After 796 COVID-enforced days in the UK, we were finally travelling again. Destination: Budapest. My first time in Eastern Europe, coinciding with war returning to the region for the first time in the 21st century. And to a country which gets harsh criticism from western media, as an EU country with a supposedly autocratic leader and limited freedoms. Would I find a climate of suspicion? People fearful of the return of Russian aggression, given Hungary was under the Soviet Union’s […]
We residents are very fortunate to live in the beautiful surroundings of the Test Valley. It’s a privilege I try very hard never to take for granted. Photography helps me with this task, reminding me of that which changes with the season and that which endures as a constant, in both ways enriching our lives. This constant of our natural ecosystems cannot be taken for granted in modern times. It requires our love, support and constant reminder that we have […]
In mid-September 2021 I made my first journey of more than 50 miles from home since March of the previous year. How refreshing and soul-nurturing it felt to be travelling again and be in unfamiliar landscapes. I didn’t actually have to travel far, Exmoor National Park is only a 3 hour drive from my home. But it feels different and exciting, with a dramatic coastline and roads that rise and plunge on 25% gradients through steep valleys. I spent 3 […]
I visited Exmoor National Park for the first time in September 2021. One of the highlights of the trip I was most eagerly anticipating was the Valley of Rocks, choosing to base myself in Lynmouth to be close by for repeated visits. I’d done a little research of the area and images people had made, which provided a starting point. But what I found when I arrived wasn’t quite as straightforward as I imagined, so I thought it would be […]
2021 has been a year of staying local and re-discovering the Test Valley. I moved back to the area, in which I grew up, in January. Lockdown restrictions, home practicalities and some rather disappointing spring weather meant I didn’t really get a chance to get into the groove with my photography until mid-May but by then I was feeling desperate to make the most of the warmer months to explore with the camera and banish the memory of 2020, a […]
Once upon a time I had 10,000 followers on Google+. True fact! I was a very early adopter in 2011 and because there weren’t many people sharing nature and wildlife photography on there at the time I gained a great many followers with very little effort. Those… were simpler times! 10 years on, we live in much noisier digital times and my 10K brag now seems pathetic. Youtubers count their followers in millions, mainstream news articles often seem little more […]
It felt quite strange to be amongst a large crowd of people in July 2021 after so many months of social isolation. But it was great to be photographing an event again and just to feel the buzz of people coming together for a day out! Wallop Wheels and Wings 2021 certainly didn’t disappoint as a fun family day out and a really good opportunity for some photography of mighty machines! This was a one day event at the Museum […]
It seems strange to call Longstock Park Water Gardens a “hidden jewel”. It’s been there since the 1930’s and open to the public since… well at least 40 years, I remember being taken there as a child. It’s part of the Leckford Estate, owned by the John Lewis Partnership and these days is open 5 days a week between April and October. And yet… so many people I speak to have never heard of it or never visited. And they’ve […]
We explore the Ugab Valley in northern Namibia and head for the UNESCO World Heritage site at Twyfelfontein in Damaraland.
In this video I work a few different compositions of a New Forest valley scene in beautiful golden hour light.