Bangour Village Hospital

Bangour Village Hospital-photographing abandoned places 

The Shop

The History 

 One of my many geeky passions is that of abandoned sites. Houses, churches, bus depots, anything that is crumbling or standing still in time fascinates me. To think of these buildings once bustling with people and serving a purpose is really intriguing. One of my favourite places to visit is Bangour Village Hospital, a 220 acre site just outside the village of Dechmont in West Lothian.

The hospital was opened in 1904 as one of the first village -plan psychiatric hospitals in Scotland, an idea that was brought over form Germany. The site included a shop, recreational hall, workshops, cricket pitch and later a church which patients themselves helped to build. Patients were homed in villa style buildings which could accommodate around 30 at a time.

Outside the 'Day Centre'

                                                                       
The hospital was taken over by the War Office during the First World War and treated the many hundreds of wounded while the mentally ill were displaced to asylums around Scotland. The hospital returned to it's original use  between the war years and after 1945. Over it's time, buildings were added to the original site, one of them becoming Bangour General Hospital which offered general services to the whole of West Lothian. A world famous burns unit,  plastic surgery unit and maternity ward were also added. I have quite a few friends who were born here.                                                                           

                                                                          

                                                  Taking Pictures

Lock 

Taking pictures at Bangour does not pose as much of an issue as you may think it would. Although I must stress there is NO access to the buildings-they are in very poor condition and are extremely dangerous. Security patrols the site at all times as there are many who will try and gain access to 'ghost hunt' or steal anything of worth left in the buildings. However, the site is open to the public to walk round freely and on any given Sunday Bangour can be pretty busy with families and dog walkers out for the afternoon. 

Football Pavilion 

Every time I visit Bangour it's overcast. It can
feel like quite a bleak place but is extremely atmospheric. There is not much colour in the buildings and it can be quite difficult to get good contrasts. A grey graduated filter may be useful for some shots, but I choose to shoot mostly in black and white when I'm there. Colour can be nice when you are trying to capture some sort of decay like in the shot above of the lock. 

Church 

A lot of the buildings are white and I found this tricky trying to get the correct exposure to show and detail of wood or brick work. The picture above of the football pavilion was shot at ISO 100, 5.6 app, 1/640 shutter speed. I've brought the contrast and the highlights up every so slightly but apart form that its pretty much straight out the camera-one of my favourite shots of the day. There is something new to be found with every corner you turn or with every new building you encounter.

One of the villa's 

Walking around Bangour can feel a little creepy. You can often still find objects belonging to one of the wards or even a patient- I have passed the same flattened pram every time I have been. But before our imaginations run away with us it is important to remember that Bangour was a real place which treated thousands of patients through the years with a mixture of therapies and which also gave patients opportunities to work in the grounds, in the various workshops or in the nearby farm. Having had the pleasure of listening to the stories of people who have worked here it seemed to be a happy place that was full of life. 

Villa 

After the opening of St Johns Hospital in nearby Livingston in 1989 the General Hospital at Bangour was closed and eventually demolished. With different treatments for mental health becoming available and a greater emphasis put on 'care in the community' Bangour began to wind down with the last patients being discharged in 2004. The following year it was the filming location for the film 'The Jacket' staring Keira Knightley,

                                                                    

                                                   The Future

Laundry 

Currently there are plans to re-develop the site into a thriving new community. Although a Conservation Area which boasts many listed buildings there has been discussions of both housing and retail developers going into the site. The listed buildings would be re-used as homes, while there will be new buildings added. Historic Scotland are working with both the NHS and West Lothian Council to produce plans which should be released later in the year.

Villa

Window 

Although many will be relieved to see the site redeveloped, I can't help but think it will be a great pity to see this incredible place go. As a photographic opportunity it is a gift no matter what you are into-landscape, documentary, abstract- and is accessible while still feeling almost forbidden. Although it can be a challenge to photograph such a place I would urge anyone who has not yet visited and who lives close by to go there with your camera and record as much as you can while you still can. You wont regret it.

                                                   Click here for an aerial tour- Bangour Aerial Tour

                                                   Until next time.....

Bus Stop

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THE BIRDS AND THE BEES-WHERE IT ALL BEGAN-SHOOTING WILDLIFE

Small Tortoiseshell

To those of you who know me personally-you will be aware that I love animals and am wildlife crazy. From ladybirds to red kites and butterflies to badgers I get over excited about wildlife of any kind. It was this love that first drove me to purchase my first camera, a Canon 550d with a Tamron 70-300mm zoom for shooting what I wanted to shoot most.  

I remember being initially disappointed having graduated from a bridge camera with a very strong optical zoom. I was taking pictures of the birds in my garden-but I wanted to be closer. My lens just wouldn't make things BIG enough for me. I remember naively going back to Jessops grumbling about my kit and the assistant assuring me that I could get great results from what I had. I Googled images taken with my kit. The issue it appeared was me.

                      

Tufted Duck

I think one of the main frustrations when you are new to photography is that you want to know everything yesterday. You want to create perfect images quickly and are baffled as to how others seem to do it so effortlessly. I soon began to realise that it really is trial and error. You can study photography books all day, have ready made tables set out for what settings are best for different situations and drool over lenses you can't really afford but nothing will get you to where you want to be unless you get out there and practice. That said there are some brilliant YouTube tutorials out there that are really informative. I used to (and still sometimes do) take a notebook out with me to write down anything I learnt on an outing, whether it'd be positive or negative. Obviously you can make use of your cameras histogram but I'm a bit of an old fashioned girl and love a bit of pen and paper.   

Now, back to the wildlife......

Coming into Land 

When I started getting into photography about a couple a years ago I was quite determined to do everything 'properly'. Straight out the box I switched my camera onto manual thinking this would be the best way to learn. I kid you not it was quite a while until I realised what aperture and shutter priority were. I only used manual focusing and all the pictures on the blog today are taken completely on manual settings. By no means are these 
perfect pictures-they are not tac sharp and in some cases lack some detail but they are just a little example of making the most of what you have at your disposal. The Tamron 70-300mm has a good macro function on it if you are into insects or flora. I've also been reading recently that if you mount your bog standard 18-55mm kit lens back to front this can make quite a reasonable macro lens and some of the results I've seen have been great. This is something I've yet to try but will keep you posted!

Red Squirel

How we all take images is completely a personal choice and as photographers, be it complete beginner or pro, we are constantly discovering new things. For me, shooting wildlife is challenging enough so why make it more difficult by manually focusing everything? We often have a split second to capture a fast moving or elusive creature so we need to have as much on our side as possible. Higher shutter speeds are preferable to try and freeze the action therefore it will be necessary to push the ISO up to compensate for this. Before you start, get to know your camera's limits. How high can you push your ISO to achieve acceptable results? How low can your shutter speed go until objects become blurred? A good rule of thumb for this in day to day shooting is using your focal distance as a guide. If you're shooting at 300mm then your shutter speed for hand held shooting shouldn't be set below 1/300. For wildlife  you will more than likely be using a higher setting than this to capture your image. It also helps if you know the behaviour of your subject. Is it a diving duck that's about to dip in or out of the water? Be ready for that classic behaviour you're trying to capture.

Whopper Swans

Another obsession with wildlife photography is to get as close to your subject as possible. This seems like something you should be focusing on but it can be nice to take in the environment of your subject and not make it too detached. Using a wider angle to show the habitat of what you're shooting is also important. A lot of the time the environment you are shooting in can be just as beautiful as the animal you are photographing. 

Final words of wisdom - be patient. With your subject and with your equipment. We are all limited no matter what kind of kit we have, but try to get to know not just its limits but also its potential.

Until next time......



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London Baby!

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March 11th -London Baby!

Soho Lights

Going Up 

Street

I was in London for a couple of days at the weekend and was         really excited about the photographic opportunities that this would hopefully throw up. As someone who is quite new to street photography I have yet to develop the bold skills some of my photography friends have of stopping subjects on the street to ask for a picture, or getting up really close to an unsuspecting subject. I'm still at the hiding behind/peering round the corner stage when it comes to taking some of my more candid shots! However, being somewhere so busy and so anonymous can have it's advantages. There are a LOT of people out there taking pictures and it felt a lot more comfortable than taking street pics back home. For my trip I took my Fuji XE1 with it's 18-55mm kit lens. It's a fairly small, light DSLR and is easily concealed. Although I had charged my battery I didn't pack my charger or spare.....Rookie mistake! Never underestimate how many photos you are going to take and how quickly that battery can run down.

Primary Colours 

  Black and White v Colour 

When taking street shots I usually use black and white. I feel this is a lot more authentic and lets the image speak for it's self without it being too busy-especially when taking people. However sometimes the colours in the image you see are what makes the                                                        image.

Rooftop

Blocks of primary colours against a brilliant blue sky can be so striking. As can edges of buildings grouped together at odd angles. It's important to look up too - rooftops can show surprising features and letting quite a bit sky into your image can really let it breath too. 

Having only 48 hours in London was a bit of a challenge so we hopped on the tour bus so we could see as much as possible. This proved a challenge in itself as we were constantly moving and had to make the most of traffic light stops. It's not really my style to take traditional 'tourist' shots but the top deck of the bus gave quite a unique angle. It also allowed me to grab a few shots of unsuspecting subjects!

Which Way Now?

                 

Angles 

Although I had taken well over 200 images before the battery packed in, I wasn't overly happy with what I had in the camera. However when it came to editing there was a lot more in the pictures than I first thought. A lot of the time it was just one part of the whole image that really made the picture-nothing that a simple crop can't fix-especially in a street scene where only one or two of the subjects make the image, or like in the picture 'Rooftop' above where focusing on one corner of a whole image and cropping it at an angle can help get across what I was seeing in my head.

Happy Shopper

                                                                   Titles

Suits

Giving your picture a title seems like such an obvious thing to do but I think when it comes to street photography it can help to explain the vision you had for your subject and can also add humour.

The title also gives your work an identity and it is important that you choose wisely-you have put so much effort into your pictures and the title should both relate to your image and give the viewer a greater understanding of it. Sometimes your image can be obvious but at other times a title can reveal a hiding meaning behind the picture. 

At The Bar 

Lunchtime

All in all the London trip taught me that I probably have more guts than I thought when it comes to street photography. The more and more you take your camera out in front of people the more the desire to get that picture takes over the fear of what the subject may say. Obviously there are some ethics involved here and when it comes to taking a full on portrait of someone then it is only manners to ask permission, However, candid street shots that tell a story I think are better left that way and while happily snapping groups of shoppers in Camden Market I found them apologising for getting in the way of my photo when little did they know they were the subject.

Back home I will be trying to put these skills into practice...wish me luck!!

And always remember to pack your charger!

A Walk Round My Town

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March 3rd 2015-A Walk Round My Town

One Woman And Her Dog 

So here goes-my first blog post!

I am a little nervous I must say, but nothing ventured nothing gained, and I wanted to start my own little blog to share my adventures in photography-the good,the bad,the encouraging and the extremely frustrating!

As someone who is quite new to photography there is so much to learn, a LOT of information to take on board and it seems that everyone else is the expert. There are endless tutorials to watch, workshops to sign up for and pieces of kit to buy. However in the last year or so I've learned that you often know a lot more than you think already. Don't be put off with technical jargon or worry about what you don't understand. You just don't understand it yet....

The most important thing is to get out there and start taking pictures.

I wanted to create a blog that was easy going and took away some of the bumf. I hope you enjoy it!

                                                                              Getting Out There

St Michaels Church, Inveresk

Last week I had a walk around my home town of Musselburgh in East Lothian. Sometimes it can be easy to forget what's on your door step-but this can be the best place to start. An area that you know and is easy to navigate can produce great opportunities. Sometimes it may be an object or building you pass everyday, but the light may be catching it in a way that's a little different which makes you want to take a photo. Although I have walked past this church many times, I have never taken a picture of it, or the large stone cross outside which seems a little

 crazy to me now.

   

Cross outside St Michaels 

For this walkabout I used black and white which I tend to do if I'm out on the street as there could be an opportunity of an impromptu shot like the one at the top of the page. 

I personally prefer shots like this in black and white but it is of course personal choice. I am still quite a scaredy when it comes to street portraits and people but this woman and her dog came along at the just the right time.

Railings

Down from the church there is a walkway where I stopped for a few minutes to take these railings. One thing that I've managed to get over in the last few months is the reactions of other people to what I may be photographing.(I've been known to crawl around on a pavement to try and capture reflections in puddles...all will be revealed later!)I had a couple of passers by wondering why on earth I would be taking this picture but I loved the line that the railings made and the way the light was catching the different segments on their tops. 

Sometimes there is beauty in the most mundane of things...  

I am off to London for a few days at the end of this week so am hoping to make the most of any opportunities for some good street shots there. I think I will feel a lot more invisible to other people there so I will hopefully feel more confident to get out my camera!

Until next time.....