Julian Baird 09/04/2025 Julian Baird 09/04/2025

The 400th Blog Post - I'm Back on YouTube - Oke Tor, Dartmoor

That'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.

I’m Back on YouTube!

The last time I shared a video on YouTube was back in August 2024 when I published the last episode of Discovering Dartmoor. If you are a regular visitor to my website, you know that the lack of videos didn’t mean a lack of photography though. Far from it. The Exposed Blog has been kept well up to date with all my photography adventures. So much so that I’m extremely proud to announce that this is my 400th blog post! When I started the blog back in 2016, I never thought I’d get to 400 posts but one thing I am confident of now is that I will definitely get to 500!

In my first video back, I keep things fairly simple. I head out to Oke Tor on photograph sunset over Dartmoor, and I talk a little bit about where I’ve been and more importantly what I’ve coming up in the channel over the next few months. Enjoy!

Oke Tor, Dartmoor

Here are the landscape photographs you saw me capture in the video,

A sunset photograph of Oke Tor on Dartmoor National Park — **Oke Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park** - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30 f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/5 sec at ISO 64.

A landscape photograph of Oke Tor on Dartmoor captured at sunset. — **Oke Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park** - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30 f/4 S at 16mm, f/13, 1/5 sec at ISO 64.

Julian Baird 11/12/2024 Julian Baird 11/12/2024

Bite-Size Blog Post #38 - Oke Tor - Dartmoor National Park

Those Perfect Summers Evenings on Dartmoor

In 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.

Expansive Views of Dartmoor

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.

Julian Baird 22/12/2021 Julian Baird 22/12/2021

Photographing Dartmoor - Beyond Belstone

Sometimes the best landscape photography adventures are unplanned. In the blog this week, I unexpectedly venture further into Dartmoor than I’ve ever been before.

Not What I Had Planned

As I write this blog post, I look back on my day out on Dartmoor with a smile on my face. The happy memories of my time on Dartmoor were not the result of careful planning though.

My original plan was to head up to Belstone Tor to film the first part of a video about printing your photographs. I chose Belstone due to my familiarity with the location, but also because it was the only place on Dartmoor not to have 100% cloud coverage!

As spectacular as Belstone can be at dawn, it can also be wild and unforgiving. As I approached the summit the wind had picked to such an extent that it was going to take a lot of effort just to compose a landscape photo and keep the camera still. The thought of managing a second camera for video and audio just didn’t seem like a clever idea. A previous trip to Belstone to make a video on a windy day had resulted in an expensive repair bill!

With the idea of creating a video gone with the wind (excuse the pun), I was half tempted to head home (via Belstone Services for coffee and breakfast). That temptation soon passed though. I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity to explore a bit more of Dartmoor. I looked into the distance and thought of a new plan.

Belstone Tor

I’ve been to Belstone Tor countless times. I’ve even ventured a little further and made it to Oke Tor, but I’ve never been further than that. This was the perfect chance for me to push on and see what is beyond Belstone!

The weather, despite being very windy, was holding. Broken cloud, no rain, and patches of sunshine. It all looked good for a big walk.

I’ve got lots of landscape photographs of Belstone Tor but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to capture another. There’s always room in my Lightroom catalogue for another image of Belstone Tor.

**Belstone Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/8, 1 sec at ISO 64.

Oke Tor

My first and last visit to Oke Tor had been a positive one but I’d never managed to make it back there. It’s about a 45 to 60 minute walk to Oke Tor from Belstone, and it’s rare that I have that much time to spend walking to a location. But today I had lots of time for a walk.

The weather had indeed held and the light on the landscape was better than the golden hour that morning. There was still a big bank of clouds to the south, but the area where I stood was covered in scattered light from the low winter sun. Parts of the landscape were in shade, and others were illuminated. It’s the way I love to see Dartmoor.

It was still a challenge to hold onto the camera in the wind, but I was feeling inspired and most importantly I was enjoying myself.

**Oke Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.

Steeperton Tor

As I left Oke Tor and headed south I realised this was the furthest I had ever ventured into Dartmoor and away from civilization. In all my years exploring Dartmoor, this was the first time I felt like I was going somewhere remote. I was out here on my own.

I wanted this walk to be a circular walk and as I checked my OS map, I could see that I could walk parallel to Steeperton Tor and then loop clockwise and follow the military road via East Mill Tor and back to Belstone. However, Steeperton Tor was calling me! I had often seen this tor from Belstone and wondered what it would like to be standing on top of this 532m high hill. I decided to make a diversion by jumping across the River Taw at Steeperton Gorge. Not as grand as it sounds given the low water level.

It was a steep ascent up to Steeperton Tor, but the views were outstanding!

**Steeperton Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.

Steeperton Tor is deep within the Okehampton Firing Range and all around the area, you’ll find military buildings dotted about. While not particularly photogenic, they are part of the landscape, so I thought it was worth capturing an image of these remote buildings.

**Steeperton Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/11, 1/200th sec at ISO 800.

East Mill Tor

After enjoying the views from Steeperton Tor and trying to have a conversation in the howling wind with a wild camper, I headed west, then south to start my loop back to Belstone. The walking was a lot easier in this direction as I could benefit from the military roads. As the road ran close by the foot of East Mill Tor it seemed rude to not make a quick ascent.

At first, I wasn’t that inspired. I’d been walking most of the morning so perhaps I was feeling tired. It wasn’t as if the composition I had picked out was a poor one, it was just that the light was flat. However, experience has taught me that on days like this the light can change for the better very quickly for the better, and for worse.

Rather than wait for the light I decided to get my camera and tripod setup, so I’d be ready to shoot. Just as I was extending the legs of my tripod the sun broke through the clouds and I captured the last image of my walk.

**East Mill Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/11, 1/200th sec at ISO 800.

A Glorious Morning

Leaving East Mill Tor, I soon joined back up with the parts of Belstone Common I was more familiar with. I started seeing more people, animals, and cars. It was nice to be back somewhere familiar but my long walk into a more remote part of Dartmoor had inspired me. Not only did I want to walk this route again, but I also wanted to explore more of these remote Dartmoor locations. I enjoyed that sense of remoteness. The sense of wilderness. Even if I hadn’t taken my camera with me, that was a walk to remember.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my unexpected adventure and seeing the photographs I captured. Next time, time and weather permitting, I’ll be sure the video it so you can see more of how wonderful Dartmoor can be when you venture just a little bit further.

Landscape Photography with the Google Pixel 6 Pro

Just a quick footnote to this blog post. I recently purchased a Google Pixel 6 Pro phone and I decided to take it with me on my adventure. I took it because it’s a phone and a GPS device, but it’s hard to ignore the camera specs on this device. This adventure seemed the perfect chance to put the camera to use so here are a few of the processed raw files from the Pixel 6 Pro. If you want to see more images from this camera or for me to make a video on it and how it handles as a landscape camera, let me know in the comments below.

Julian Baird 03/10/2020 Julian Baird 03/10/2020

In the Danger Zone

In this 5 Minute Photo Adventure, I head further and deeper into Dartmoor National Park than I've ever been before. I leave civilisation and walk along open moorland for an hour until I reach the Danger Zone! There I find a new location to photograph and I experience some wild Dartmoor weather.

That Looks Interesting

Some days I have a clear plan of where and what I’m going to shoot. I go out with conviction and even though it might not turn out how I had hoped, I know I gave it my best shot. There are also days where I just sit in front of my computer scratching my head on what to do. This indecision is often caused by a weather forecast that doesn’t favour any particular location or scene.

It’s these times that I often look to try and go somewhere new. I’m taking a risk with the weather so I might as well take a risk on a new location. Though I’ve got plenty of locations on my custom Google Map that I haven’t visited, this time I decided to check through my back catalogue of Outdoor Photography magazines instead.

As I browsed my collection of magazines with a cup of coffee, a location called Oke Tor on Dartmoor caught my eye. I looked it up on OS Maps and saw that it was just a little bit further on from one of my favourite locations, Belstone Tor. I also noticed that Oke Tor was just inside the Okehampton military danger zone so I made sure to check if the zone would be inactive before making any further plans. Fortunately, no firing was planned so I made plans to enter the danger zone!

With plans made to visit a new location and with the weather forecast predicting anything from clear blue skies to heavy rain showers I thought it might be an adventure worth filming. While it is always nice to show a polished video with great images, I’ve always said that I wanted to show a realistic side of landscape photography on this blog as well.

While the video below is a bit rough and ready, and the photographs are not my best work, I wanted to share with you the adventure of going somewhere new for the first time, battling the weather and grabbing those early compositions. I hope you enjoy it!

Oke Tor (Dartmoor) Photographs