Henry VII bed (just next door)

I do try to keep my journal varied, but I had no expectation yesterday that I would be photographing the famous Henry VII bed today. It currently resides in the old Methodist Chapel next door to our house, having had a stay at both Auckland and Hever Castles in recent years. It is thought to be the marriage bed of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

The bed was found by my neighbour, Ian, and has been lovingly restored. Yesterday evening he arrived on our doorstep just before we went to the last concert of the festival, asking if I could photograph the bed for an antiques magazine. They needed the copy this morning.

So, at 0900, I was there with camera and tripod and took the shot required. My extra is to show the detail of the head board. If you are interested you can hear an interesting podcast about the bed here or read a short article here.

Otherwise, I've fielded a call from the press about the Walking Festival and sorted out photos for a preview article. I even had a little nap this afternoon. All that sitting and concentrating on the music over the weekend was exhausting!!

PS I use a 50mm lens when photographing the furniture, in order to produce an image that is as close to what I see, without distortion, as possible. Fortunately the bed is in a large room (the old chapel). I use a tripod and try to photograph when the light is as even as possible. Today I had to go for the shoot because of time pressure.