Dartmoor 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.
Sometimes it's the small rocky outcrops rather than the tors that are the highlight of a location.
Read MoreMy run of good luck with photographing the heather on Dartmoor continues with a visit to Honeybag Tor.
Read MoreMy journey to photograph the heather on Dartmoor takes a big step forward with a visit to Chinkwell Tor!
Read MoreIn this blog post I continue my search for a compelling photograph of the heather on Dartmoor by visiting Grimspound.
Read MoreIn my blog this week I start to tell you the story of my goal to capture a compelling photograph of the heather on Dartmoor.
Read MoreWatern Tor is one of Dartmoor's most remote locations, but is it worth a 15km round trip walk to photograph it?
Read MoreI'm on a journey to expand my creative toolbox to include black and white photography. Find out in this blog post why my Dartmoor photography is changing.
Read MoreIn the blog this week I take a long walk to one of Dartmoor’s most remote tor, Wild Tor, and question if it was all worth all the effort!
Read MoreIn my blog this week, I do something that I haven't done before and that's photograph Sharp Tor near Willsworthy on Dartmoor.
Read MoreIn my blog this week, I set a very early alarm call so I can be at Bowerman's Nose on Dartmoor for sunrise, but to my surprise I experience more than just good light.
Read MoreIn my latest blog post I embark on a wild camping adventure to capture photographs of Steeperton Tor on Dartmoor from dusk to dawn! See more photographs from that adventure and learn why I think wild camping is such an important right.
Read MoreA trip to Ger Tor on Dartmoor where I expected nothing and got something!
Read MoreGiving up on Venford Falls and discovering Yar Tor on Dartmoor National Park.
Read MoreA few years ago, I asked myself the questions, “What do I know about Dartmoor? What makes this place so unique?”.
When I couldn’t answer those questions, I made a commitment to myself to not only see more of Dartmoor, but to learn more about it.
And from that commitment, Discovering Dartmoor was born, a 5 part video series where I explore and photograph 24 of Dartmoor's finest locations and speak to some of Dartmoor's most passionate ambassadors so I could find out for myself what makes Dartmoor so special.
Read MoreIt’s rare that I get to completely immerse myself in my landscape photography. Even more rare that I’ll be doing this for two weeks! Heaven! Well, at least I hope it will be heaven, and given that I’m photographing the Outer Hebrides I’m sure it will be.
But while I’m away I thought I’d take some time to publish some photographs that have never seen the light of day. It’s not that these are poor photographs, it’s just that I never got around to publishing them anywhere. Sometimes I just go out and take photographs with no intention of writing a blog post or producing an associated video.
However, no photograph should just be left to die a slow death on a hard drive so every now and again I like to gather up those unpublished photographs and bring them into the light. The eight photographs below cover a 12 month period and three different counties. Enjoy!
I love printing my photographs as much as I love capturing them! Join me in this video as I head out to Dartmoor to capture a new landscape photograph and then head home to print it on the new Fotospeed PF Gloss and Lustre 310 papers!
Read MoreSometimes it's OK to just enjoy the experience of taking landscape photographs. Not every photo needs to win awards or have a deeper meaning. Photography can also be about having fun, admiring the view, or taking joy in the simple act of pressing the shutter button.
Read MoreI bought a Nikon Z8 then I stopped taking landscape photographs. But why? In this video I head to Dartmoor to capture some dramatic landscape photographs and I'll tell you why you haven't seen me online recently.
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