Summertime
During a summertime visit to the gardens at Holehird in The Lake District I was captivated by the huge variety of hydrangeas growing there. On that particular day, under a warm Cumbrian sun, nothing could sum up a balmy summer’s day better than being amongst their blousy blooms. Here’s a quick sample of the shots [...]
New Life
Working on a shoot for the NFU a few days ago, over in chilly Northumberland I found this newborn lamb being tended by it’s mum.
Adventures in a Cumbrian bogland.
Today I enjoyed a shoot in the English Lakes, working with an award winning dry-stone waller, I’ll post some of those shots in a few days. Following the shoot I spent a few hours exploring a damp forest and took the opportunity to refine a technique I’m developing. In the gallery below you can see [...]
Mosserotica
This month is moss month for me. I’m going to focus on the tiny world of tree trunks, ditches, moorland bogs and more. I’ve no idea yet what these tiny toadstools are, they’re only about 3mm in diameter. Here’s the entree…
Birch Maps
I wanted to isolate the patterns of the Birch bark in a small series of monochromatic images so I visited Mere Sands Wood reserve, known for its mature birch woodland and spent a couple of hours creating images to work with. The movement of the trees in the slight wind surprised me, I had many [...]
From Blank Canvas to Brockholes
Well, here it is. Three years in the making… Work began on this project is late summer 2008 and it finally came together in time to be premiered at the annual conference of Lancashire Environmental Fund who commissioned the film.
Anglezarke Moors
It’s my Monochrome Moorland photography workshop on Saturday so I spent much of the day tramping the hills to check on my chosen locations. Despite the lashing rain and high winds I’m really happy with the shots I’ve captured. I’m having to change the route of the workshop a touch due to the recent rains. [...]
Ebb and Flow
Inspired by the success of the Working with Water photography workshop I decided to spend a while exploring the ephemeral link between the transient waters of a local stream with the ancient permanence of the rocks though which it flows. The very edges of water proved to be a real draw to my students, they [...]
Working with Water Workshop
Yesterday I ventured up to the Lake District to finalise my plans for the upcoming ‘Working with Water’ photography workshop. It’s all looking good! Our day will begin at Ashness Bridge, one of the most popular spots in Cumbria. With an early start we’ll beat the crowds. There’s a deep feeling of an ancient landscape [...]
What a great day
The weather was absolutely perfect. The sun shone when needed. A thin haze of cloud cover appeared when we needed softer light, and the wind wasn’t more than a breath of fresh air. Our day in the Forest of Bowland shooting flora, insects and abstract patterns went perfectly. Thank you to my students who made [...]
Forest Fire
This forest was of my youth. I remember it being planted. I remember walking my collie dog through her dappled shade. I remember seeking shelter from stormy moorland days and kneeling in her undergrowth cutting my macro teeth on her fungi. At the end of April an arson-induced fire raged across the landscape taking this [...]
Salford Insoles Film
This was a different sort of project for me and involved quite a bit of team-work. Created for Science 26 the storyboarding had to be quite tight as we had a limited time to capture the necessary clips, all of which were created using the Canon 5D Mk2 DSLR. My daughter Tanya composed and [...]
Mountain Rescue Volunteer
Sometimes a shoot comes along that makes you take stock, to think a little deeper, to consider humanity. Meeting and photographing Chris Lloyd was such an occasion. He’s one of several Mountain Rescue Volunteers working from the Ogwen Rescue Centre in Snowdonia and spends much of his spare time risking life and limb helping hapless, [...]
New Spring Photo Workshop
Yesterday I spent a few hours visiting the locations that I plan to work with during my upcoming New Spring nature photography workshop. It rained the whole time. Quite hard. These shots were taken using my iPhone. The plan is to visit two woodlands, each with a different spirit of place, and to try to [...]
Photography by Moonlight
There’s something quite magical about moonlight. It feels different on your skin. Although most of the land is hidden by the darkness of night, that which is revealed by the light of the full moon appears to be somehow more of itself than usual. I’ve been photographing with the light of the moon recently and [...]
Circle Wood
Sometimes a place stays with you for life, becomes a part of you… I’ve visited this woodland since early childhood and have developed a real affinity with the place. Here’s a short video that shows the small stone circle I’ve put in place.
Permaculture Photography
Currently I’m enrolled on a year long course studying the principles of Permaculture Design, the only way ahead if we want to find a sustainable way to embrace our future. This is a fascinating and deeply nature connected field, and one which I find inspiring and exciting. I’ve come to realise that much of my [...]
Beacon Fell
In the wake of a misty morning I drove north to Beacon Fell and spent a few hours in the company of forest. The silence gripped me, I felt bigger for being there. Here’s a few of the shots I made once I’d settled in to the spirit of the place.
The Fine Winds of Autumn
Inspired by the recent woodlands / forests debate, here’s a short (1min 15 secs) film of early autumn. Nothing fancy, simply something to watch and remember… And if you have trouble with Vimeo, it’s also on YouTube. The footage was captured as part of the ongoing LEF project to document the development of the Brockholes [...]
Devil’s Kitchen
I first visited this place many years ago, way back in the days of film cameras and remember being totally awestruck by the raw wildness of this mountain-scape. So when the NFU’s Countryside mag commissioned me to shoot a Mountain Rescue Volunteer on Sunday, not two miles away I couldn’t help but schedule an early [...]
Brockholes Visitor Centre
It’s hard to believe this complex of buildings will float in a few weeks! But that’s the plan. I’ve been filming at Brockholes for almost 2 years now, creating a film for Lancashire Environmental Fund and spent a couple of hours on site this morning catching up on progress and capturing a few clips and [...]
Meet Rupert – my new Grandson
Huge congratulations to Tanya and her guy Stuart. After a bit of a tough couple of days Rupert has arrived. These shots were taken moments after they arrived home, worn out but happy with their 7 hour old boy. xx
Wild Coast and Winter Swans workshop photos
I called the workshop ‘Wild Coast’ and that’s certainly what it was. The day of our workshop dawned wet and windy, giving us plenty of opportunities to work with the elements. Despite the onslaught of horizontal icy rain, and piercing wind-blown sand we had a great day. Lily, Tim, Linda and Andrew all commented on [...]
The Beach
Yesterday I spent a few hours on the beach, mentally preparing the way for my workshop of the 15th. Everything had changed, that’s the beauty of the coast, so much so that I’ll most likely visit again towards the end of next week to ensure the best possible wild coast experience for my students. One [...]
