Friday, November 23, 2018

Don’t Take Our Decay Away









There’s a lot to say for studio shooting, when the mercury slides into single figures. However, Krystal and I weren’t deterred by November’s chill, so went in search of something quite dramatic.
Beacon Hill Fort has been a fort since Tudor times. It was subsequently upgraded to meet the needs of both World Wars. The fort was finally decommissioned I 1956, and had been steadily reclaimed by Mother Nature, Graffiti artists and transient visitors, in the decades since.
It has been purchased by Barry Sharp and Paul Valentine. Not for redevelopment, but rather restoration. The roads, buildings and structures are being cleared of 20th/21st century rubbish. Anything that remained at decommission, will be retained. Trees, ivy and other foliage damaging the structures, is being removed and any unsafe areas fenced off.
The vision is to reconnect services, electricity and telephones to appropriate buildings, restoring them to their decommissioned state. Their intention is that Beacon hill will be re-opened and managed, for the benefit of the local community.
Serendipity is a recurrent theme of my location shoots…Having found the site, we began shooting at outbuildings and sea defences, accessible from the roadside. 90 minutes later, we were feeling the cold. Back to the relative comfort of my MK1 KA’s heater and some refreshment.  
Ten minutes hence, curiosity got the better of us. So, we walked to the main gate and I contacted Barry Sharp, on the off-chance we might be permitted access. In principle, he had no problems with my request. He graciously invited us to speak with Paul, who was already on site. 
Within a few minutes. Paul arrived at the gates and graciously invited us inside. We were given a map detailing access points and agreed to the “Own risk” proviso.  My experience in industrial contexts and indeed, previous professions means I risk assess very carefully, and understand the potential dangers presented. Although Krystal was rather perturbed at finding herself stood in a pentagon, while posing in the observation tower’s upper floor!  
By 2.45, light was at a premium. However, we worked quickly and achieved the desired results.
A big "thank you" to Barry and Paul, for being such generous and accommodating hosts.



No comments:

Post a Comment

Playing with Light: In the Studio with Kym

  I do a lot of location work and lean toward natural light, but Kym invited me to come and shoot her in a studio context. We decided on a f...