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Devizes, England - St. John's Churchyard
Travel Photography

England - home of well-dressed spies, bad coffee, and perpetually rainy days. It's a photographer’s dream - aside from the bad coffee that is. Whether you're looking for wildlife, nature or architecture, England has it all.

In the fall of 2006, an exciting opportunity to work at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes, England came up. They needed help photographing their various historical collections. As an amateur archaeologist, this was the chance of a lifetime, an opportunity not to be ignored. The necessary arrangements were made faster than my camera can flash, and I set off for Jolly Ol’ England.
Devizes, England, St. John's Churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's church yard
Devizes, England, St. John's church yard
On my first day there, I chose to stake out the territory sans camera. At first nothing seemed impressive. There were a few ‘typical’ old English pubs, cemeteries, and a small pond with geese and swans. Nothing jumped out as a ‘must photograph’ subject. Slightly disheartened, I returned to the Rosemundy Cottage Bed & Breakfast thinking nothing more than another resume bullet point was going to be accomplished on this trip.
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
That's when it hit me. This was the perfect opportunity to step away from what I was familiar with as a photographer and experiment. Surrounded by buildings older than some countries, there was no excuse in returning home without a wide array of images - even if they weren't my normal subject d’jour.
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
After a late-night horror fest with a Glade-resistant British spider, it was time for the photo experiment to begin. Armed to the hilt with camera and lenses, I strolled along a quiet canal and into the center of Devizes. Eventually I found myself exploring St. John’s churchyard. At first glance it looked like every other churchyard, yet after careful observation, its own colorful personality emerged. No longer was it just a building surrounded by weathered stones. I was looking at a history book with each page written by the hands of those who had come before me. Each lichen decorated marker was a testament to the life of someone that had lived, breathed, and died in this town – to those who shaped it and made it prosper.
Devizes, England, St. John's Churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard
These story telling stones impart a historic wisdom to the churchyard, making it a very fascinating place. With their wonder influencing my mind, unique perspectives and beautiful framing began to emerge. After two hours and a few strange glances from the townspeople, it was time for tea at Rosemundy. As I packed up for the day, a long forgotten tombstone caught my eye from where it hid beneath a tree. If I'd not stepped out of my wildlife photo mindset, I would have missed one of my favorite images of all time – a smiling tombstone.

It just proves that sometimes the best images can be found when and where we least expect them.

Traci Law
Devizes, England, St. John's Churchyard
Devizes, England, St. John's churchyard

The Devizes, England, St. John's Churchyard pictures on this page are available for commercial stock photography license. All text and photos that appear on this webpage are copyrighted and may not be copied or used in any way without permission from CritterZone or Traci Law.
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