Bite-Size Blog Post #58 - Great Mis Tor - Dartmoor National Park
A spontaneous visit to Great Mis Tor gave me the chance to explore this location once again. Sometimes the best preparation comes when there is no pressure to capture the perfect shot.
Skilling Up on Dartmoor
I have spent a great deal of time walking across Dartmoor searching for its best locations and, more importantly, learning the right time to photograph them. This knowledge is vital for my one to one clients and workshop groups, who expect me to guide them to the right place at the right time.
They also expect me to do this safely. While many of the locations I use are not far from the road, some clients, particularly those on one to one sessions, want to venture further into the wilderness of Dartmoor. For that, I need to know exactly where I am and how to move confidently through the landscape. I am comfortable using a map, but that does not mean I should stop improving my navigation skills.
To build on my experience, I recently completed the National Navigation Award Scheme Silver Award course on Dartmoor. I loved every minute of it. Although I will rarely need some of the more advanced skills when working with clients, I firmly believe it is better to be over skilled than under prepared.
Putting New Skills Into Practice
At the end of the second and final day of training, I found myself on the western edge of Dartmoor with about ninety minutes to spare before sunset. As always, I had packed my camera gear in the car just in case an opportunity presented itself. The only question was where to go.
One location I had not photographed for a long time was Great Mis Tor. Despite walking nearly ten kilometres during the day’s navigation training, I picked up my bag and made the steady climb.
Great Mis Tor, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO 64.
Returning to Great Mis Tor
With blue skies overhead and hazy cloud sitting low on the horizon, conditions were far from dramatic. It was never going to produce a portfolio image, and that was perfectly fine. Without the pressure of chasing exceptional light, I was free to explore, study the formations, and consider stronger compositions for the future.
There will definitely be a next time. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to return to Great Mis Tor. It is a remarkable location with enormous photographic potential. I am already looking forward to going back, and I certainly will not wait for another navigation course as an excuse.
Great Mis Tor, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 64.
Dartmoor Photography at Rippon Tor: Light, Landscape and Connection
A personal insight into why this iconic tor remains one of my favourite locations for Dartmoor landscape photography and workshops.
Being Connected
This year, 2026, I am committed to continuing to deepen my connection with Dartmoor. From discovering more about its history and geology, to photographing new places or returning to familiar ones in different conditions, my aim is simple. As I said in my Discovering Dartmoor series, learning about Dartmoor is not something to be completed, but a lifelong journey.
Exploration is one aspect of that journey, but just as important is familiarity and experience. This is especially important when I am leading workshops or guiding someone in one to one tuition.
Rippon Tor Sunrise #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 19mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64.
Why I Keep Returning to Rippon Tor
One of my favourite locations to take people is Rippon Tor. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know I photograph Rippon Tor regularly, but why?
There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, as a location it is a great place to teach people how to approach the photography of Dartmoor’s tors. With scattered rocks, interesting formations and panoramic views, there is a great deal to work with. Aside from being a strong teaching location, it is simply a wonderful place to photograph.
Located on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, with clear views down to the coast, there are few better places to watch the start of a new day. It is those clear views to the coast that make it a firm favourite for me, because if you are going to catch light from the rising sun anywhere, you are likely to catch it on Rippon Tor.
Rippon Tor Sunrise #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 23mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64.
When the Light Transforms the Landscape
That light can transform the scene right in front of your eyes. One minute the tors look grey and flat. Then, as soon as the sun peeks its head over the horizon, or more likely over a bank of cloud, those solid lumps of granite are transformed into wondrous monuments of Dartmoor’s geological history.
I love watching the light move across the landscape, creating areas of brightness and shadow, contrast and colour. Sometimes it lasts only a few minutes, but in that time I feel completely connected to the landscape. My camera becomes an extension of me. I am not fiddling with settings or worrying about gear. I am simply watching the scene unfold and change around me, capturing photographs when I feel inspired.
It is a truly magical experience. Even if it only lasts two minutes and my hands are frozen from the constant wind that sweeps across Rippon Tor, I head home knowing I have experienced something that few other people ever will. And if you would like to experience mornings like this for yourself, I would be delighted to welcome you along on a future Dartmoor workshop.
Rippon Tor Sunrise #3, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 27mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #57 - Pew Tor Sunset - Dartmoor National Park
Revisiting Pew Tor after several years, I found tricky conditions but valuable practice, proving that even when the magic is elusive, it’s still important to practice your craft.
Discovering Dartmoor
My first experience of Pew Tor was way back in 2015, but it was another seven years before I returned to film for Discovering Dartmoor. Near Pork Hill car park, it is a relatively easy walk, especially compared to the climb up to its more majestic neighbour, Great Staple Tor, which I wrote about recently. I was reminded of this little gem when I saw a beautifully crafted photograph of Pew Tor by a local photographer in Outdoor Photography magazine.
Inspired by that photograph, and with fond memories of filming there, I set off rather quickly last Saturday. I say quickly because I had miscounted the time and ended up leaving a bit later than I had originally planned. Experience of photographing Dartmoor has taught me that the best light is often thirty to sixty minutes before the expected sunset, so I needed to get there early.
Arriving at Pork Hill car park, it was unsurprisingly busy for a Sunday afternoon, but after only a short walk I soon found myself a little more alone. It did not last long though, as Pew Tor was proving to be a popular location that day. With easy access from several parking areas, great views, and rock formations perfect for climbing, it is a magnet for families heading out for a walk.
While the children seemed to find scrambling over the rocks easy, the photography was a little more challenging. It was one of those afternoons where you feel some magic is about to happen, but it ends up missing something. Either there was not enough cloud, or there was too much, or it was blocking the sun. These are the conditions that really challenge you as a photographer, so I had to work with the light that was there and look for less obvious compositions.
So while these photographs might not represent the most interesting views of Pew Tor, they are still pleasing images and reflect my experience of the place that day. It is good to work hard for your photography sometimes. It is good practice, both in terms of composition and technical craft. Keeping your skills sharp is important because you never know when the next big moment might arrive, and I want to be ready.
Pew Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 22mm, f/13, 1/60 at ISO 400.
Pew Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/13, 1/60 at ISO 400.
Photographing Great Staple Tor - Dartmoor National Park
Remembering Alyn Wallace and chasing the light at Great Staple Tor.
Remembering Alyn Wallace
We’ve all heard the old phrase “doesn’t time fly” but the older I get the faster it goes because I can’t believe it’s been over two and half years since I last photographed Great Staple Tor. It only seems like yesterday I was wild camping there to try my hand at astrophotography. The fact that I tried it was thanks to the excellent book by Alyn Wallace (who is greatly missed). If you’re not aware of Alyn’s book then I strongly suggest you check out this blog post and see the real world video review I did.
Great Staple Tor is completely the opposite side of Dartmoor to where I live so I don’t make it there as much as I’d like to. However, I found myself with a little more time than normal one Saturday afternoon, so I jumped in the car to made the journey across the moor.
Chasing the Light
At first the weather was looking great. Showers, rainbows, lots of cloud and light dancing across the landscape. Soon though, I was in heavy rain and the likelihood of photographing anything was looking increasingly unlikely. I pulled over and considered turning around and chasing the better conditions I had just driven through. But I checked my weather app, and it assured me that the heavy showers would pass.
Arriving at the carpark for Great Staple Tor I was delighted to see that the forecast was indeed correct. It’s not often that happens but I wasn’t complaining. I was soon making the walk up past Little Staple Tor and onto Great Staple Tor. Things were looking very positive. Clouds in the sky, light across the landscape and the rock stacks (tors) were looking majestic.
Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/6 at ISO 64.
I’ll Just Clone That Out
Dartmoor at the weekend can be a busy place. As the day goes on more people go out to enjoy the moor and good for them. It’s a wonderful place and I encourage everyone to get out there to discover Dartmoor!
At this time of year though, you’ll find less tourists but plenty of younger people out training for the Ten Tors event. There’s no way I would have done something like that at their age, so they have lots of respect from me. January on Dartmoor isn’t exactly forgiving.
Now, this might sound like a complaint, but I can assure it isn’t, but it was frustrating. With the conditions working in my favour for once I was happy. Happy creating dramatic images of Great Staple Tor. After a while three lads turn up and start chatting. No worries, they’ll move on soon and I’ll carry on shooting. But they didn’t. Instead they started to put up two tents right in the middle of my compositions. Just as the light was getting good!
Did I ask them to move? No, I did not! They have every right to be on Dartmoor. Just as much right as I did, and the fact that they very innocently planted a couple of tents where I wanted to photograph was just plain bad luck.
Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/6 at ISO 64.
The good news was that they were relatively small in the frame, so for some of the photographs I just cloned them out. Or dare I say it, I used the AI remove tool in Lightroom! My approach to object removal is that if the offending object is temporary such as a branch, car, human, or even a tent, it is fair game for removal. If it’s something permanent like power cables, buildings, roads, it’s got to stay.
Besides, the arrival of the tents encouraged me to move onto Roos Tor where my interest was reignited for this unusual tor. A return visit there is on my list now! So, thanks lads!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventure and seeing the photographs I captured. What would you have done in my situation? Would you have asked the lads to camp a few more meters away? And if not, would you have removed the tent in post processing? Let me know in the comments below.
Bite-Size Blog Post #56 - Black Tor Sunrise - Dartmoor National Park
In this bite sized blog I make the long walk up to Black Tor to see if it’s not too late in the year to photograph it at sunrise.
It’s a Short Window
The walk from Meldon Reservoir car park to Black Tor is one I have taken on many occasions. There are magnificent views along the way and if you include High Willhays on your route you can also claim to be standing on the roof of Devon. For me, the photographic highlight though is Yes Tor, which is not far from High Willhays.
But Black Tor is not to be ignored if you are out with your camera. If you are looking to photograph it during the golden hours, things get a little more tricky though. There is only a small window during the summer when the sun sets in a direction that will illuminate the tor with the best light.
It’s even more challenging to photograph it at sunrise as the surrounding hills can block the light from the rising sun until well past the golden hour. So, for those few weeks either side of the winter solstice I try to make the challenging walk up from the reservoir car park to Black Tor and watch the sunrise.
Black Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO64.
My Only Attempt?
I missed out on photographing sunrise at Black Tor at the end of 2025 because I was delayed in my return from Scotland, and then there was Christmas. I don’t think I took any photos over Christmas!
Roll on 2026 and a late opportunity presented itself and I managed to capture the photographs you see in this blog. I do however think I was a little late in the window of opportunity as it took nearly 20 minutes for the sun to break over the hills, so the light was harsher than I hoped for.
Black Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO64.
One More Try?
I’ve reckon I’ll have one more go at it this weekend. I suspect I’m a bit late now for Black Tor sunrises, and a lot depends on the weather. Even if I do make the early morning walk and I don’t get the shot, it’s a fine way to start the day and I’ll make my walk a little more adventurous by walking up to the roof of Devon.
Bite-Size Blog Post #55 - Hound Tor - Dartmoor National Park
In this bite sized blog I head to Hound Tor for some daytime photograph!
Creativity After Sunrise
I love the light you get from a rising or setting sun. It’s warm and soft, and it can make the landscape glow. It can also test your commitment during the summer months when sunrise can be 5am and sunset as late as 9pm (at least on Dartmoor anyway). But if you thought these were the only times of day to take photographs you’d be mistaken.
While there’s no doubt that I prefer to shoot during the golden hours, by not taking photographs during the day, you’re missing out on hours and hours of creativity and fun. Admittedly, it can be a little more challenging as shadows are harsher and there more people about, but for those looking for a challenge the results can be rewarding.
A few weeks ago I had a few hours to kill so I took a wander up to Hound Tor. There was little cloud in the sky, the landscape was very contrasty, and I had to pick my out my compositions carefully. Aside from negotiating a busy location (Hound Tor is very popular with visitors), I had to look for compositions where strong areas of light and shadow would work.
When I found my composition, I knew it was going to be black and white, so I set my Nikon Z8 to Deep Tone Monochrome and got to work. This is the resulting image.
Houndtor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/100 sec at ISO 640.
I didn’t find much else to photograph that morning, but it did remind me of what an interesting location Hound Tor is to photograph. It’s a location that works well when I teach photographers about photographing Dartmoor.
I’m looking forward to going back. Not just at the golden hours, but during the day. As I looked about, I could see how the angle of the light would change during the day, opening up a new compositions. I can’t wait to see what I find.
Bite-Size Blog Post #54 - First Dawn of the Year at Dawlish Warren
In this bite sized blog I share with you the story behind my first photograph of 2026.
Starting the Year with an Old Friend
Setting an alarm call for 06:30 on the 1st of January isn’t something I would normally do. It’s not as if I normally stay up the night before celebrating the start of a new year, it’s just that it’s nice to stay in bed sometimes and the 1st of January always seem like the perfect day to do so.
On this occasion though, I’d already had few long mornings in bed over the festive period, and I was itching to get out with the camera and get 2026 off to a flying start! However, I wanted to share the morning sunrise with someone so heading off on a 90 minute walk to a remote tor for sunrise wasn’t an option.
A much more socially acceptable choice would be a lovely walk along a beach somewhere. But where to go? For me there was only one place. Dawlish Warren! It’s only a short drive from home, it’s good for watching sunrise, and it’s a pleasant beach to walk along. And given the number of times I have photographed the beach, I know it can yield good results.
Arriving at Dawlish Warren I could see that lots of other people also thought that a walk along the beach would be a good idea. It wasn’t overly busy, but even for sunrise it was busier than usual. There were even swimmers in the water.
What I tend to do in these situations is head up past groyne number 10 as dogs aren’t allowed past that point. It’s not only quieter, but at low tide you can still get interesting photographs like this one.
It’s not my favourite photograph of Dawlish Warren but it reminds me of what a lovely morning I had watching the sunrise on the 1st of January and if that’s not a good reason for taking a photograph, I don’t know what is.
Happy new year everyone!
Gitzo Carbon Fibre GT3532 Mountaineer Tripod with GH3382QD Ball Head Kit Review
In this video I review the Gitzo Carbon Fibre GT3532 Mountaineer Tripod and the Gitzo GH3382QD Ball Head Kit (GK3532-82QD). I talk about the engineering, build quality, features and what it’s actually like to use in real landscape photography situations.
A Professional Tripod Built to Last
Answering the question “which tripod should I buy” is becoming increasingly difficult. Over the years the number of manufacturers selling tripods has gone through the roof. There is everything from simple cheap aluminium tripods costing less that £100 al the way up to more complex tripods with self-levelling technology. While they all might do roughly the same thing, how they go about it, how stable your camera will be and how long it will last all vary greatly from tripod to tripod.
I have talked about a number of tripods on this website, from budget friendly tripods to heavy duty carbon fibre tripods. But there is one tripod that has remained a constant in my kit bag, and that is my Gitzo Mountaineer GT2532. I purchased it over 7 years ago at The Photography Show in Birmingham. Even though I got a show discount, it was still expensive, but it has lasted and not let me down.
When Gitzo asked if I wanted to review the model up from my GT2532, the GT3532, I was more than happy to talk about a product range that I have so much experience with. With 7 years experience with the GT2532 I knew I could add some extra value to a video review.
So here it is, my review of the Gitzo GT3532 Carbon Fibre Mountaineer Tripod and GH3382QD Ball Head. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
More Information and Purchase Links
🛒 Purchase the Gitzo Mountaineer GK3532-82QD kit - from Wex or Amazon
🛒 Purchase the Gitzo GT3532 Mountaineer Tripod only - from Wex or from Amazon
🛒 Purchase the Gitzo GH3382QD Ball Head only - from Wex or from Amazon
✔️ Read the full specifications of the Gitzo Mountaineer GK3532-82QD kit (tripod and head) - https://www.gitzo.com/uk-en/tripod-kit-mountaineer-series-3-3-sections-gk3532-82qd/
✔️ Specifications Gitzo Mountaineer GT3532 tripod only - https://www.gitzo.com/uk-en/tripod-mountaineer-series-3-3-sections-gt3532/
✔️ Specifications Gitzo GH3382QD Ball Head only - https://www.gitzo.com/uk-en/center-ball-head-quick-release-series-3-gh3382qd/
✔️ See wall the tripods in the Mountaineer series https://www.gitzo.com/uk-en/tripods/mountaineer/
A Glorious Morning at Great Links Tor - Dartmoor National Park
A photograph of Great Links Tor in the glorious morning light has eluded me for years but no longer thanks to this photograph. But why am I a tiny bit disappointed?
I Got the Shot, But I'm Slightly Disappointed!
Great Links Tor on Dartmoor is a hard location to photograph for a couple reasons. Firstly, it involves a strenuous walk with over 300 meters of ascent. I can make the walk in about 40 minutes, but with a heavy backpack of camera gear on my back, I can really feel it. Especially when it's a dawn shoot and I haven't quite left enough time to get to the summit with time to spare.
The other challenge is the weather. Great Links Tor sits at an altitude of 586 meters which makes predicting the weather a proper challenge. The weather at the start point of the walk can be very different than the weather at the top. I've often made the ascent in clear weather only to find Great Links Tor covered in cloud. You can check the weather forecast as much as you like, but sometimes you have to take a chance and go for it.
And go for it I do. Despite the 1.5 hr round trip in the car, and the 7 km walk, I still feel compelled to take a chance on the hope I will get a compelling photograph that will show how majestic Great Links Tor can be.
The risk has paid off though. Back in April 2023 I walked up to Great Links Tor for a sunset shot and while my patience was tested, it ultimately paid off with one of my favourite Dartmoor photographs. You can watch me capture that photograph in this blog post.
But with a great sunset photograph of Great Links Tor in my portfolio I craved a sunrise photograph to go with it. And so started my slight obsession with getting up early, and walking up to Great Links Tor in the dark. Prior to writing this blog post I had tried to capture a sunrise photograph of Great Links Tor that I am happy with several times. While each visit yielded a good photograph, I knew in different conditions I could capture something special.
Just to make things a little complicated, the photograph I wanted can only be captured during winter when the sunrises from a specific direction. This puts the pressure on!
As winter 2025 came round I was determined to try again and make what I expected to be multiple trips to Great Links Tor. I also thought this might make an interesting video story. How many ascents would I need to make? What would the conditions of each visit be? How frustrated would I get?
Well imagine my surprise when on my first winter 2025 ascent I get exactly the shot I was looking for. Setting off early in the morning, it was far from guaranteed that I would get the shot. The forecast was for clear blue skies which rarely makes for good landscape photographs. Arriving in the car park there were already a couple of vans parked up. This is often a sign that there are wild campers on the moor, and I have made the ascent to Great Links Tor before only to find a tent right in the middle of my favourite composition.
Sure enough, when I arrived there were wild campers there but fortunately well away from my composition. The camper was already awake when I arrived, and I enjoyed a very nice chat to him. But in the corner of my vision, I was keeping an eye on the conditions which were surprisingly looking very interesting. Despite much of the sky being clear there was some cloud above Great Links Tor and as soon as the sun rose above the horizon and lit the scene, I stopped chatting and got shooting!
This is the photograph I captured.
Sunrise at Great Links Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4S at 14mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO 64.
So why am I disappointed? It has nothing to do with the photograph. I'm really happy with it. I'm disappointed as I won't be producing a video documenting my repeated visits to Great Links Tor in search of my photograph! I mustn't complain as I felt really happy as I descended from Great Links Tor. I know I had a good shot in the bag.
So, is that me done with Great Links Tor? Of course not. There is always a different and possibly better photograph to be captured. It's just that I won't spend the winter focusing on when I will next go to Great Links Tor. I'm free to explore and discover some of Dartmoor's other winter locations. So make sure you sign up to my newsletter to find out where I go and what I photograph next.
When Dartmoor Turns Purple - Photographing the Magic of Heather Season
For a few short weeks each year, Dartmoor transforms into a purple landscape as the heather blooms across the tors. This video follows my journey across the moor, through sunrise, sunset, changing weather, and shifting conditions to photograph the heather at its absolute best.
The Changing Seasons of Dartmoor
The UK is a special place for landscape photographers, and I feel fortunate to live here. Every season dramatically changes the feel of the landscape and provides photographers with both opportunities and challenges. Those seasonal changes can also be seen at a local level where areas of the UK celebrate special natural events such as bluebells in Dorset, the autumn colours of the New Forest, or snowdrops in north Yorkshire.
But for me, the local seasonal event that I get most excited about occurs in late summer when the heather blooms across Dartmoor. I’m slightly biased as Dartmoor is my local area, but the purple heather adds a splash of colour to an already dramatic landscape. The other thing I like about the heather season on Dartmoor is that it lasts. Peak bluebells on Dartmoor, or thrift on the Cornish coast might only last a couple of weeks, but the heather will stay strong for 6 to 8 weeks. The longer something is about, the more opportunities there is to photograph it.
With this knowledge, I decided that I would focus my efforts this summer on capturing a series of strong heather themed photographs. Even if the weather was poor for a week, or I was away, I'd still have plenty of opportunities to get up onto Dartmoor and photograph locations I know are good for heather, or perhaps even discover some new ones.
So how did I get on? Well, I didn't get out as much as I wanted (no surprise there!), but I did get out enough times to create a collection of Dartmoor heather photos. It was a decent season, lasting nearly 8 weeks and I'm happy with the results. I do however appreciate that heather season finished a couple of months ago, but I'm finally ready to share it with you, and the photographs I captured. Enjoy!
Do you have a favourite seasonal event to photograph? Let me know in the comments below.
My Dartmoor Heather Collection for 2025
Haytor Heather, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 30mm, f/13, 1/50 sec at ISO 800
Bite-Size Blog Post #53 - First Snow of the Year on Dartmoor
A forecast of snow on Dartmoor was all I needed to read to get me to drop everything else and head out with my camera!
Let There Be Snow on Dartmoor!
For the last couple of months, I’ve had a bit of backlog of work. Not that I’m complaining, but it means I’ve been sacrificing the thing I love about photography, and that’s going out taking photographs! Sometimes when the weather forecast just doesn’t look good enough, I’ve opted to stay in the office editing, rather than taking a chance and heading out to take pictures.
However, when snow is forecast, I will drop everything and get myself out there! So, with light snow forecast on the western edge of Dartmoor I packed my bag, ready for an early morning start. Well, not that early. Sunrise is around 07:45, which as far as I’m concerned, that’s the middle of day (compared to spring!).
As I drove towards Okehampton, I did have a terrible thought. I hadn’t been to Dartmoor for such a long time that I’d got out of the habit of checking live firing times. I pulled over, and sure enough, the Okehampton range was live firing that day. Very annoying! Not to worry, I’d go to the one location that is accessible and might have snow on it, Belstone.
Arriving at the summit of Belstone it did indeed have snow on it, but only a light dusting. Enough to make it feel wintry. Not that I needed snow to feel that way. The freezing wind did a great job of that! The cold aside, it felt so good to be back up on Dartmoor, experiencing the wilderness and taking photographs.
I only captured one photograph which you can see below. The cloud cover was extensive as it was bringing in the snow, but the scene still makes for a good black and white photograph if you exclude most of the sky.
As I said, it was a great morning to be out on Dartmoor, and now that I’ve cleared most of my backlog of work, I’m really excited about spending a lot more time back out with the camera doing what I love.
Creating a Black and White Landscape Portfolio with Fotospeed DUO Papers & Spring Back Binders
In this video I continue my exploration of black and white landscape photography by creating a portfolio of prints using Fotospeed DUO papers and a Fotospeed Spring Back Binder.
Black and White Landscape Photography - Part 2
A few months ago, I published a video where I talked about my journey as a black and white landscape photographer. Something I never thought I would say, but hey, we all grow and change as photographers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exclusively a black and white photographer now, it’s just that capturing black and white while on location is something I now think about.
In this follow up video I’m going to take a selection of the black and white photographs I’ve been capturing and printing them to make my first black and white landscape photography portfolio. It was something I always intended on doing and I’m very happy with the results. Watch the video below to find out why!
Useful Links and Information
Watch Part 1
🎞️ Watch The Dance of Light and Shadow - How Black and White is Changing My Landscape Photography - Part 1
Fotospeed Papers
Use the discount code Julian15 and get 15% off Fotospeed papers at Fotospeed.com
🛒 Purchase Fotospeed Art Smooth DUO 210 - https://fotospeed.com/fotospeed-art-smooth-duo-210-short-grain.html
🛒 Purchase Fotospeed High White Smooth Lite DUO 225 - https://fotospeed.com/high-white-smooth-duo-225.html
🛒 Purchase Fotospeed Matt DUO 240 https://fotospeed.com/matt-duo-240.html
🛒Fotospeed Spring Back Binders - https://fotospeed.com/presentation/springback-binders.html
More of my printing videos worth watching:
🎞️ Fotospeed Spring Back Binders
🎞️ My Canon Pro-1100 review and setup video
Other Useful Links
🔗 Fotospeed Art of Printing eBook - https://fotospeed.com/ebook/artofprinting
🔗 Fotospeed Generic Profiles for the Canon Pro-1100 - https://fotospeed.com/profiles/printer/ink/ink/62/
🔗 Fotospeed Custom Profiling Service - https://fotospeed.com/support/
Best Photography Books to Gift Now or Anytime! Inspiration for Every Photographer!
Looking for the perfect photography gift or a new book to inspire your own creativity? In this special edition of On My Bookshelf, I’m sharing 10 amazing photography books worth gifting (or keeping for yourself).
Finally! A Video with My Gift Recommendations!
Every year as Christmas approaches I say to myself that I’m going to join the bandwagon and publish a photography gift list. And every year I don’t. Until this year that is when I put it on my task list and scheduled it in for filming nice and early.
There are lots of themes I could have picked for my photography related gift list, but I wanted to do something that was related to me and my channel. The On My Bookshelf series on my channel is special to me as I’m passionate about photography books, so doing a gift list of photography books made perfect sense.
If you are looking for a photography related gift for yourself, or the photography lover in your life, then my list of photography books is just what you need. And best of all, you can buy photography books all year round so no need to wait for Christmas.
I hope you enjoy my choices and happy gift shopping!
🎞️ Watch all the episodes of On My Bookshelf that feature the books in this video in this playlist.
🛒 Purchase Visually Speaking - Mastering the Art of Photography by Ted Forbes https://amzn.to/3GfNtqo or find other retailers - https://www.tedforbes.com/book
🛒 Purchase From Dawn to Dusk: Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography, by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer - https://amzn.to/4jPF8Ib
🛒 Purchase Landscape Photography Workshop (Updated Edition) by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer - https://amzn.to/3qBTHIW
🛒 Purchase The Art of Landscape Photography (Updated Edition) by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer - https://amzn.to/45Z3WHn
🛒 Purchase any fotoVUE guidebook and use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at https://fotovue.com/shop/
🛒 Purchase Sand by Anthony Lamb from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/sand-by-anthony-lamb
🛒 Purchase Stillness in Motion by Sally Mason from Kozu Books -https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/stillness-in-motion-by-sally-mason
🛒 Purchase 40 Farms by Amy Bateman - https://amzn.to/4r53LoL
🛒 Purchase Gemini and Mercury Remastered by Andy Saunders - https://amzn.to/3J66M71
🛒 Purchase Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders - https://amzn.to/4nWQcFQ
🛒 Purchase The Great Wilderness directly from Alex Nail - https://www.alexnail.com/great-wilderness-book/
🛒 Purchase Headlands by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/headlands/
🛒 Purchase Kingdom by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/kingdom/
🛒 Purchase Beara by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/product/beara/
Bite-Size Blog Post #52 - Loch Etive
The view down Loch Etive from the village where I grew up is something I will never bore of, especially when the light is great.
A View of My Homeland
Regular readers of this blog will know that I like to make regular trips back to my homeland in the highlands of Scotland. When I finished high school, I couldn't wait to leave and get to Glasgow, but now that I'm older (a fair bit older) and living in Exeter, I can't wait to get back!
It's not just that I have family who still live up there but it's also the draw of seeing that beautiful landscape again. Becoming a photographer has really opened my eyes to the beauty of the landscape and I appreciate it more than ever. Returning to Scotland is a joyful experience and seeing how it changes from season to season, and even from minute to minute is something I greatly value.
I recently took time off work and part of that holiday was taken in Scotland. I visited Edinburgh and of course Glen Coe, but I also made some time to visit my family in the village where I grew up. One our favourite things to do as a family is to go for a walk to the viewpoint that looks over Loch Etive and Ben Starav. Even when the weather is poor it's a stunning view. A view I will never bore off. Fortunately for me, on this visit the conditions were lovely and I was able to grab a quick shot. No time for tripods, filters and waiting about, so it was a quick handheld shot, but what a view!
Loch Etive, Scotland - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, f/11, 1/200 sec at ISO 1250.
Bite-Size Blog Post #51 - The Devil's Beef Tub
A scenic tourist drive between Moffat and Edinburgh reveals a location that forces me to pull over and admire the view.
Let's Save That One for Later
A few weeks ago, I took time off from work for a little holiday. Nothing extravagant, just a little vacation staying within the UK. I needed to take time to relax. My problem is that I can't seem to go on holiday without wanting to take all my camera gear with me. My idea of relaxing is to go on adventurous walks and take photographs!
This holiday, however, was not going to be that type of holiday. I would be going on adventurous walks, but the focus of those would be just to enjoy the experience of walking. And that's exactly what I did.
But clearly, I wouldn't be writing a blog post if I hadn't taken my camera gear with me! Of course I did, but I significantly cut down the amount of gear that I took. In fact, I really only took the camera with me so I could get nice photographs of my holiday.
It was fortunate that I did as during my drive from the Lake District to Edinburgh I drove past a location called The Devil's Beef Tub. A wonderful location with rolling hills and a dramatic hollow with a patchwork of colours and surface vegetation. Even in the middle of the day the scene stood out while driving along the road. So, I pulled over, grabbed the camera and captured this recce image. Sure, it's not going to win any awards, but it's given me a great reference shot for when I have time to plan a proper shoot there. And it's also a good reminder never to leave home without your camera!
The Devil’s Beeftub, Scotland - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/11, 1/125 sec at ISO 400, handheld.
Bite-Size Blog Post #50 - Vixen Tor - Dartmoor
Despite Vixen Tor being very much out of bounds and on private land, there are still some wonderful viewpoints to photograph.
One is Not Welcome!
If you've watched my free watch video series Discovering Dartmoor, you'll know that in episode five I visited Vixen Tor. Well, I say visited, you can't actually visit Vixen Tor as it is on private land and access is prohibited. It's not even a tor you can go and sneakily access as it's surrounded by a stone wall and barbed wire!
However, that doesn't mean you can't photograph it. It just means you have to be a little further back and capture the tor as part of the wider landscape. That was exactly the approach I took when I filmed there for Discovering Dartmoor and as result of being forced to look beyond the tor, I discovered a wonderful panoramic view. Ever since that afternoon I've been eager to get back.
With me living east of Dartmoor and Vixen Tor being location the Western Edge, getting there always takes a little more effort but given that it's only a short walk from the road, I really should go there more often! However, for whatever reason I only recently returned to Vixen Tor to see if I could improve on the panoramic image that I captured during Discovering Dartmoor.
My hopes were high when I looked over to Vixen Tor one afternoon recently. It was near perfect conditions. The light was warm and soft, the trees were displaying their autumn colours, and the wind was light. Oh, and no sheep to spoil the composition! However, while there were great clouds in the sky, some of them looking very moody, there was an annoying gap between the horizon where the tor sat and dramatic clouds above. It was unfortunately a large gap somewhat making it difficult to create a balanced composition.
Vixen Tor Panorama, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-12-mm f/4 S at 54mm, f/8, 1/60 sect at ISO 200, 9 image stitched panoramic.
Not to be put off by a lack of clouds I tried to make the most of the scene by placing the tor and the surrounding landscape much lower in the frame so I could include a little of the moody sky. Has it worked? I'm not 100% convinced, but the more time I spend the more I grow to like the photographs, and they represent the wonderful the view I experienced that afternoon, and it has inspired me to return again very soon!
Vixen Tor, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-12-mm f/4 S at 69mm, f/13, 1/13 sect at ISO 64..
Bite-Size Blog Post #49 - Sharpitor - Dartmoor
Despite it's near roadside location, the view from Sharpitor on the western edge of Dartmoor is something I'd not experienced before but when I found myself driving by one day, I just had to pull over and take a look.
Drive By Landscape Photography
Over my 10 plus years of photographing Dartmoor there still remain locations that I haven't photographed. That's hardly a surprise when Dartmoor is over 365 square miles in size! Some of these locations are remote or require additional effort to get to, but there are locations that are close to the road that I just haven’t visited yet.
Nestled on the western edge of Dartmoor, Sharpitor is one such location. It’s on the main road between Yelverton and Princetown, and there is a very convenient car park which only leaves you roughly a 15 minute walk up a gentle slope. So why have I never photographed this easily accessible tor before? Honestly, I don't know. It's not I wasn't aware of it, I guess just never got around to getting there.
That was until a few weeks ago! I was spending the day volunteering with the Dartmoor Preservation Association helping them to clear gorse from an area of land they own called High House Waste. It's not the type of work I'm used but I found it to be highly satisfying!
It was on my way home from my volunteering day that I found myself passing Sharpitor, so I pulled over, grabbed my camera and headed up the hill. Here's what I captured.
Sharpitor #5, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f4 S at 19mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
I needed to get back home so I wasn't able to wait for the light to soften at sunset but even so, the light on Dartmoor was lovely. Sharpitor itself isn't that interesting but it does offer some compelling foregrounds that help frame the more distant Leather Tor and surrounding hills. Now that I've been, it's definitely a location I'll be returning to!
Going Greener with Fotospeed's Natural Smooth 310 Paper
In this video, I put Fotospeed’s Natural Smooth 310 to the test. The paper is made from 34% hemp, 33% recycled materials, and is produced with sustainability in mind but how does it actually perform when printing photographs?
Part 2 of Going Greener with my Photography
A few months ago, I published a video in which I used public transport rather than my car to reach one of my landscape photography locations. I wanted to see if using the train was a practical option. It would be a small change, but it might be a more sustainable one. You can see how I got on and what I concluded in the video.
For my next small change I wanted to take a look a new paper from Fotospeed, their Natural Smooth Cotton 310. Not only is this smooth matt paper part of their signature range, it is also Fotospeed’s first sustainably sourced paper.
Using a sustainable paper for printing is hardly going to save the world, but if I make a lot of small changes they can add up. But the question is, will using a paper made of hemp and recycled materials compromise the print quality? To find out I put the paper to test, and you can find out the results in this video!
Use the discount code Julian15 and get 15% off Fotospeed papers at Fotospeed.com
🛒 Purchase Fotospeed Natural Smooth 310
🛒 Fotospeed Spring Back Binders
More of my printing videos worth watching:
🎞️ Showcase Your Photos with Spring Back Binders
🎞️ My Canon Pro-1100 review and setup video
Other Useful Links
🎞️ Fotospeed's Natural Smooth 310 video
Headlands by Norman McCloskey - On My Bookshelf S07E12
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I’m looking at one of the most highly anticipated books of 2025, Headlands by Norman McCloskey. Will this follow-up to Beara and Kingdom be the crown of the trilogy?
Setting the Standard for a Landscape Photography Book
Over the years I’ve made no secret about how much I like Norman McCloskey’s earlier two books, Beara and Kingdom. They are exceptional not only for the photographs in them, but also the presentation, layout, and sequencing. It’s a tough formula to get right, and I can only think of one other photographer who excels in book production. Can you guess who that is?
So, when Norman teased the release of his fourth book and third in a trilogy along with Beara and Kingdom, I couldn’t wait to see what he would produce. But sometimes when you get so excited about something and your expectations rise, the real-life experience can sometimes leave you disappointed and flat.
When my copy of Headlands dropped through the letter box, I was a little apprehensive. Should I have been? Let’s find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
Purchase Norman’s Books
✔️ Visit Norman's website and sign up for his newsletter - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/
🛒 Purchase Headlands by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/headlands/
🛒 Purchase Kingdom by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/kingdom/
🛒 Purchase Beara by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/product/beara/
🛒 Purchase Parklight by Norman McCloskey - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/product/parklight/
🎞️ Watch the episodes of On My Bookshelf for Beara and Kingdom here -
🎞️ Watch Ólafur Arnalds & Talos - We Didn't Know We Were Ready (feat. Niamh Regan & Ye Vagabonds) -
Gemini and Mercury Remastered by Andy Saunders - On My Bookshelf S07E11
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Gemini and Mercury Remastered by Andy Saunders, the acclaimed follow-up to his bestselling Apollo Remastered.
Remastered Again!
Back in series 6 of On My Bookshelf I looked at a book called Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders. I loved it so much that it’s now up there with some of my all-time favourite photography books. It’s probably not surprising given I am fascinated about space and space travel!
When I heard that Andy Saunders was creating Gemini and Mercury Remastered, I couldn’t have pre-ordered the book quick enough. I knew very little about those early space flights that were the precursor to the Apollo missions, and I hoped this book would not only fill in a gap in my knowledge but also have stunningly restored photographs.
Now that I have it, has it disappointed? Let’s find out in this episode of On My Bookshelf.
🛒 You can purchase the hardcover, Kindle or audiobook version of Gemini and Mercury Remastered by Andy Saunders - https://amzn.to/3J66M71
🛒 You can also purchase Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders - https://amzn.to/4nWQcFQ