Not afraid of the dark...or the light

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(Edited)

Castle Drogo stands near a place called Drewsteignton, in Devon, England on the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park and has a commanding view over the beautiful Teign Gorge. It's a very interesting place which includes interesting objects and various fascinating collections, lovely gardens and grounds and some incredibly interesting architecture - the latter is unsurprising considering it was designed and the building was overseen by Sir Edwin Lutyens, a renowned architect of the 20th century. Begun in 1911 and completed in 1930, it has a rich and colourful history which I was fortunate to immerse myself in on a personal visit when I was in the UK.

The owner who commissioned the architect was Julius Drewe, an incredibly successful businessman who eventually moved into it, prior to completion in 1925. Unfortunately for the poor chap he was to die only a year after the castle was finally completed; I suppose the good thing is that he got to enjoy his home for a few years at least.

Because I'm not much of a photographer, that is to say I'm not a very good one, my photos are quite sub-optimal however I was looking at some today and decided I'd share some of the colour black and white of Castle Drogo.

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This image above is straight off the camera (like all of them) and is my partner standing behind a glass cabinet which holds the glass teardrop thing inside. The reflections on the teardrop are from the windows behind me.


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The castle is quite spectacular and no photos (of mine) could ever tell that story. It is, quite simply put magnificently interesting and in my opinion is worthy of the time it takes to get there...and there's the added bonus of the view over the gorge and the Dartmoor National Park itself which is something quite special also. We spent an entire day there wandering the many rooms and interesting things we found there and not least of which is the architecture itself.

The images I have put into this post are just a few off the less bad ones I took and give an indication of what it's all about, although I'd recommend you make the time to visit should you be close by.



Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp

[Original and AI free]
Every image in this post is my own



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44 comments
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Well, in my opinion, which is very subjective, you are an excellent photographer, but I think that's what I always say.

I am passionate about castles and that shot of the tower strikes me. Also the first one... well all of them.

I missed these photo sessions. They are great.

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It's a pretty cool place for ma y reasons but the architecture floored me...there's some amazingly massive and ornate doors too...such a cool place.

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One of the things I like most about castles is precisely that, the doors, so beautiful and stylish, the detailed ornamentation.

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Love the b&w, makes it look moodier which suits it!

It's surprising how many grand places like this are not actually so very old. The cash or would have cost to build is staggering

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Yep, I didn't know what to expect before getting there and was totally blown away. In the 1930's it must have been something to see indeed because now many years later it still is! I hope you get there yourself some day, worth the trip.

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I do like that kind of thing and we do intend to go on a southern blitz soon. Start at York and branch out so it could be on the cards!

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Invade bro, gather the clans!

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Haha, the hordes are marching!!

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Castle Drogo, then other tourist attractions, Clovelly maybe. It'll be epic.

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A very impressive building, this castle with an equally imposing architectural designs. I would love to visit a place like this someday... 😊
Your photography is a very good score, believe me.

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Impressive is certainly the word; the work on the building itself is spectacular.

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The sculpture in the first picture, a great idea.

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It sure was, and way better in real life. Very effective.

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Not sure why you say that you're not a great photographer because these are excellent photos, much better than the best of the average- in my humble opinion anyway and desaturating them into B&W, aswell as the double exposure and reflections has given them such a freakin awesome otherworldly perspective- totally befitting of an old castle too!

Well done and thanks for sharing!

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Thanks for your kind words and comments on my photos. I enjoy taking a photo now and then and get quite pleased when I get a reasonable shot. I've not had any training or instruction on how to do it though, I rely on the point and shoot and hope method. 😉

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If you have natural talent, you don't need training and those point, shoot and hopes will show the potential, plus, we're now in the digital age where we can keep shooting as many as we like of the same thing until we get it right, unlike the old days when you shot on 35m film and had to pay for the prints (unless you were like me and worked in mini labs doing the printing...🤣..) so I'l be happy to stay in the digital age to keep shooting in the tens of thousands and not have to pay, aswell as having the digital tools like photoshop to play around with them- so much cheaper than setting up your own darkroom...🤣

So shoot and shoot and shoot then shoot some more till you get the money shot and that's free self service training and practice anyway...

Plus, great photos are also subjective anyway...

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I don't edit my photos on Photoshop, I prefer them to be good or bad rightbiutbif the camera and have zero interest in editing. I like photography, but editing and besides, it feels like cheating. When I take a shot it's about capturing a moment in time and spending hours editing it isn't what I want to be doing.

Thanks for commenting again, I appreciate it.

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Yeah fair enough, I do both, but edit to create different looks not just to improve them if you know what I mean,... and I love having photoshop to do that and I actually find it quite cathartic when I'm doing it and the feeling of satisfaction after I have created something completely unique from the original, so as with anything, some things for some things and others for others...(Sorry there is an old adage for that but I have just had a 9 hour drive from Melbourne to Bega and my brain is not thinking at the moment...🤣)

I spent the 80s and 90's working in the analogue photography world but absolutely LOVE the digital world, but whatever floats your boat, it's nice to have the options.

And now I must say goodnight.🤣

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Bega us a nice part of the world indeed. ✅

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Hi Galen, I liked the first and second photo, the black and white also helps, I love black and white photos. Along with the text, the photos have encouraged me to note the place as a possible future trip. Who knows, maybe I will also post my own photos of the place.

Best regards.

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It would be cool if you visit there someday (it's worth the effort,) and then post some photos and tag me...we can compare notes!

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How cool! I think your images turned out just fine!

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Thanks mate, I reckon they came out ok but compared to some of the photos one sees in this community they could never compare.

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Castles have always fascinated me and I remember imagining myself as a princess in distress, waiting for the handsome prince to save me and sweep me off my feet.... Hahaha, that was a long time ago and that wasn't reality...
But this castle is enchanting nonetheless and the photos taken by you are great... 🤗

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I explored a lot of castles on that trip to the UK over four weeks or so. They (to me) are all different and it's the history and stories that make it so. They fascinate me I guess and even when they're not very old like this one, there's always a story behind it and the people that lived there.

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These pictures are wonderful. The black and white makes a lot of them more mysterious. The building one would work well in a horror movie even.

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I felt that horror movie vibe as well; the castle could feel a little spooky at night I think. Thanks for your comment.

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I regret two things :

1.Being hours late to your postings (I don't understand why?) 2.
2.Having to disprove that your photos are suboptimal.

Castle Drogo must be quite a sight, and if it weren't for the rectangular design of your windows it would look like an older building.
The light of the corridors (very strange, they look like gothic style, although they are not) go very well with the play of light that sets the place.
The monoliths in the garden, what do they represent?

The second photo is amazingly good, I don't even understand how you got that shot, it's a film!!!

Sorry for the impressions of someone who knows nothing about photography.

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Hello there, thanks for your comments; castle Drogo is a pretty cool place and I enjoyed exploring it and the grounds as well, we spent almost the whole day there.

The second shit is straight out of the camera. It is my partner standing behind a glass cabinet with the glass teardrop thing inside the glass cabinet. The reflections on the teardrop are from the windows behind me. It's cool right?

The big statue things in the garden represent seeds from nature I think, they were huge sculptures. Cool huh?

Thanks for your comments about my images, I'm pleased people are responding favourably, and don't worry about being 'late', you're perfectly on time. 😉

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Oh, I already understood how you took that photo, great without a doubt, mega photo!

The garden with its seeds, I just managed to imagine the concept of seeds in the middle figure, the others will be seeds from another galaxy? LOL

On Hive I sometimes find it hard to find content I like, so it's important not to miss what is really worth reading and watching.

I wish you an excellent Sunday!

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I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts and comment.

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Wow... the second image is awesome. 😍

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I like that one the best too. It was such a cool place, so many opportunities for good photos...for a good photographer; you'd be able to take some crackers!

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Stop saying you're a bad photographer. What makes a good photographer... ? is one who knows how to look and uses light to his advantage. You do it.

;)

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Well, I guess I have a certain pride in the fact I don't use Photoshop on my photos,don't know how to and don't want to. That's something st least.

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😂 Oh, yeah! Well you can also use photoshop and not manipulate the original photo too much. This is what I do. Only basic light and contrast corrections.

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Well, someone who knows how to use it could do that, I'm pretty clueless with Photoshop - I'm ok with that.

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I don't know how to survive in the Australian bush (I'm OK with that)... I'll need you for some survival lessons when I go camping with you in the caravan. 😁

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Lol...I'll do the survivalist thing and you can take the photos.

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That is some amazing architecture going on there and of course I love the artsy parts of it.

Maybe I will google it and see if some site shows more of this fun stuff.

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You should be able to find some decent images of it and a lot of information if you want that as well.

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Hello galenkp!

It's nice to let you know that your article won 🥈 place.
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