Gothic Skies

I love these broody, atmospheric shots. The old Fuji chip is great at handling these conditions for maximum drama—maybe not with the mid-tone values a modern chip would deliver, nor of course the resolution, but oh, how it captures density and balance! This frame is part of my shoot at Crystal Palace Park, just north of Croydon, England, on November 20^th, 2012. I was in the southern city for a couple of days and took the opportunity of a ten minute run up the railway line to the old park, to see Waterhouse Hawkins’s dinosaurs from the Great Exhibition of 1852—long obsolete views, of course, but they are still so evocative, especially when the weather is being dramatic. Yes, it was chilly, yes it was raining, but it was the only chance I was going to get, so I stuck with it, walked the park and shot every frame I could snare in the hopes some would be useful. Of course, the light was soft and grey, and the best shots are the ones that exploit the conditions, like this. The bare trees against the lowering sky so superbly evoke the time of year and the locale in the global north. It is a very welcome contrast to the monotony of heat and humidity prevailing in Australia at time of posting... Adjustments to colour, contrast, gamma balance and sharpness in Irfanview; Fuji FinePix S5600. Image by Mike.