With little chance of capturing a compelling landscape photograph and filming a video that will likely never get published, I was ready to go home. But never right off Dartmoor. Dramatic conditions can be just a moment away.
Read MoreThere are few better ways to start the day than by watching the sunrise at the beach. So, join me in my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure as I photograph first light at Dawlish Warren beach in Devon.
Read MoreMark Bauer and Ross Hoddinott are two of the UK's leading landscape photographers and in this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at their latest book 'From Dawn to Dusk - Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography'.
Read MoreIn this 5 Minute Photo Adventure I head to West Mill Tor where I find one of the most interesting clouds I think I’ve ever seen in the skies above Dartmoor.
Read MoreIn this special on-location edition of On My Bookshelf I show you how I used the book Explore & Discover Liverpool in the real world to make the most of my short visit to photograph the city of Liverpool.
Read MoreJoin me on another 5 Minute Photo Adventure to see why the view from Beinn a' Chrùlaiste towards Buachaille Etive Mòr is probably my favourite viewpoint in Glencoe.
Read MoreOn My Bookshelf is back for a 7th series, and this first episode I look at the Natural Landscape Photography Awards competition books. Are these fine art hardback books for your bookshelf?
Read MoreThat's right, I'm back on YouTube and giving my channel a reboot! In this first video of a packed schedule of upcoming videos, I visit Oke Tor on Dartmoor to capture some landscape photographs. I also talk about where I've been and more importantly, what I've got coming in the channel over the next few months.
Read MoreTo celebrate my recent birthday, I got together with some friends who also happened to be photographers celebrating birthdays and headed to the Land’s End for a weekend of photography.
Read MoreIn the blog this week I head to West Mill Tor on #Dartmoor after I was told it was "it's much more interesting" than East Mill Tor. Find out if it is and see what I else I captured that morning.
Read MoreThis week's blog covers my favourite photo from 2024: Bowerman's Nose on Dartmoor. It might be one of my best shots of Dartmoor.
Read MoreThere can't be many better locations to start your 2025 with than Glencoe! In this blog post I share the stories and photographs of the few days I spent there in January. You may be surprised by what you see!
Read MoreIn this blog post I share with you some of the photographs I captured from the recent snowfall on Dartmoor, and I discuss some of the compositional challenges when there is "too much snow".
Read MoreIn my blog this week I head to one of my favourite Dartmoor locations, East Mill Tor.
Read MoreIn my blog this week I tell you about a rare visit I made to the woodlands and river near Shaugh Prior on Dartmoor to capture this autumnal photograph.
Read MoreHappy New Year everyone! And to celebrate the start of 2025 here is a photograph of the start of a new day at The Cobb in Lyme Regis in Dorset. Read more about his photo in this blog post.
Read MoreIn this blog post I tell you about the three fantastic days I spent photographing the snow on Dartmoor.
Read MoreDartmoor is more than just barren rolling hills, it also has its fair share of woodlands and lone trees. In my blog this week I take advantage of the autumn colours and head to East Dartmoor Woods to have some fun with the camera
Read MoreIn my video series Discovering Dartmoor you will often hear me talk about how nice it is during the summer months to go for an evening walk on Dartmoor. If the wind is calm and the skies are clear it really can be one of life’s great pleasures. However, Dartmoor being Dartmoor, the conditions can be just as unsettled as they are in the summer as they are in the winter. So packing jackets and gloves is always recommend!
You might now be thinking that this is a story of being out in wintry conditions in the middle of summer. Well for once, it's not! This is a story of one of those summer evenings where the conditions were perfect for a nice stroll around my favourite area of Dartmoor.
As is often the case when the conditions are ideal for walking, I only go out with the intention of enjoying a walk and not to capture landscape photographs. That doesn't mean I won't take my camera with me, it's just means that the primary reason for going out is to enjoy a walk.
I started my evening walk with no real plan other than I'll park near Row Tor, head south and see where I end up. When I got parked the car, I could see East Mill Tor in the distance, so I thought that was a good a place as any to head to. I had been discussing East Mill Tor with a fellow photographer a few days before, so I decided to head there to review some compositions at both the north and south end of the tor.
Oke Tor Sunset #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/40th at ISO 200.
As I stood on the southern edge of East Mill Tor I took in some deep breaths and admired the landscape that stretched out in front of me. It was glorious! But where to go next? Scanning the horizon I could see Oke Tor. If I went there then I could make a nice little loop back to the car.
As I approached Oke Tor I could see the light dancing along the landscape and despite me not having the intention of capturing photographs that evening, I started to get excited about the possibility of getting the camera out. It was getting late though, and I was worried that there might not be enough time to get up onto the tor and to make use of the nice light.
Sure enough, I got up onto the tor and the light had gone. However, it was a beautiful evening, and I was in no hurry so I decided to be patient and waited to see what would happen. It was so peaceful there and I just stood there looking at the view. I could see patches of light illuminating the landscape but there were unfortunately not landing on the tor where I was.
Even as I stood there, I remember thinking that even if I don't get any photographs, I would return home having had a lovely walk and seen some spectacular views.
As most landscape photographers will tell you, patience is something you need to have lots of in this field of photography. It's not often you get rewarded for your patience, but on this evening, I was, and I captured a beautiful image of Oke Tor.
Oke Tor Sunset #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/3 at ISO 64.
As I walked back to the car, I thought about how fortunate I am to be able to experience Dartmoor in the ways that I do. I can freely walk all over Dartmoor and enjoy everything nature has to offer, and if I put myself in the right place at the right time, I can also use my camera to capture those unique moments in time.
In this blog post I head to Dawlish to photograph something a little different but I'm not sure of the results.
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