> ## 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: in the steps of Edwin Smith - URL: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/behind-the-photograph/ - Published: 2026-08-19T15:10:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T15:11:51.000Z - Description: I went away from Didmarton with a new and profound understanding of space and light but I also held a nagging feeling that there was something left unfinished. - Author: Andy Marshall - Tags: art, photography, architectural photography, advocacy of photography, Behind The Photograph, Photography and Mentorship, Learning from Others, St. Lawrence Didmarton, gloucestershire, Embodied Learning, Dialogue Through Time, Place as Teacher, Freedom through Discipline **St. Lawrence Didmarton, Gloucestershire.** **The photograph above is the result of seeking out photographer,** [**Edwin Smith's**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin%5FSmith%5F%28photographer%29?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) **photo locations and copying his compositions.** The method of working through his process, over and over again gave me a curious feeling of having him there with me - as a guide and teacher. By moving my camera and tripod into the space that he had chosen, I was able to gain access to the reasoning behind his composition which was governed as much by what he had chosen to leave out as much as what he had chosen to include. I went away from Didmarton with a new and profound understanding of space and light but I also held a nagging feeling that there was something left unfinished. I later realised that I had to let go of the bonds of my teacher and find my own way and style of photography. Much later I went back to Didmarton and worked through a composition on my own terms. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2026/08/fiex4wxxeairln8.jpg) Looking back, I realise that following in Edwin Smith’s footsteps was never really about copying a photograph. It was about learning how to see. By standing where he stood, working through what he included and what he left out, I began to understand composition as a form of relationship between the self and place. Imitation can only take us so far. At some point the teacher has to fall away, and the place itself has to speak. Returning to Didmarton allowed me to do that - to move from borrowed sight to my own, and to understand that influence is most valuable when it eventually gives us the confidence to depart from it. 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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