Back to Advent Sunday again! After I had finished photographing the nativity I was invited to go back for the Darkness into Light Advent service to take some more photos. As Sunday was my birthday (don’t ask how old!) I said I couldn’t stay for the whole service (Geoff had planned the roast beef for 7.00) but that I would be able to be there to capture the start when the church is plunged into darkness and the candles are lit in the congregation.
So just before 6.30 my daughter Reya and I headed off to the church equipped with a torch, camera and tripod to see what we could do. It became clear that by far the best place for us to be was the bell ringers’ gallery. After climbing the rather precarious ancient stone staircase and making sure we avoided the bell ropes (the bells were set) we got ourselves into position. It certainly was very atmospheric as the lights were switched off leaving only candle light in the church and the torches of the Carbrooke singers below. I struggled a bit with the settings on the camera to get the exposure right but after a bit of hunting around in the gloom (and a bit of giggling!) we managed to find the torch that Reya had brought up with us. It’s a good job she did because the lights in the staircase had also been switched off and it would have been impossible to go back down the steps without any light!
