Andy Marshall's Genius Loci Digest: 5 June 2026

Compact Edition!

Kind words about the Genius Loci Digest

If you want some respite from exhausting and depressing news, following @fotofacade.bsky.social for his many beautiful images might provide - Chris from Bluesky

⚡️ View the latest digest and the full archive here.

📐 My Goals ℹ️ Donations Page & Status 📸 MPP Status 🛍️Shop

🔗 Connect with me on: Bluesky / Instagram / Facebook / X / Tumblr / Flickr / Vimeo / Pixelfed / Pinterest / Flipboard/ Fediverse: @fotofacade@digest.andymarshall.co

Observations

Bobbing Up For Air

Overcoming a breakdown and depression brought about new horizons - a new career in photography and new hope. But the experience took something of my confidence away. And so, every now and then, I suffer from an imposter syndrome that bites, unbidden, at the back of my ankles.

One of the hardest things for me to do is to take the first photograph on a commissioned shoot - I become wracked by doubt, almost overwhelmed by the enormity of the hill that I have to climb in terms of fulfilling the brief of the client. It’s an odd feeling. I'm sure we've all felt this at times but, since recovering from depression, those feelings seem to have a sharper edge.

Member Powered Photography (MPP) - where, with the help of Members of the Digest, I’m able to photograph historic locations and traditional skills for free - seemed to make it worse. During the first photo shoots, I felt such a responsibility with so many stakeholders involved - both subscribers and members and the custodians themselves.

Photography at Broadwell MPP photo shoot

To date I’ve completed a dozen or so shoots. The most recent was at St. Oswald’s, Ashbourne. The usual anxieties prevailed but, as the day wore on and the light gradually moved through the building, I felt a kind of correspondence with place that seemed to dissolve the camera standing between the building and me. It was a different sort of communion from the one that usually unfolds within those walls.

At times I felt as though the building was simply bobbing up for air before slipping back into the currents of the past. At Ashbourne - I simply let go of my anxiety and allowed the light and the building to guide me.

Once I overcome my initial anxiety, I find the process of photography restorative. The process draws me out of myself and into the world around me.

It was the same at many other MPP shoots- each experience has been accumulative - feeding into my knowledge and understanding of photography and architecture - but equally - understanding the nuances, the highs and lows of how an artist works.

Philip Gaches and SPAB team at Castle Howard

I'd like to think that the photographs above have also been taken by you. Without your support they wouldn't exist.

200 Members And Another Free Photo Shoot.

Last week the Digest reached a milestone of 200 tier members on top of over 2,500 subscribers. I’m so grateful for your support.

That also means that there is another free photo shoot available to a historic location or somebody with a traditional skill. Next week I’m heading over to the Cotswolds to carry out another MPP shoot and will share that with you soon.

New Milestone.

200 Members also means that I'm able to plan more dedicated projects.

Plans are afoot for an epic trip from the west isles of Scotland across to Northern Ireland, through Ireland and back to Wales. I'll keep you posted.

As a community we're creating a counterweight to the noise and complexity of modern life - finding meaning in places and the accumulated wisdom of those who came before us. We are cultivating new ways of seeing, and together, we're uncovering stories, places and traditions that reveal a richer, more nuanced understanding of the world around us.

✨ Please share this if you can - it really does help. Thank you.

Hotspots

Finding St. William of York.

My art commission from York Minster reached completion this week and, as can be imagined, imposter syndrome reared its ugly head again. I’ve spent over 80 hours working on the project and, at times, it’s been really challenging.

But I’m really pleased with the outcome - the piece, which is captured within an orphaned Bible, has felt talismanic - purging all inner anxieties and, at the same time, drawing me closer to the people of the past.

Yesterday, I completed the work in the sanctuary at York Minster in front of the St. William window.

As I have been working on the project, I have been writing down how the process has garnered a deeper insight into York Minster and I can’t wait to share this with you next week, when I’ll reveal the piece in full.