Backlit Victorian

Portrait: Backlit

The sun makes a great back light, as well as a flash. Don’t forget the fill light. A flash or reflector can be used to fill in the subject.

Now, strictly, a portrait is a person, but I thought I would use this post to share another aspect of The Forgotten Wood – the Pumphouse that I mentioned in my post on Abandoned.

There is only one point in the day when the sun comes through the Forgotten Wood like this, mid-morning. I had seen it one day and looked forward to running out the next day for the shot. Best laid plans and all … it wasn’t sunny for three days!!

This use of backlighting, when you aren’t going for silhouette, requires a flash, so I used my flash for the first time for this challenge.

So, there is it. The little pumphouse that has been providing the manor with water for 120 years. You can hear its dull rhythmic clunk from my yard if you listen carefully, and the sound permeates the Wood ever so softly. I don’t understand the inner workings, but it has to do with gravity; I am certain my sweetheart could explain it. It used to provide water for the entire manor house; now, only the fountain benefits.

The original piping was clay and it cracks after decades of use, affecting the flow. Every so often, they dig up around it to make sure the channels are clear and the water is flowing freely. Just beside the small entrance gate, it is the one unforgotten part of the Forgotten Wood.