> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Behind The Photograph: The Minstrels at Selby Abbey - URL: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/behind-the-photograph-2/ - Published: 2026-08-19T15:36:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T15:36:08.000Z - Description: The minstrel appears to gaze out across the city while we stand beside it. For a moment we share its viewpoint. We are no longer simply looking at the abbey; we are heavenly minstrels too. - Author: Andy Marshall - Tags: art, photography, architectural photography, advocacy of photography, Behind The Photograph, Photography and Atmosphere, Photography and Spirit of Place, Hierarchy of Space, Photography and Composition, Presence and Absence **This is a story about light. It is about how I spent an inordinate amount of time waiting in the gutter, on the roof at Selby Abbey, for the sun to appear to wash the minstrels faces and create an image that is a record of emotion.** I was rewarded with a photograph that seems to bring them to life. It took many hours of skill and attention to make them and I wanted to get the best photo I could to honour the carver's work. To do this, I set up my tripod and used a tilt-shift lens to frame the minstrels at eye level. There is a sense of being allowed to witness a scene that cannot ordinarily be witnessed by others - not simply a bird’s-eye view, but almost as though we have been given a glimpse into the mechanics of heaven. I created a composition with a hierarchy of lines that move through the architecture and draw the eye towards the minstrels. The viewpoint temporarily removes the normal hierarchy between us and the sculpture. These figures were made to be looked up at from far below, yet here we meet one almost face to face. The camera gives us access to a relationship with the carving that its original makers could scarcely have imagined. The minstrel appears to gaze out across the city while we stand beside it. For a moment we share its viewpoint. We are no longer simply looking at the abbey; we are heavenly minstrels too. The partly obscured second figure suggests that the photograph has only revealed one fragment of a much larger population inhabiting the upper reaches of the building. I'm glad the sky wasn't blue at the time - it would have taken away from the subject matter. The cloudy sky has also given a more proportionate light - sensitised for the subject matter. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/019/477/007/original/10066054265_71cde8c983_k.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2026/08/287131190_515a7d64f3-1.jpg) --- Readers of the Genius Loci Digest ## What stays with readers > “ > > That aura, those echoes - the muted light is transporting. What a space to feel rooted in history. I'd love to make that journey myself; you've stirred the opera lover and architectural dreamer in me. > > @sonatasips via X > “ > > Genius Loci has rapidly become the highlight of my Friday morning mailboxes, Andy! > > David via Linkedin > “ > > In reading & seeing Andy's work I always struggle to know which is more impactful - his writing or photos. In truth, the two combined are greater than their parts, he allows you to explore the importance of place and time from the comfort of home. > > Peter from Bluesky > “ > > Andy your work is becoming wonderful, remarkable. A so-called breakdown has been milled into its constituent parts, becoming profound construction: through perception, architecture, the lens and the pen. > > Stephen via Email 1 2 3 4 ← Ⅱ → ![The vaulted nave of York Minster glowing with filtered light](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2025/07/GjFbo3aXoAAgtYU.jpeg) York Minster - light through the nave01 / 04 ![Ancient carved stones and timber roof at Durham Cathedral's Open Treasure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/production/photos/rt4ccpqm0nalr9e9vv5oxo8invcfxar6wbvq/original.jpg) Durham Cathedral - Open Treasure02 / 04 ![A family approaching the restored cloister at Exeter Cathedral](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2025/06/Clews-Exeter-April-2025-134.jpg) Exeter Cathedral - new life beside the old03 / 04 ![The Iron Bridge reflected in calm water at dusk](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/production/photos/aii66p605mkuajmgvjdqnt9325o42kjghcac/original.jpg) The Iron Bridge - reflected at dusk04 / 04 From the heritage portfolio Three Ways to Come With Me ## Choose how to join, share or support Andy Marshall's work [ ↗ Join Free Travel with me each Friday Receive the free weekly Genius Loci Digest in your inbox - photography, place-writing and overlooked stories from the road. 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