Tangmere and Goodwood

Time off is a rarity in my profession so grabbing a few hours for a drive around Sussex with my uncle was something I'd really been looking forward to. Since I had a keen and knowledgeable historian in the passenger seat we decided to call in at Tangmere Aviation Museum, just outside of Chichester. There are always a selection of decommissioned jets outside of the hangars, and today we saw some beauties. The technicians were busy with maintenance work and we were able to get a close look at some familiar aircraft. I spent much of my formative years on Air Force bases around the world and a family member is currently flying fast jets for the RAF.

Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit is five minutes away from Tangmere so we stopped off for some lunch - a track day provided great entertainment and a visual feast of classic cars. You can probably guess which one is my favourite. The driver very kindly suggested I locate a crash helmet and take a few laps with him - talk about being tempted. As usual the best offers happen when one has the least time to enjoy them, and sadly on this occasion I had to dash back to my office. But not before I'd grabbed some shots of what is undoubtedly a stunning car.

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Scotney Castle

The light was pretty ghastly today - incredibly flat and overcast, and it was drizzly too. It's difficult when you've got a 'white out' going on in the skies, so I tend to employ a graduated ND filter, just to break it up a bit. And given that my assistant absolutely loves vintage photographs, I promised I'd process the first few pictures with a flatter, aged look to them.

Scotney lies in East Sussex, not far from Tunbridge Wells. It has been the home of the Hussey family since 1778. The estate comprises the castle, which lies on a small island in a valley, about a quarter of a mile from the main house. The architect, Anthony Salvin, and the garden designer, William Gilpin, worked together to create a new house and garden set above the castle. In 1970 the estate was left to the National Trust.

I couldn't photograph the main house today since it was covered with scaffolding.

As is the case with all National Trust properties, you can't shoot them professionally without the consent of the Trust. This means that your images are for your personal enjoyment only.

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Polesden Lacey

Polesden Lacey is a Regency house which lies close to Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey. It was the country retreat of Mrs Ronald Greville who played host to royalty, dignitaries, and Prime Ministers. The estate spans 1,400 acres and enjoys stunning views over the Surrey Hills. There are numerous walks around the rolling meadows which adjoin the house, and as we made our way back to the carpark another visitor pointed out the city of London in the distance. It was fascinating to pick out well known landmarks, and Wembley Stadium seemed to loom over everything else. It's worth taking some good binoculars for that reason alone.

Inside the house itself is of course fascinating. Each lavish, mirrored, chandaliered room is occupied by a knowledgeable curator with whom you can discuss the artworks and architecture. Do talk to them, they really know their stuff.

A word about photography. The pros amongst you will be familiar with the National Trust's current stance - that no person may use any image taken upon Trust land for commercial purposes. As a result, thousands of images are being pulled from the stock agencies, so that the Trust may entirely control the availability of any and all images taken of Trust property, via its central photo library (NTPL). This has understandably caused a furore in photographic circles, but it is nevertheless Trust policy and must be abided upon. In other words, your picture-taking must be for personal enjoyment only. If you want to use the pictures for anything else, you'll need to contact the Trust directly.

The kit for this outing comprised one Canon 5D body, one 40D body, 16-35 f2.8L lens, 24-104 f4 L lens. Why two bodies? Because that's how I always work - constantly changing lenses is a faff, especially outdoors, especially if one of those bodies has a full-frame sensor. And working between 35mm and APS-C format has so many benefits I can't tell you.

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