotland we just seemed to love them and built them everywhere.

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Aye, starting with something urban like Stirling castle (Brave Heart) to ruins like Urquhart castle at Loch Ness.
For ruins and ancient pubs I heard that Ireland might be a better location.
Very photogenic country!

Install Google Earth and ply with it. IIRC blue dots in map are actual pics from the location.

Fir noo,
Zvonimir

Re Castles: The more they look like a film set the harder they are to photograph (ie tripods banned, LF is assumed to be for professional reasons etc). As a general rule of thumb, if you have to pay to enter you'll have problems. Having said that, you have an absolute right to make images from outside the castle, so long as you are on public land. If you leave the more famous ones aside, there are hundreds of other castles in various states of ruin dotted all over the UK; not surprisingly they cluster around the coast and ancient areas of tension (e.g. borders areas). I suggest you plot out a route then start investigating the area in detail via the internet. Google Earth is a good starting point, but so are local history groups, photographic clubs, local papers and of course here.

flying with unprocessed film is no problem, put it in your hold baggage. When you return you can do the same, I do with FP4, Provia etc. Alternatively you could process your own B&W film easily enough in a bathroom.

markbb said:

flying with unprocessed film is no problem, put it in your hold baggage. When you return you can do the same, I do with FP4, Provia etc. Alternatively you could process your own B&W film easily enough in a bathroom.

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Arrgh! Are you sure you meant to say "hold baggage"?!

Film placed in hold baggage stands a very high chance of being fogged.

Hand baggage is fine for normal film, however. See multiple threads passim...

Hi Larkis,

The only time I've had problems with LF is around central London, and environs of the Tower of London. Been challenged by security guards on two occasions to date and told I couldn't photograph certain offfice blocks. However I feel as a tourist you might have better luck.

I think the use of tripods is banned in Trafalgar Square, central London.

There are some wonderful cathedrals and castles in the UK. If you visit the south of England may I recommend, Leeds and Hever castles in Kent and Bodium and Pevensey castles in Sussex. Views of Bodium and Pevensey are easily photographed from public rights of way. The others I'm sure you will need permission, although I think there is a public right of way that goes close to Leeds castle in Kent.

A lot of the cathedral views can be photographed from public rights of way but as mentioned interior shots will need permission and possible fees.

Enjoy and good luck,

Trevor.

NEVER put your film in your hold baggage. All hold baggage in the UK, including transfers, is scanned with new high power scanners that will fog your film.



Barry

Someone suggested looking at the National Trust web site. Yes the national trust own some of the most interesting properties to look at but they are probably the most protective about people using their property for potentially money making operations. That means they can and do ban photography on a whim if they think you are a professional photographer so be warned.

In England, Northumberland has the highest density of castles ( to keep the Scots out ) and also has Hadrians wall. Not many people around and you can go just about anywhere with no problems. The apug meeting will no doubt be photographing Bamburgh Castle in a few days so you'll get to see some of what Northumberland has to offer very shortly. Lake District is not far away (see below).

The Scots will tell you how wonderful Scotland is.

As for cathedrals, Gloucester has a very nice cathedral with cloisters and is very photogenic. There is also the old Gloucester docks so a day there is worth it. Wells cathedral is also very good. Exeter Cathedral is also very good inside. Salisbury is also very good. Highest spire in England I think and features in Constables paintings. Nice place too. Try and find cathedrals with cloisters as they are often the most photogenic.

The Lake district is probably the most photogenic area of the UK for Landscapes but you must be prepared to WALK UP BIG HILLS to get the most out of it. Driving your car around and only walking 10 paces won't do it any kind of justice. Just don't go there in June through September unless you want to sit in traffic jams and be surrounded by hordes of people.

There are so many to choose from that you really need to select a handful of areas and then research each of those areas because unless you are going to be here for several years, you are only going to see a tiny fraction of what there is to be seen.

Once you get out of London, finding photo shops that sell LF film is like trying to find rocking horse pooh so make sure you have a supply before you head into the sticks. Even York, which is a major tourist honey pot with Cathedral, walled city and castles has plenty of photo shops but no LF film (except out of town Jessops).

tim_walls said:

Arrgh! Are you sure you meant to say "hold baggage"?!

Film placed in hold baggage stands a very high chance of being fogged.

Hand baggage is fine for normal film, however. See multiple threads passim...

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Sorry! Yes, I meant Hand baggage.

Don't just restrict yourself to Cathederals - there are many fine old buildings and Churches which are far less uptight about Photography including LF.
The smaller the place - the less hastle you are likely to experience
Traditional market towns are a great source of material.
I would look for Castles on the English Heratige web site and then together with a map look for places a reasonable distance (30+Km) from any large City.
For Scotland - the Web Site I use is - Dead Link Removed
You could also contact the UK Embasy for help and advice.
My final bit of advice is - BRING A WATERPROOF COAT FOR YOURSELF AND RAINCOVER FOR THE CAMERA
Martin

When I think of England, castles are perhaps the least typical thing, although there are some lovel ones. I tend to think of churches, cottages, pubs, rather than castles and cathedrals.

I highly recommend the book Evocations of Place: The Photography of Edwin Smith, and The British Landscape by John Davies for two different views of the landscape.

Whilst I love Scottish castles and the scenery (infact I'm probably moving to Scotland in a year or so), you may find Wales more accessible from the likes of London, Manchester or Birmingham, and there are lots of castles in Wales and lots of dramatic scenery too. Welsh castles tend to be on the coast and on the English border.