Bite-Size Blog Post #59 - Greator Rocks and Hound Tor - Dartmoor National Park
Revisiting Greator Rocks reminded me that some locations take time to reveal their potential, before finishing the walk at Hound Tor, a striking Dartmoor landmark perfect for studying light, shape and contrast.
Greator Rocks
For me, Greator Rocks is an odd location. Visually it’s striking and it stands out from the landscape, but I find it difficult to photograph. However, sometimes I need to remind myself to be patient and not write locations off after just one or two visits. So when I was in the area last weekend, I decided to give it another try.
The more I photograph it, the more I believe it has potential, and that the judgement I made on the first few visits was a bit premature. The composition below is one that I want to work on when spring comes around. It’s not just the clear blue sky in this shot that doesn’t appeal to me, but also the ground, which is messy with winter bracken. In spring, and with some morning light, I believe this is a composition that has some potential. Roll on spring!! It can’t come soon enough… I’m more than ready for winter to be over now!
Greator Rocks, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/13, 1/30 sec at ISO 800.
Hound Tor
One of the easiest routes to Greator Rocks is to walk via Hound Tor, one of Dartmoor’s most popular tors. So, while walking back from Greator Rocks, it was hard not to stop and get the camera out. The sun was well and truly up by the time I got there, so I was already thinking in black and white before I took the first photograph.
I find it a challenging location, despite its size and grandeur, but it provides lots of scope for training your compositional eye to look for shape, light, shadow and contrast.
Have you photographed Greator Rocks or Hound Tor before? Let me know what you think of these locations in the comments below.
A Foggy Sunrise on Yes Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 32mm, f/13, 1/125 sec at ISO 800.
Photographing Dartmoor - Hound Tor - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
Is it worth going out with your camera even when the conditions are grey and flat? I think so! In this video, I share the reasons why I went out to Dartmoor on an overcast morning to capture some landscape photographs. Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure!
Oh No, the Weather Is Improving!
Last year I wrote about my personal challenges with photographing Hound Tor. That previous visit had inspired me to make more of an effort to get to know this grand Dartmoor location. I knew deep down I was missing out on capturing great images from this location. I just needed to put in the time.
However, as with any Dartmoor location, the weather directly impacts your ability and passion to photograph that location. Though I did check the weather forecast for Hound Tor, and there was a slim chance that it would be good, when I got there, it was grey and overcast. It was also cold, but at least it wasn’t windy.
Lacking inspiration, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Then I remember that anytime out with the camera can be time well spent. Why not use this time to practice my landscape photography skills and take the time to have a proper look around Hound Tor. Without the slim window of good light at sunrise, I could take my time a little more.
This is a good attitude to have because the conditions and light aren’t always good. In fact, they rarely are. So why not use what time you do have to get yourself ready for those days when the conditions are good. Photography is a skill, so why not practice it.
I thought this would be a good message to communicate. I had overcast conditions, time to make a video, and a location to explore. However, midway through making the video the weather started improving and rather than grey flat light, I started to get morning light reflecting off the tor!
I was worried that my message of what to do in flat light might be lost, but it was only a minor improvement. It did make me smile though. There I was trying to make the most of the poor weather conditions and in a rare moment on Dartmoor, the conditions improve! Dartmoor certainly keeps you on your toes!
So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy this 5 Minute Photo Adventure for Hound Tor on Dartmoor.
Landscape Photography from Dartmoor - Hound Tor
Hound Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/13, 1/15 sec at ISO 64.
Hound Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
Hound Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
Hound Tor #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
I captured this panoramic image while making the video, but it didn’t make the cut so here it is a bonus.
Hound Tor #5, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 68mm, f/8, 1/125 sec at ISO 64, 5 image panoramic.
Photographing Dartmoor - Hound Tor
I’ve always found landscape photography at Hound Tor on Dartmoor challenging but will my latest visit yield photographs I’m happy with?
What’s Up with the Hound?
If you’ve spent any time looking at my free landscape photography locations map and you know the western edge of Dartmoor, you may be wondering why there are no pins on Haytor and Hound Tor. Both these locations are some of the most famous tors in western Dartmoor if not all of Dartmoor!
It’s not that I haven’t tried to photograph these locations before, it’s just that I’ve not had much success photographing them. As I wrote previously on my blog, a honeypot location does not guarantee success. It would also seem that this applies to Hound Tor and Haytor. There are plenty of inspiring photographs of these locations on the internet so is the fault with me?
Let’s Give It Another Shot
With so many great locations to photograph on Dartmoor, it doesn’t take too many unsuccessful visits for a location to be relegated to “maybe I’ll go back one-day” status and to move on to the next. To think that any landscape photography location, particularly those found on Dartmoor, can be somehow mastered in a couple of visits says more about the photographer than the location.
While I previously haven’t managed to get a satisfactory shot from Hound Tor, that doesn’t mean I’d given up trying. Far from it. Having photographed the surrounding tors multiple times, it felt like it was time to give Hound Tor another go. Besides, I needed a fresh adventure!
No Place Does Weather Like Dartmoor
Unsettled weather and Dartmoor go hand in hand, and the morning I returned to Hound Tor was no different. Fierce winds, low temperatures and rain showers were just a few of the weather conditions I had the deal with. These are also the types of weather conditions that yield the most dramatic results, so I do find myself heading out in the weather like that.
Once I’d dealt with the problem of cold hands, I just had to battle the rain and wind. The wind was about manageable, but the rain on the front element of the lens can be a bit trickier. The rain showers bring the big clouds and even the odd rainbow, but keeping that front element clear of water can require constant action. This can suck the fun out of photography, but it’s also something I’ve got used to over the years. You can never carry to many lens cloths.
Sunrise at Hound Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Discovering Compositions
I had arrived at Hound Tor with plenty of time to explore but I decided to make things a little easier for myself and to just explore the southern side of this extensive tor. I’m not sure why, but I was inspired from the start! I could see potential compositions all over. Why this morning had been different from my previous visits I don’t know. Some of the compositions I thought would work well that morning, and others I’d would need to wait until a different time of year or different conditions.
I’m happy with the images I did capture. I won’t go as far as to say that I’ve suddenly mastered Hound Tor. Far from it. But what the visit did do was inspire me to go back and keep trying. It’s a location with plenty of potential and it’s now on the “must visit again soon” list. So don’t be surprised if you see me back there again soon.
Sunrise at Hound Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Do you have a location with a similar tale? Something you previously thought wasn’t worth shooting but now love. Let me know in the comments below.