Behind The Photograph: Cheesden Lumb Mill
I've often argued that surviving structures like Cheesden Lumb Mill are rarer than a medieval cathedral..
I've often argued that surviving structures like Cheesden Lumb Mill are rarer than a medieval cathedral..
This photograph pulls together several disparate forces: Roman material, medieval making, natural pattern, human touch and the psychological pull of a doorway.
The photograph not only captures a view of architecture that is significant, but also the moment the photographer inhabits it.
I was so focused on getting the shot that I didn't feel the red hot radiator pipe beneath my shin until after the exposure.
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.
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.
What looks at first like a picture of three flat facades slowly becomes something else...
There is an element of chance in photography that no amount of preparation can control.
We don't need to have professional equipment with us to capture an emotion - sometimes worlds align, atmospheres become visible and we just have to record it from our perspective.
✨ Wondering why I ask for support?
An Anxiety of MembershipsExplore the archive
The Genius Loci Digest can be explored through a series of themed lenses — different routes through photographs, journeys, places and ideas.
Explore the lenses