South West England XVIII -Goodrich Castle, Hereford and Gloucester Cathedrals

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

Goodrich Castle is a now ruinous Norman medieval castle situated to the north of the village of Goodrich in Herefordshire, England, controlling a key location between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. With a full day of photograph planned, I only had time to walk one side of the castle before I had to continue on my way, but as one of my favorite castles as a child, it was great to see it for real at last.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

On the walk back from the castle to the car park, I saw this beautiful tree in a field, and had to stop to make a composition - one of my best infrared landscapes to date!

Digital original, 9 frame exposure blend

The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. Its most famous treasure is Mappa Mundi, a mediaeval map of the world dating from the 13th century. Smaller, and more compact that some of the other Gothic Cathedrals I'd photograph on this trip, it was also MUCH less crowded, and it was a real pleasure to be able to photograph in a space without having to wait out piles of tourists.

Digital original, 8 frame exposure blend

The nave of Hereford Cathedral was quite lovely, with bold normal arches on the bottom row, and 12th century arches and windows above. The stone ceiling is believed to have been built at the same time

Digital original, 18 frame exposure blend, 3 image stitch

The cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral were built between 1351 and 1412, and are one of the earliest examples of fan-tracery in all of England. Much of the stonework of the cloisters is overlaid upon earlier Norman walls from two hundred years earlier. The dramatically wide angle of this image gives some sense of the beauty of these magnificent halls.

This image of the cloisters has become my favorite image from this entire trip.

Digital original, 17 frame exposure blend, 3 image stitch

The dramatic perpendicular period walls and fan vaulting over the high altar were stunning to look at, and even more enjoyable to photograph. The East east window (at the top of this composition) includes elements of medieval stained glass.