Reflections on Photographing Church Architecture in France

Reflections on Photographing Church Architecture in France by Richard Ingle FRPS

My First Visit to France

In September 1948, my father, a school friend and I set out on an expedition to the Pyrenees in an old pre-war Morris 14 car. At Newhaven, the car was lifted on to the boat by crane by means of chains attached to each wheel. It was alarming to see the car swinging to and fro, and we prayed that it would not be dropped into the water! Once in France, it was wonderful to be able to explore the French countryside, from the Chateaux of the Loire to the high mountains of the Pyrenees, and to visit some of the finest churches and cathedrals in Christendom. It mattered little that our car's maximum speed was scarcely more than thirty miles per hour. So soon after the end of the war, conditions in small country hotels were basic, yet the quality of the food was far beyond anything available in Britain. My abiding recollection is of a remarkably tranquil countryside, and an almost complete lack of traffic on the roads as soon as one was fifty miles or so away from Paris. I do, however, vividly remember our arrival in Chartres on the Feast of the Assumption. The city was thronged with people, and it proved impossible to find a hotel. Eventually we went to the Police Station to ask for help. At first, the gendarme on duty seemed unable to help us, but when we enquired whether there was a youth hostel he immediately escorted us there. On finding the place locked up - by now it was late at night - he managed to gain entrance to the hostel through a window, and saw us to the dormitory. We were almost the only people there, and there were no mattresses on the beds, but we were relieved simply to have a roof over our heads. In the morning we were unable to find the

warden, and I regret to say that we still owe the French Youth Hostel Association for one night's lodging!

As far as the churches were concerned, our main guide was Arthur Gardner's French Church Architecture (Cambridge 1938). Perhaps the greatest experience during the holiday was coming upon the mountain village of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, set on a hill in the verdant Pyrenean landscape. Although its population was, and indeed still is tiny, it contains a cathedral with cloisters (Figure 2) that look out onto pastures and wooded hills. Totally different, but equally impressive, were the cathedrals of Toulouse, Albi and Bourges, which I attempted to photograph with varying degrees of success.

• Chartrcs

,g. am - e ran - e- ommmges, Haute-Garonne Cathedral of Notre-Dame, The Cloisters, 1948 645 camera, no details recorded

Throughout this holiday, I used a Thornton Pickard Quarter Plate camera recently purchased from Brunnings in High Holborn. Although second hand, it was a really beautiful instrument made of finely polished mahogany and brass with triple extension, and equipped with a variety of movements including the vitally important rising front which enables parallelism of verticals to be maintained. My main guide was the excellent little booklet by R M Fanstone All about Architecture, one of the Focal Photo Guides. The greatest difficulty was estimating the exposure in the dark interiors without a sensitive exposure meter . As it turned out, most of my plates were (as I now realise) considerably overexposed, yet they printed reasonably satisfactorily. However, many of the windows were burnt out; this is one of the most troublesome technical problems in photographing church interiors - one which still sometimes gives me difficulty.

Processing the plates and enlarging them

On returning home I developed the plates in Ensign daylight tanks which took four plates each - a most convenient way of developing a small number. Being unable to afford an enlarger for quarter plate (3¼ x 4¼ inch) I set about trying to make one with the aid of the useful booklet by Hugo van Wadenoyen and John Holtam entitled "Making an Enlarger" (Focal Press). The essential purchase was a large condenser, some 6 inches in diameter, again from Brunnings. The main body of the enlarger was made of wood and zinc sheet, and I attached the camera to the enlarger so as to make use of its bellows. The trickiest part was making the negative carrier, the weakest point in many an enlarger. The body was mounted, not on horizontal wooden rails, but on ones inclined at an angle of about 20 degrees to the vertical, with bricks to counterbalance the weight of the enlarger. This gave it the rigidity of a horizontal model combined with the compactness of a vertical one. Although inelegantly finished - indeed it was a Heath Robinson contraption - the enlarger functioned well.

Fig 3 A/bi, Tarn Cathedral of Sainte-Cecile, The Choir, 1988

5x4, T-Max 400, 65 mm lens 1 f32, 1 minute

I printed on fibre-based paper (resin coated ones had not then been invented) on a paper made by Kodak called Ivory White Lustre. The closest paper I have found to this today is Agfa Portriga Rapid,which may be toned in Agfa Viradon for about 5 minutes to give a warmth reminiscent of the old papers. Both the paper base and the image are toned by this treatment. Although I now use modern photographic papers for most of my work, I like to experiment with the old printing processes, and hope one day to explore printing in platinum.

A Full and Busy Life 8

In 1953 I took a number of photographs in black and white, as well as a few on Kodachrome, of some of the great churches of Northern Italy, including those of Ravenna. From then on, there was little opportunity for travel in Europe, and my photographic interests took the form of illustrating domestic life and family holidays, for which I used an SLR camera. Eight wonderful years living in Uganda (in East Africa) followed, during which I was involved in teaching science and in training teachers. This period provided many opportunities for photographing my students, as well as landscape and big game, but few for ecclesiastical photography! However, I did photograph Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala. Situated on a hill overlooking our house, it was a site that beckoned to me every day. Back in England in 1969, education took me into curriculum development with the Nuffield Science Teaching Project. A period with the Ministry of Overseas Development followed, before moving to the University of London Institute of Education. While on assignments in Asia during this period, I was occasionally able to photograph religious buildings. Buddhist temples and monasteries, and Islamic mosques exerted a strong influence upon me, and I would love to spend time and thought in photographing them.

My Return to Photographing Church Architecture

In 1979, I determined to specialise in photographing church architecture. I wondered how the quality of my work in this field could be improved? What would be the most suitable camera to use? What further techniques should be developed? I decided first to find out what could be achieved with my 35mm camera which served me so well for other types of photography. I experimented with a variety of medium speed and slow films (including Kodak Technical Pan film) in an attempt to avoid th

appearance of grain. I then tried out my old Thornton Pickard again, but although it worked perfectly, it was not easy to use after becoming accustomed to the feel of a modem camera.

It took several years to identify, to my satisfaction, the various technical and other difficulties which centred around the avoidance of visible grain, a desire for subtlety of tonal rendering, and effortless sharpness in large prints. But solving them was another matter! Clearly I was very much in need of advice, and in 1985 I joined the Royal Photographic Society. It proved a wise decision and I was soon in touch with two Fellows of the Society - Professor Margaret Harker and the late Mr Tom Williams - who were extremely helpful to me, both in matters of technique and artistry. As a result, I soon decided to work in 5 x 4, and before long had purchased a Wista Field camera from Teamwork. It proved to be an excellent camera on account of its wide range of movements and its lightness combined with rigidity - and it was a pleasure to handle. It also looks well in a medieval environment, such as in a French cathedral! This remark is not an entirely frivolous one, because most forms of photography involve a degree of intrusion, and this sort of camera is less intrusive than, for example, a monorail camera made of metal.

Six months in England enabled me to sharpen up my techniques before setting out - after an interval of s_ome 25 years - to photograph once again the wonderful cathedrals, monasteries, and smaller churches, in the land of France to which I had for so long yearned to return.

' Summary of the Technical Methods Used

The methods I used for large format photography may be summarised as follows. Most interior views were taken with the 90 mm f6.8 Grandagon lens made by Rodenstock. Since church interior scenes generally have a wide brightness range, and because I use a condenser enlarger, it is

necessary to overexpose and underdevelop to obtain negatives of appropriate contrast. Exposures were generally made at f22 (or f32 for extra depth of field) on T-Max 400 film. The film was exposed at ASA 100, using a digital spotmeter to measure the darkest shadow which I judged requires reproducing with full textural detail. This was placed on zone 3. After allowing for reciprocity failure in accordance with Kodak's recommendations, this generally entailed exposures in the range of 10 seconds to 2 minutes. One of the reasons I started using T-Max film is its modest departure from reciprocity; an indicated 1 minute exposure becomes only 2 minutes. I developed in IDll stock solution for about 70 per cent of Kodak's recommended times, but even so the negatives tend to be of somewhat high contrast.

Exteriors were also taken on Ilford FP4 which I also rated at ASA 100. Since most of these scenes were of modest brightness range, I developed this film in accordance with Ilford's normal recommendations. Incidentally, my exposure meter remains set on ASA 100, so errors due to having it set on the wrong speed were avoided!

The most difficult part of the whole process lay in trying to make really good prints. I tried to make prints which reveal the very special qualities of light to be found in French Romanesque interiors. Some degree of manipulation by means of burning and dodging was invariably required because of the wide brightness range of the scenes, but I have found that it is important not to carry this process too far. For the last five years or so, I have used Ilford Multigrade Fibrebase paper for making exhibition prints. I have tried to learn as much as possible about the art of fine printing, and have been fortunate to have had helpful advice from Gene Nocon and Mike Walden, the Chief Specimens Printer at Ilford Ltd.

developed in such a way as to require less burning and dodging during printing. not a matter of simply reducing the contrast of a negative throughout its density range, which can be done readily by reduction in development time. It would, I believe, be helpful to use a compensating developer which would compress the contrast particularly in the highlights. At present I am experimenting with HP5+ using a variety of developers including IDll diluted 1 + 1, as well as with highly diluted developers which provide much greater compression of the highlights. This appears to make it easier to print the stained glass windows, which are frequently of high brightness, as well as high contrast. I would be particularly interested to hear from any reader who has experience of developers suitable for use with wide brightness range subjects.

ReturninR to France in the Eighties

The only continuous interruption to my photographing medieval churches ( other than that resulting from work which occupied the best part of eleven months a year!) was caused by a nine-month sojourn in New .zealand teaching at the Auckland College of Education in 1986. For me, the years 1985, '87, '88, and '89 were wonderful ones for photography in France and gave me the opportunity to visit once again some of the great cathedrals and churches which I first encountered in 1948, including the fortress cathedral of Albi with its magnificent choir (Figure 3).

Of the three main styles of church architecture found in FranceRomanesque, Gothic and Flamboyant, it is the Romanesque to which I am most strongly attracted.This is because of the exceptionally harmonious proportions which impart a sense of timelessness so fitting in a religious building.The finest of the French Romanesque buildings are imbued with a wonderful atmosphere, due to the skilled manner in which those who designed them exploited the natural light. During these years

Fig. 4. Poitiers, Vienne Church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, The Steps, 1987 5x4, T-Max 400, 90 mm lens, f32, 1 minute

I became increasingly aware that this atmosphere had somehow to be translated into photographic form; some means of revealing it had to be found.

Working in large format is essentially a slow process, and it encourages a contemplative and thoughtful approach to one's subject. I now have much less desire to take photographs of all the churches visited on an overseas holiday. Instead I strive to portray the harmony of design and the wonderful sense of light which is the very spirit and essence of these buildings. I want to give much more thought to the subject of light. This desire has been prompted by the French Romanesque churches, particularly those at Poitiers (Figure 4) Moissac, and V ezelay (Figure 5).

It would be wrong to suggest that a large format camera is the only type that can be used satisfactorily with architecture. Sometimes, there is simply not enough time set up a large camera. At the ruined abbey of Jumieges (Figure 6) for example, I had only a few moments to mount my 35 mm camera (loaded with Agfapan 25 film) on a small tripod, as the shadows sped over the walls of the nave in the light of the late afternoon.

We must be thankful that most of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in France, as well as many humble ones, are so well conserved both in their structure and their fittings. The handsome wooden chairs with their low caned seats and high backs are a delight. And seldom does one come across notices, plastic chairs, book shops and cafeterias which could so easily destroy their tranquil atmosphere. A visit to the great French churches, monasteries, and cathedrals is a wonderfully peaceful and refreshing experience. Photographing them is a great privilege, and can almost become a form of worship.

The process of photographing French church architecture is an absorbing and fascinating one. I shall be content if I have succeeded in communicating to others something of the sense of wonder and peace inspired in me.

Note: Readers may be interested to know that Richard has two large 20 x 24 inch prints of Poitiers and A/bi, made by the master printer Gene Nocon, on permanent display in London, together with others taken in Spain and Portugal. They are in the University of London Institute of Romance Studies, which occupies a part of Senate House in Malet Street, WC1. Permission to view them may sought from the lnstitute's Administrative Secretary on 071-636 3017.

DIGGING UP THE HOLY LAND by Ken Woolverton ARPS

r Of all arcooeology, perhaps that which excites most interest and l controversy is excavation in the Bible lands. When my wife was given , the opportunity this year to join a team from the British Museum which was excavating in the Jordan Valley I was able to join her for part of the time, in a country where we had once lived for two years.

This was the sixth in a series of excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, a double mount linked by a saddle (unmistakeably man-made), which arises from the flat plain of the River Jordan. The site has been identified by archaeologists as the biblical city of Zarethan which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, notably in the Book of Joshua where it is lined to the passage of the Israelites bearing the Ark of the Covenant. But this biblical context can easily overshadow the significance of other finds in the stratification of occupation over a period 3.000 B.C. to the spread of the Roman Empire.

1 j On the highest level, referred to as the "acropolis", were the remains of a palace of the Persian period consisting of seven rooms round a courtyard and dating from the 4th Century B.C. An earlier, American, excavation identified a staircase leading from the plain to an Iron Age city of between 1200 and 900 B.C. The British Museum teams, under the direction of Jonathan Tubb, have been concentrating on the Iron Age levels and the earlier Bronze Age period. They have discovered a hitherto unsuspected Egyptian influence east of the Jordan River in the 12th Century B.C. with burial customs and building techniques peculiar to Egypt at the time. They have also uncovered an Iron Age settlement of the 8th Century B.C. which was probably in the kingdom of Jeroboam II.

Jonathan Tubb (hands on hips), the leader of the expedition, briefs the Jordanian diggers

On the Bronze age burial site (about 2.700 B.C.) it was customary to break a pot over the buried head of the corpse

I was able to observe the team at work. The day began at 5.30 piling into the minibus for the 5 mile journey from the 'dig house', through the fertile agricultural lands of the Jordan Valley (waved on by friendly Jordanian soldiers at check points - for this is a very sensitive area), to the Tell. Here we were joined by the diggers; 70 local men who remove soil and, the more skilful, trowel and brush around revealed walls, bones and artefacts. It is still chilly at that time of the morning in April but by 1.00 p.m. it is too warm to continue. There is nothing quite like watching the gradual uncovering of a burial jar, with a human skeleton appearing for the first time for 5.000 years. Or seeing, still firmly embedded in clay, the rim and handle of a vessel not knowing whether it lies there complete or is simply a broken piece, because he

On the lower, Bronze Age, site two graves are carefully unearthed with brush and trowel

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Kate Woolverton sorts and catalogues some of the pottery sherds. (Those in the picture represent about two days' excavation)

site disgorges many hundreds of broken pottery sherds.Back at the digho~se the rest of the team are busy. The conservationists are gently removing earth and scale from valuable finds such as ivory knives and jewellery. :he archreological botanists are examining earth samples under the microscope for socio-economic evidence.

The illustrators draw site discoveries from life. Other members of the team identify, mark and record bones and pottery. And Alan, the photographer, puts to use cameras and film provided by the partsponsors of the dig, Bronica and Agfa.