Category Archive: Highclere Castle

ETHOS: Highclere Castle, or to some popularised as Downton Abbey is one of the most prestigious wedding venues in the south, near Newbury. I’ve shot at Highclere on a handful of occasions, and I either see the venue bathed in summer sunshine, or on this visit, the depths of winter. The keys to this image are warmth, richness of colour, tonality and movement. Dragging the shutter whilst rested on a balcony cross beam seemed to provide the answers. By keeping the shutter open a fraction of a second longer than usual, I’m lengthening the exposure to create motion in my image. I’m also introducing warmth allowing more ambient light to do it’s thing. To freeze motion I could have added a dab of flash. To see the word Nikon appear within a posting requires the piece to be a good four to five years old. With the advance of high ISO capability within camera bodies and the application of faster lenses, would I have shot this differently using my current Canon kit? Perhaps. ISO 800 is not a number I’m well acquainted with come the evening and with the 5D Mk2, ISO 4000 is a regular bed partner. But I thought it was an interesting image to showcase since it shows how my thinking has remained fairly constant despite the maturing of style.

VENUE: Highclere Castle near Newbury

WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 wedding images.

SHOOTING DATA: Nikon D2X, unknown lens, F2.8, 1/8, ISO 800