Bite-Size Blog Post #68 - Shaugh Prior
More Than Tors
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know my favourite thing to photograph on Dartmoor is its tors. These geological monuments to time are all uniquely individual, and photographing them is both a challenge and a joy. But Dartmoor is so much more than its tors. The moor is also home to numerous woodlands and rivers.
My favourite time to photograph these areas isn’t autumn, as you might expect, but rather spring. Those lush lime-green colours of spring pop against the darkness of the woodland and provide a wonderful contrast to the flowing water.
One of the most popular woodlands on Dartmoor for photography is Shaugh Prior, and for good reason. Dense woodland hugs the banks of the river as it flows through what feels like an endless series of small waterfalls and cascades. There is, however, one particular stretch that I love to photograph, and it’s the location I like to take my workshop and 1-to-1 clients to.
It’s a great location for those who enjoy the challenge of finding compositions, and even if you discover the same composition as someone else, the way you choose to expose the image can completely change its feel. Longer exposures create that milky water effect, which you either love or hate, while shorter exposures capture more of the flow and texture of the water. It’s a wonderful place for experimentation.
It will be autumn when I return here with my workshop participants, and I can’t wait to see what images they create.
