Blickling Hall: a living British comedy

There are two ways to experience Blickling Hall in Norfolk, England: straightforward or quirky. The former is intended, with a veritable army of committed volunteers on hand to explain every detail of the Jacobean house. Soak in the tapestry, portraits and antique furniture. Learn the history associated with each of the many rooms in the major … or, look just below the surface to see how crazy this place can be (unintentionally, of course). As you move from room to room, you can see the oddity that has crept into this National Trust property.

In nearly every room, you’ll be introduced to the ceiling. Except in a few cases, what covers your head dates back 400 years. You’ll hear this a lot. The expression “17th century ceiling” is spoken in nearly every room in Blickling Hall by the cadre of zealous volunteers who are quite proud of their overhead cover. It looks about the same in every room – except at the entry, where one of my fellow journos explained a tad condescendingly that the ceiling dates back only to the 18th century (silly me for not catching it). Once you get passed the obviously impressive stuff above, most rooms are packed with furniture and paintings that reach back centuries – they are certainly worth a close look.

None of this matters, however, when you get to the mysterious “17th century cabinet.” On its own, this classic piece is rather plain. Sure, it’s an antique – just like everything else in Blickling Hall. The volunteer staffing the room was great about talking up the cabinet, revealing that the inner artwork was a sight to behold. So, I asked that he throw open the doors for all to enjoy. Instead, he showed me photos of the inside, because the doors are only once a year. “I’m told the pictures don’t do it justice,” the volunteer said.

I’m told?

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Alas, he has not been in the house the past several years the cabinet was opened and has not been able to enjoy the experience. But, he’s hopeful for 2009. The doors will be opened sometime in September or October. There is no pomp. There is no ceremony. Hell, there’s no warning! Apparently, the much discussed cabinet is opened sans publicity and sans any sort of planning. So, if you want to peer into the hidden treat at Blickling Hall, it would be smart to call ahead (though you may not get much in reply). Lean on the dedicated volunteers of Blickling Hall, and you may even be able to influence the schedule.

Lobby the volunteers for answers.

If you think a closed cabinet is fun, you’ll be blown away by the rooms downstairs. Before descending to the kitchen where the staff works, take a look at the staff organization chart provided by Blickling Hall. The two positions that stand out are the “footman” and the “odd man.” The former tended to be selected for his “physical attributes,” as the footman traditionally ran behind the carriage to make sure journeys proceeded smoothly. In the modern era, the footman’s duties included schlepping dishes up and down several flights of stairs.

Up until World War II, that was good for a mere £1 a week, though occasional generosity in the form of tips could bump a week’s take to £5. It’s hardly surprising that the last man to have the job didn’t return after serving a hitch in the war.

The odd man’s role at Blickling Hall remains a mystery, as the footman appears to steal the spotlight. I assume he did odd jobs – as the title implies – around the manor, but it’s unclear. Odd man out, perhaps?

When the footman took off for the war, did the odd man get promoted? Or, did he become the mildly strange man? One can only speculate.

Among the last rooms you’ll see is a stunning library containing 10,000 volumes, which Blickling Hall received in the middle of the 18th century. Before that, it was the exercise room. On many days, the children were set loose in the oversized chamber. But, what about the adults? When asked how adults exercised in 1745, the room’s volunteer offered a perplexed look before offering, “I guess they walked … and gossiped.” Dishing burns calories!

One can only assume that the footman and the odd man didn’t use the exercise room much, as they were kept busy enough.

A walk through Blickling Hall is a step back in time, and you can explore the world through lenses that are four centuries old. At the same time, it’s a contemporary comedy, in which volunteer retirees wax in serious tones that can’t help but make you chuckle. It almost seems like a British comedy written by an American.

Either before or after you tour the house, do check out the adjacent gardens. There’s no hint of quirk in this carefully manicured landscape. Wander the trails and hedges … and take a minute to chill (unlike the odd man, who I doubt ever had that luxury).

Whether you see Blickling Hall as a taste of classic England or a bunch of crazy Brits obsessed with ceilings and odd men, the experience is well worth the trek out to Norfolk. Time your stay to correspond to the grand cabinet unveiling – whenever hit may be – and you’ll pick up the rare experience that some on the staff have yet to enjoy!

Disclosure: Visit Britain shelled out some cash for this experience, and British Airways supplied the flights. Any questions about my objectivity? Read the article again. This is far from what they wanted from me.

Life imitates art at Mardi Gras

We’ve been taking a look recently at some of the fun that went down this past week in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and many of our fellow travel bloggers have been doing the same. National Geographic’s Janelle Nanos found herself in New Orleans for the festivities, and in the midst of all the good times stumbled upon some partiers who just might be her magazine’s biggest fans.

As Janelle tells it on her personal blog, she was enjoying the parade when she came upon Danielle King, a fellow reveler who had chosen to dress up as an “Irrational Geographic” photographer in honor of Mardi Gras. How does one accomplish such a costume? Danielle and friend had dressed themselves up in full expedition gear, complete with pith helmets, exploration vests and SLR cameras and were making their way through the crowd, snapping pictures of the local “menagerie” using National Geographic’s iconic yellow framed border as a photo prop.

Not only is Danielle’s idea quite clever, she also took some amazing portraits. They are at once warm and friendly, filled with the vibrant colors and fun energy you would expect from a Mardi Gras celebration. I think this guy is perhaps my favorite. Make sure to click on the gallery above to play the full slideshow of all the local “party animals” as framed by the famous National Geographic cover. And head over to Janelle’s blog and Intelligent Travel for the full story.

Through the Gadling Lens: taking a great portrait

In a recent post, I described the types of photographs that I like to take while I’m traveling. I thought for upcoming posts, we could talk some specifics about each one of them, starting with taking portraits.

Now, obviously, taking portraits isn’t necessarily an intrepid-traveler thing; however, in my experience, nothing adds more colour and interest to a travel album than the images of the faces you encountered — either your travel companions, or the locals doing their thing. And so, the following is a short guide on how to take a good portrait. If you’re not currently traveling (or don’t have any immediate trips planned), then feel free to try them out on accommodating friends and family so you’re prepared for when you do take off for faraway lands.
For posed shots:

Get in close. One of the biggest mistakes I see when trying to take a portrait is that the photographer takes the image from too far away. Remember, you’re taking a portrait — this isn’t the time to figure out how to get the entire Grand Canyon, or the complete Statue of Liberty into the frame. The point of the portrait should be to capture the essence of the person you’re capturing on film.

So remember that the ideal lens focal length for taking a portrait is around 100-120mm (and that your point-and-shoot, if that’s what you’re using, probably has the capability to do this). And then make sure that your subject’s face and neck take up a majority of the frame. If your goal is to capture an image which will ensure that the viewer’s attention is on the person you’re shooting, then don’t leave any room for doubt.



Find the right place to shoot. In my opinion, natural light is always the most … well, natural lighting to use when shooting a portrait — the trick is to find the right kind of light. Too little light, and your pictures may not result in very sharp images; too much light, and your run the risk of having odd shadows annoyingly appear — or worse, the dreaded Squint Face. The truth is that overcast skies, while disappointing when making your day’s plans, often create ideal conditions for taking portraits, providing sufficient light without shadows. Regardless, whether you choose a shaded area, or a spot next to a sunny window, once you’ve picked a location, don’t forget to adjust your ISO settings accordingly — remember, the brighter the area, the lower the ISO setting (i.e., the fewer the number of “light catchers”) that you’ll need, and vice versa.



Make sure your subject feels comfortable. I don’t know about you, but more often than not, when I’m about to take a photograph of someone, the response is, “oh no! don’t take a picture of me!” or “I look horrible in photos!” or just a general “AUUUUGH!” I find that often getting the subject to cooperate is the hardest part of taking a photograph!

In my experience, the best thing that you can do to help your subject to feel comfortable, is to actually refrain from forcing him to pose. If he wants to make a face, let them — you may end up loving the resulting shot. Joke and talk with him, and when he laughs in response, quickly snap the image — the result will likely be a natural photograph. And finally, If he’s just woken up, his hair is disheveled, there’s sleep in his eyes, and he vociferously protests, then respect his wishes and don’t take the picture. By showing deference to his concerns, you’ll likely get more cooperation from him later, when he’s feeling more photogenic.



Once the subject is in place, before you take the shot, check out what you see. Take a look through the camera, and see if anything looks wrong. If there’s a weird shadow, then adjust your subject to minimize accordingly. If there’s something weird in the background, ditto. Look for stray hairs, lint, spaghetti stains — whatever you think might ruin the shot.

Understand, of course, that sometimes imperfections actually enhance the image. For example, taking the shot of my mother-in-law, above, with her hair in her face, sort of defies convention — but I thought her windblown hair (and her wry smile through the strands) beautifully capture the feeling of that cold, windy November day on that beach in Cornwall. It remains one of my favourite portraits from that trip.

Don’t be afraid of putting the subject off-center in your shot. This is called the “Rule of Thirds” — it’s sort of technical, but basically, it means that your eye finds images that are slightly off-center a bit more interesting. There’s obviously nothing wrong with perfectly centered image, but just to add a bit of visual interest, experiment with placing your subject just slightly left or slightly right.

Take lots and lots and lots of shots. I’m not talking about posing your subject over and over again — I’m saying once you’ve taken one shot, take many immediately after. In my experience, some of the best shots happen after the subject relaxes.

Here’s what I mean: say, for example, you’ve asked your daughter and her friend to sit together and smile for a shot. They do — that strained, clenched smile of young children being forced to pose. You take the shot, they hear the shutter release, and they figure the shot is over. KEEP THE CAMERA AIMED AT THEIR FACES. Invariably, one of them will say something that cracks the other up — she’ll say “booger” or “poop” or some other 4-year-old witticism, causing the two of them to collapse in giggles. That’s when you click that shutter like your life depends on it. I guarantee you’ll love one of the follow-up shots (and it’s astounding how well this technique works on adults, too).

For candid shots, images of locals (who you don’t know), and so on:

For candid shots of friends and family members while on vacation, pretty much all the rules above apply — the trick, of course, is tapping into your inner photojournalist. You’re still want to get in close, but now you’re probably going to want that 200 mm lens (or max out the zoom on your point-and-shoot) so as not to interrupt the action that is going on. You’ll still want to check out the light conditions, etc., to adjust your ISO; however if there are weird shadows in th
e way, it’s probably going to be hard for you to adjust the subject, so you may have to forego the shot (or take it anyway, and hope for the best). But now, more than ever, you’re really going to want to take lots of shots, so click away — that way you’ll have tons of images from which to choose the very best.

And finally, one word about shooting strangers: in general, the safest thing you can do is to politely ask the subject if you can take her photograph, before taking the shot. While in the United States, if you’re out in a public place and take the photograph, you’re probably fine, privacy laws vary from country to country, so your safest bet is to ask for permission first.

If you’re not brave enough to ask a total stranger to take his photograph, then do what I do — take the photographs of buskers or other street performers. Usually it’s a great way to capture local flavour, and you can pay for the privilege for taking the photograph for a nominal fee. I’ve been able to snag some of my favourite vacation shots this way as a result.

Hopefully the tips in this post will help you improve your portraiture skills — as I said at the top, keep practicing with amenable friends and family, and I guarantee you’ll see improvement. And as always, if you have any questions, please send them directly to karen DOT walrond AT weblogsinc DOT com, and I’ll address them in upcoming posts!

Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. All the photos in this post were taken by her. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks. And for more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.

Photo of the Day (1.5.09)

Have you figured out yet that I’m a sucker for a portrait of a happy child? And this lovely photograph by muzzman packs a quadruple punch: check out the great smiles on these four little ones, taken in Papua New Guinea. I was initially drawn to the image because it reminded me of an everyday scene in my homeland of Trinidad, but looking at it now, these really could be 4 children anywhere in the world, couldn’t they? Lovely shot.

If you’ve got some great travel shots you’d love to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (1-16-08)

This shot by un rosarino in Vietnam captures so perfectly one of the sights that astounded me most when I first traveled in Asia. Children perched on bicycles, trusting, not falling off and so much a part of the day to day happenings no matter where they were. Look how confident the father (?) is that his charge won’t fall off. Also, the soft pinks of the scarves and the child’s shorts in contrast to the sepia tones of the rest of the photograph are alluring.

This shot was taken in Cambodia. If you have your own alluring shot to show off, post it at Gadling’s photo pool on Flickr and it could be picked for Photo of the Day.