New
In photography, as in other walks of life, a reassuring sense of nostalgia can be conjured up by re-visiting favourite moments from the past. This is, I think, one of the main reasons that we do photography - to create a ‘bookmark in time’ to a cherished place or special occasion, forever rekindling those otherwise fading memories. And so it is when compiling or viewing a portfolio of the type presented here.
Yet to remain truly vibrant, it’s also important that any portfolio or gallery is afforded space to grow. This helps to keep things alive and open the door to fresh experiences… to ensure that I still see myself as a Photographer at Work, in the spirit of Karen’s garden portrait from the 2020 lockdown. After all, the world is crammed full of compositions waiting to be discovered, their potential silently beckoning!
The current sub-section is designed to highlight these fresh experiences. And from a practical point of view, it allows the viewer to check for recently-added content without needing to review all of my other portfolio sections (which, let’s face it, is hardly likely to happen!). So while the images presented here may not be my greatest, they can at least claim to be my latest! ;-)
Note: In terms of photographic content, this page is expected to feature a high ‘rate of churn’ as new pictures come and go.
Please see my New (Cumulative) page for an archive of previously-posted images from late 2022 onwards, as originally presented below.
A more extensive selection of recent pictures, and some of the stories behind them, can be found in my Gallery pages. Happy viewing! :-)
“Photographer at Work”
by Karen Scott (May 2020)
The Lone Hawthorn
(Dartmoor, April 2025)
The trouble with iconic venues is that they carry a certain weight of expectation. As a photographer, you feel disappointed if you don’t come away with something jaw-dropping, even if conditions aren’t great or your muse is still tucked up under the eiderdown.
Talking of Jaws dropping, the pressure of shooting on Dartmoor is ramped up even higher by Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg, who commented as follows while filming War Horse in 2010…
“I have never before, in my long and eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as I experienced on Dartmoor… with two-and-a-half weeks of extensive coverage of landscapes and skies, I hardly scratched the surface of the visual opportunities that were offered to me."
So there it is… an endorsement of the region’s “visual opportunities'“ from the master story-teller himself. Yet humble pretenders, looking to convey their own story in a single modest frame, are clearly unlikely to rival Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park. The key, I think, is to lower expectations, soak up the atmosphere, and simply enjoy whatever scenes happen to unfold.
In my case, however, I did have a secret weapon - a pair of intrepid swashbucklers in the shape of my Dad (Nigel) and trusty hound (Moogie). By bounding to the crest of a nearby granite outcrop, oblivious to the peril, they were able to augment my view of the lone hawthorn and distant Hay Tor.
Admittedly it’s more One Mann and His Dog than Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but no matter… sometimes the landscape is alien enough already! ;-)
”Anyone seen the Devil’s Tower?”
(Exploring the Rocky Roots of Dartmoor)
“Landscapes and Skies”
(Dartmoor’s Iconic Lone Hawthorn)
Pining for the Fords
(Exebridge Return, April 2025)
First Hisley Bridge, now Exebridge… it seems that returning to bridges (or fords) is becoming something of a habit as I wade further into the spring of 2025.
In the case of Exebridge - where the aptly-named River Exe meanders through the Exmoor foothills - I returned with quite a specific purpose in mind. My previous visit, one month earlier, had been specifically designed to test my new fishing waders… so my focus was naturally on the river itself. But as such, I’d neglected to photograph a fine lone tree in the adjacent field.
When I’d first glimpsed it, camera unwisely packed away, this tree had been magically illuminated by the rising sun. There was even a pond in a frosty hollow at its base, which I’d begun to frame up before realising that the moment had passed. This time, I was banking on the dawn conditions re-aligning; and when they did, however briefly, I would surely be ready!
Yet, as so often when preconceptions run rampant, I was to be disappointed. I made it to the field for Sunday sunrise, but skies were just too clear. Golden hour became a harsh glare; and compositionally, I couldn’t separate the tree from a distant messy background.
So I gave up on the lone tree, and looked around for anything else to shoot. Unsure of which focal length to use, I decided to constrain myself by fitting an 80mm prime (i.e. a lens with non-adjustable zoom). And for better or worse, this led me to pick out High Pines…
High Pines
(Exe Valley, Devon/Somerset Border)
Now I’m often content with one picture per photoshoot, but I was conscious that High Pines wasn’t really what I’d come for. And with the river so close by (in fact, it was just over the stile at the bottom-left of the image), I couldn’t resist a quick gander - if not a quick paddle!
The trouble is, this time I was sans waders. I was wearing wellingtons though, and water levels had fallen significantly since last month’s visit. This meant that some of the previously-submerged rocks were now spawning mini-rapids; and if I was hyper-careful, the river was just shallow enough for me to splosh around without the ice-cold water spilling over into my wellies.
At this stage, I should acknowledge that a simple snap of the tree-lined river would probably be much more of a crowd-pleaser than my arty attempts at semi-abstract close-ups. Yet, I seem to have developed a liking for texture and patterns, augmented in this case by the dappled sunlight which was just starting to skim the white water.
I anchored my tripod and teed up a single composition, pressing the shutter twice to experiment with different shutter speeds: firstly, just over three seconds; and secondly, just under one second. I think I prefer the latter, though present them both for posterity.
A nearby wooden sign, presumably for fisher-folk, calls this part of the river Rocky Pool - an apt if simple name. Personally, I’m happier taking photos rather than fish! ;-)
Go with the Flow
(Rocky Pool Rapids, River Exe)
By the Light of a Crescent Sun
(Partial Solar Eclipse, March 2025)
It’s a fine Saturday morning at the end of March, and I have two free hours to kill between dropping Karen off at art class and collecting her again. By a curious coincidence, this time span marks the exact duration of a partial solar eclipse which is set to sweep across the UK between 10am and midday. While Karen paints a sunflower, I’ll focus on the sun…
Much as I love astronomy, I do have reservations. Eclipses are magnificent to behold - literally cosmic events - yet from a photographic standpoint, everyone tends to end up with the same basic composition. I’d also captured something similar before (the so-called Celestial Jaffa Cake of June 2021). And worse still, there’s always somebody with a bigger telescope…
In a vain attempt to counter all of this, I develop a hare-brained notion to capture a foreground silhouette within the eclipsed disc of the sun - a bird, say, perched in a treetop. So I drive to the nearby countryside, where there’s a quiet riverside pasture, and set up my tripod beneath a tree with a prominent upper branch.
But I can see straight away that this is hopeless. The sun is high in the sky, so I’m tucked right in under the tree - and consequently, the branch is pretty close. With my longest lens and teleconverter fitted, there’s no way on earth that the branch and sun will both be in focus. And then there’s the solar filter, which renders everything except the sun completely black. Even aligning the branch with the moving sun seems an astronomical task.
Then, to top it all, a bank of cloud drifts across and obscures the sun entirely. And there’s clearly more to come, bubbling up from the south. With the maximum extent of the eclipse only minutes away, I seem to have missed my chance. Dejectedly, I collect my gear and wander off to explore the river instead.
Yet, just as I’m contemplating an abstract shot of a mini-rapid, the scene is flooded with sunlight. And sure enough, a small gap has opened up in the cloud, with just a few wisps remaining to mute the sun’s disc. I can’t really look with the naked eye, but the dark curve of the moon is definitely intruding, somehow sensed as much as seen.
Now in something of a panic, I hurriedly re-apply the solar filter, spin round my tripod and zoom in to this celestial wonder. Any thought of a fancy silhouette now seems absurd - simply capturing the eclipse is challenging enough, and there’s a real feel of excitement at witnessing something so magical as it finally emerges, shakily at first, through my camera’s viewfinder. I dial in the settings and fire off a couple of shots, before thicker cloud once again blows in. But it’s now in the can… not the ‘money shot’ that I’d dreamt of, but something realistic and worthwhile. I pack up my camera bag and head contentedly back to the car.
Yet photoshoots can be emotional rollercoasters… and as I glance over at my original tree, I’m brought back to earth with a bump. I notice that a lone buzzard has perched on the tree’s upper branch… the very branch that I’d been attempting to tee up before I’d impatiently abandoned my post. The bird flies away as I approach, and probably wouldn’t have landed there had I been in the vicinity - but still, it’s fun to wonder, like the archetypal fisherman, about the one that got away!
The main thing is, I made it back to the art centre on time to collect Karen. She has her sunflower and I have my sun. Perhaps we should hang them next to each other on the wall, to mark an artistic Saturday morning artfully spent! ;-)
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER… the solar eclipse pics shown below were taken through a specialised solar filter. Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye; if using optical equipment (including cameras), ensure that suitable precautions are in place.
Eclipsing my Photographic Art -
Karen’s Acrylic Sunflower
(Spot the Sunspot!)
(Devon, 29th March 2025)
Hisley Bridge Revisited
(Edge of Dartmoor, March 2025)
Over a month had passed since I’d last visited Hisley Bridge… and it was gradually dawning on me that I had unfinished business.
On that previous occasion, I’d failed to find a compelling composition of the ancient bridge or River Bovey, and had instead found myself sizing up a nearby stagnant pool. The resulting image, Foot of the Forest, hopefully has its merits - but if I’m honest, I hadn’t really done the place justice.
So one weekend at the tail-end of March, I once again engaged the services of local guide Nigel and tracker dog Moo. As before, Hisley Bridge was in our sights - and thankfully, though the weather was grey, the drizzle stayed away!
This time, I also had a secret weapon up my sleeve - or rather, almost everywhere except my sleeve - for I’d clumsily donned my comical pair of fishing waders. And while I self-consciously sploshed around, my Dad waited patiently on the bank and fielded questions from puzzled walkers about what that strange man was doing in the river?!
Actually, I’m not so sure of that myself… answers on a postcard! ;-)
The Old Rugged Crossing
(Hisley Bridge, River Bovey)
Taking a Bough - The Split Tree
(Darkest Devon, March 2025)
I’d first noticed the ‘Split Tree’ while driving home from the dentist - a time when I’m especially sensitive to crumbling decay - during the autumn of 2024.
Despite the tree’s obvious potential, a follow-up recce during the Christmas holiday hadn’t been encouraging. Perhaps influenced by the dull grey weather at the time, all I could see were problems. For one thing, the adjacent ‘trunk’ road made me self-conscious, clearly hindering surreptitious use of the field. Then there were the background telegraph wires - a classic photographic eyesore. And finally, closer inspection revealed that the Business Park opposite, which I’d eyed on the map as a potential parking area, had a barrier and 24-hour security. Hmm… time to look elsewhere! :-(
Yet the lure of the ‘Split Tree’ never entirely left me. I’d sometimes imagine how it would look in snow (which never materialised), or in thick fog (which did materialise, but only when I was at work or in bed!). But thinking about it, I hadn’t shot any nightscapes in a while - and the cover of darkness would solve the busy ‘trunk’ road problem, perhaps even obscuring those pesky telegraph wires…
So fast-forward to March, and I set off one murky Saturday night for a spot of covert photography. OK, so I’d need to park some distance up the road and walk in, stumbling along the verge in the partial moonlight. But this could be worth it, for the adventure alone. I was soon tiptoeing past that Business Park security post at midnight, camera and tripod in hand… if only I could evade detection, maybe I’d avoid being arrested as an industrial spy! (If questioned, this website must surely aid my cover story of being a hapless, indeed slightly obsessive, landscape photographer!) ;-)
As it transpired, one further constraint was that the field was planted with a crop, meaning that I could only look on from the edge. Yet I enjoyed experimenting, watching the clouds float by as I tried different exposure times in which to ‘light-paint’ the split tree using a torch (timed to avoid the bewilderment of passing motorists!).
To conclude, I even ‘branched out’ a little into the realm of abstract, waving torch and tripod to generate a kind-of ‘tractor beam’ effect over the tree. Aliens everywhere, beware! :-0
Exe Valley Abstracts
(River Exe at Exebridge, March 2025)
The first Sunday of March may have blossomed into a fine sunny day, but it began with a cold and frosty dawn. For me, this was an opportunity to try out my new pair of fishing waders, purchased (to much family hilarity) for the sole purpose of immersive water photography. So I set out just before dawn - around 6:30am - and decided to explore the Exe Valley north of Tiverton, where the River Exe snakes its way out of the Exmoor foothills.
Beautiful as this area is, I found the emerging light a little harsh for conventional landscape shots - and besides, I had a river to clamber into! So I parked up at Exebridge, on the Devon/Somerset border, and walked the shaded banks in search of any enticing white water.
The river around here is wide and serene, yet a modest line of rapids at least held some abstract potential. So I clumsily donned my waders and sploshed in, using my tripod to brace against the current. I must have been anchored there for almost an hour, growing extremely cold as I waited for some side light to infiltrate the valley’s wooded slopes.
Exposure times of 2 to 3 seconds allowed for some blurring of the water… which led me to wonder whether these rapids, viewed upside down, might be indistinguishable from brooding clouds. Simulacra in nature, that sort of thing.
And maybe there’s something in this, as my Facebook posting of Watercolour Sky (An Exe Valley Abstract) so far remains unchallenged as a genuine sky shot. Or maybe it’s just lack of interest. No matter - either way, I enjoyed creating it! ;-)
Extra Texture - River Exe Rapids
(Viewed the right way up!)
Watercolour Sky
(An Exe Valley Abstract)
Foot of the Forest
(Hisley Bridge Pool, February 2025)
Hisley Bridge, spanning the River Bovey on the wooded fringes of Dartmoor, is surely one of the most historic and photogenic packhorse bridges in the country.
Unfortunately, on this grey and drizzly winter’s day, I just couldn’t find a composition. And so, not for the first time, I ended up in something of a stagnant puddle.
Let’s call it a pool rather than a puddle… and let’s be even more generous by giving the picture a title.
So here’s my inaugural image of 2025 - allow me to present Foot of the Forest…
Note: In terms of photographic content, this page is expected to feature a high ‘rate of churn’ as new pictures come and go.
Please see my New (Cumulative) page for an archive of previously-posted images from late 2022 onwards, as originally presented above.
A more extensive selection of recent pictures, and some of the stories behind them, can be found in my 2024 Gallery. Happy viewing! :-)
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