Canterbury Archives - Stewart Mckeown Photography

Nov 13

by stew in Canterbury, field report, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: canterbury, infrared, kent, landscape, project

Candyfloss Canterbury

In early 2023 I finally had my old Nikon D600 converted with a 720nm filter to shoot infrared. I have always liked the black and white infrared look, but false colour had never really interested me, until now… I used a local company, Protech Photographic to perform the installation which they did just in time for Spring. This season is popular for infrared shooting as the fresh leaves and trees reflect infrared light, which can be used to create surreal-looking images. Here in Canterbury, there are several public parks which were displaying good vibrant leafage to test my new camera with. These locations and views are the typical postcard-type shots of the city, or ‘honeypots’ if you like, which gave me an idea… While researching infrared photography I came across a technique known as ‘channel swapping’ where you swap the red and blue colour channels of an infrared file in Photoshop to create a fantastical effect. The result can seem a bit gimmicky but it seemed fitting for this project, giving these postcard-type shots a synthetic, saccharine gloss. These images form my ‘Candyfloss Canterbury‘ project which are all available to […]

May 10

by stew in Canterbury, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: field report, kent, landscape, photography

Photographing Kent; my recent article for Outdoor Photography magazine

Located in the far south-east of the UK, the county of Kent is historically known as the ‘Garden of England’ for its abundance of orchards and hop gardens. Despite also being the 5th most populous county in England, a third of Kent is registered as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty including the Kent Downs, a series of chalk ridges stretching from the Surrey borders in the west to the White Cliffs of Dover in the east. As well as being home to this iconic landmark the Kent coastline also comprises unique marshlands, tidal pools and sandy beaches which together with the easily accessible countryside is what makes Kent so special for the visiting photographer. Broadstairs Broadstairs is a coastal town situated on the Isle of Thanet; a peninsula at the most easterly point in Kent that was once separated by the Wantsum Channel but which has long since silted up. The area is home to the popular towns of Margate and Ramsgate and is a renowned holiday destination due in part to the numerous sandy beaches; there are 16 beaches on Thanet and 7 in particular in Broadstairs! The options are indeed ample but I would recommend Botany Bay […]

Jan 01

by stew in Canterbury, field report, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: canterbury, christmas lights, decorations, faversham, kent, marina, photography, ramsgate, xmas

Christmas lights!

A selection of photographs from this years Christmas decorations from Canterbury, Faversham and Ramsgate Marina. As I have been supplying images for calendars recently I thought it would be a good idea to shoot some festive images for next years designs. These images were all taken in December 2019 during the blue hour which would show the lights off at their best. Canterbury I live in Canterbury so you would have thought I’d get these images easily. However, the crowds of shoppers at this time of the year made shooting in Mercery Lane near impossible so that one required an early Sunday start! Faversham I was due to go into The Refinery to restock my greeting cards anyway so it made sense to shoot some Christmas lights here too. I was lucky that there was a light shower just before shooting which reflected the lights nicely on the town centre streets. Ramsgate The illuminations at Ramsgate Marina in aid of the RNLI have been going for years but I had never made it over to see them. If I get sunsets like this every time I’ll go every year..! Thanks and I hope you have enjoyed seeing my 2019 Christmas […]

Mar 16

by stew in Canterbury, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: canterbury, field report, fog, mist

Canterbury in the Mist

I always try to take advantage of the misty weather. Shooting in the mist and fog can be great for adding atmosphere and mystery to images; it’s just a shame it doesn’t happen often enough! I’ve been waiting for the right conditions in which to shoot viewpoints of Canterbury and the recent unseasonably warm weather would bring that opportunity. The 1st Morning No mist hadn’t been forecast the night before but luckily my partner woke me up just in time. I jumped out of bed to get to the top of Whitstable Road for sunrise and I witnessed the drama unfold as the sun slowly burnt through the fog in the valley below. This event couldn’t last forever. As the sun rose higher in the sky, a thick haze had replaced the earlier mist, which made visibility poor as I walked onto the grounds of UKC. I found a row of trees that I could frame the silhouette of the Cathedral around to add some depth to the images and I made a few different compositions before calling it a day. The softness to these images gives them an almost romantic feel which was fitting as it was Valentines Day. […]