The Gothic Collection: The Darker Side of My Photography
I like to think of the Gothic Collection as the darker side of my photography.
I feel that it’s the combination of the subject matter – forgotten corners of graveyards, lonely weathered statues in the mist and the subtle tones and colours that I use in the images – that gives them their Gothic feeling.
Some people think graveyards are ‘spooky’ or ‘creepy’, but to me they are places of calm and contemplation. I think the weather is also an important part of my Gothic photography too. These places would look totally different in brilliant sunshine! That’s why I go for cold and foggy photo shoots.
I’m drawn to lone statues and the expressions that they often have on their weathered faces. I also like locations with trees as well as statues and gravestones, as they add another level of interest and focus. I love photographing trees anyway, but usually in a dark and foggy way too!
It's about the atmosphere
When someone stops to look at my Gothic Collection, I want them to pick up on the emotion behind the print. It’s not really about where it is. It’s about the emotion it evokes – and that will be different for different people. Someone might see one of the images as dark or sinister, creepy or a bit spooky. Someone else might find it calming and peaceful. I think that’s part of what makes these photographs interesting. You can make your own backstory to an image.
That’s why I feel the atmosphere and emotion are more important than the location itself.
So, where were they taken?
The number one question that most people ask when they stop to look at my Gothic range is: “Where were these taken?”
The answer is that most of them were taken at Manchester Southern Cemetery.
The photographs were taken over a couple of trips there, on two very cold and foggy mornings! Sometimes people then lose interest – especially if they are from Liverpool!
I usually have a bit of fun with this when I'm at events, but I’m always honest about where the photographs were taken. The location isn't hidden on my website either. For me, though, the fact that these photographs were taken in Manchester doesn't change what they are. I didn't photograph them because they were Manchester photographs. I photographed them because I loved the atmosphere, the statues, the trees and the way the mist changed the whole place.
And I should point out to proud Liverpudlians that the Gothic Collection also includes my take on Liverpool Cathedral – Cathedral Views – so there is definitely some Liverpool in there too! https://www.carolinebenzies.co.uk/product-page/cathedral-views
I don't put the location of the cemetery on the prints themselves because I don't want that to be the main focus of the image. The place is part of the story of the photograph, but for me, the atmosphere is the important bit.
How the Gothic Collection started
I think I first came across Manchester Southern Cemetery after someone mentioned it to me as a great location for photographs – and it certainly didn't disappoint. It’s very big, with a huge area of old Victorian statues and the beautiful old trees that I love too.
I didn't visit with prints in mind. For quite a long time, I only sold one print from that first visit – the fine art print Waiting. https://www.carolinebenzies.co.uk/product-page/waiting
But lots of people commented on the large print and kept asking if they could buy a smaller version.
So, a couple of years ago, I decided to oblige! I didn't want to simply release a photographic print of Waiting, though. I felt that the colours and dark tones just wouldn't look as good as a photographic print, so I re-edited the image, making it slightly lighter in tone. And Still Waiting was born. The standard size photo print sold out really quickly, and so I introduced a smaller size print – which as of today, only has three prints left!
I'd taken quite a few photographs on my two visits, so I had enough images to start putting together a small collection, which has grown over time. Athough I didn't really start out with a collection in mind at all - I mostly thought that it was only me that loved foggy graveyards! I'm quite pleased to say that I was wrong.
Other people love them too.
I also didn't set out to make everything dark and ‘Gothic’ either. I always feel that mist and fog do so much of the work for you. They create a veil over the landscape, where you can't quite see what is in the distance.
And to me, that immediately creates mystery and atmosphere.
The Gothic Collection, together with my Nature Collection (most of which is also quite dark and foggy!) - is definitely a different side to my photography. But equally, I love enhancing an image and making it look that little bit different, and more than ‘just a click’, in the same way that I do with my Liverpool architecture.
Meet Hoping
Hoping is the latest addition to the Gothic Collection.
With this one, it was the statue's face and expression that I loved. Gazing upwards for all those years.
This one has a slightly different feel to the other Gothic Collection prints and I have deliberately made it feel a bit more ‘lo-fi’. I wanted to try something a little different with this image. As well as the expression, this angel has a weathered, broken wing, so I felt that by making the image itself feel more weathered and more like it was taken on old film, it would further enhance the feel of the print.
I think that is one of the things I enjoy about working on the Gothic photographs. I can take the original photograph and then see where the image takes me.
When I look at the Gothic Collection now, I feel that it really does sit well as a collection, and it’s so lovely to know that I have customers who now have their own little Gothic Collection on their walls too!
The Gothic Collection will always evolve as prints come and go and, as always, I’ll keep trying different techniques and looking for new locations. And perhaps that’s what I like about it!
