Bite-Size Blog Post #34 - Honeybag Tor - Dartmoor National Park
My run of good luck with photographing the heather on Dartmoor continues with a visit to Honeybag Tor.
In Search of Heather - Part 4
In my last blog post I shared with you some of the heather themed photographs I captured at Chinkwell Tor. With the heather looking good at that part of Dartmoor National Park, I decided to keep the momentum going and heading to Chinkwell's neighbouring tor, Honeybag Tor.
It was a further 10 days on since I'd been to Chinkwell Tor so I had high hopes this would be the peak of heather season, and I was not disappointed. There were some beautiful clumps of heather mixed in with the yellow of the gorse bushes. I just needed to find a composition and more importantly, wait for a break in the cloud. I still had a bit of time before sunrise, so I decided to have a wee wander about.
Though I'd never properly taken the time to photograph Honeybag Tor, as I explored the area I started to pick out compositions. But my big worry was that most of these would suit a sunset rather than a sunrise, and what I thought were they good compositions didn't actually include any heather!
Dartmoor can be a tricky place to photograph though, particularly in flat light. It's hard to previsualise compositions. Or at least I can struggle to previsualise. Not to worry though, mother nature to the rescue! Just as I was about to conclude that the area had nice heather but no suitable compositions, the cloud broke and divine light shone on my composition!
Heather at Honeybag Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/3 sec at ISO 64.
Knowing that light like that is very fleeting on Dartmoor I immediately got to work and started taking pictures. No sooner has I grabbed a couple of frames and tweaked my composition, the light disappeared. It was a very exciting few minutes and very much a typical Dartmoor photography experience! That is, you wait ages and just when you are on the cusp of giving up and going home, you get 5 minutes of light to work with, and then you are done.
Five minutes is all you need some mornings though. I'd captured my photographs, and I was happy. With two successful shoots under my belt, should I push for a third one? Find out next time.
Heather at Honeybag Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/3 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #33 - Chinkwell Tor - Dartmoor National Park
My journey to photograph the heather on Dartmoor takes a big step forward with a visit to Chinkwell Tor!
In Search of Heather - Part 3
Unlike my trials and tribulations with capturing photographs of thrift, photographing heather should be easier. It's not that the art of photographing heather is easier than thrift, it's just that Dartmoor National Park is considerably closer than Cornwall (where the thrift is). The closeness of Dartmoor means I can go there more often, greatly increasing my chances of capturing a heather themed photograph.
A week on from my visit to Grimspound in my last blog post, I decide this time to visit Chinkwell Tor. Chinkwell Tor has a special place in my photography heart as it's the only other place where I've captured good photographs of heather.
Chinkwell Tor Heather, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/22, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.
However, the saying "past performance does not guarantee future results" is true for a reason, but I arrived at Chinkwell Tor cautiously optimistic. I needn't have worried though. I soon discovered a few clumps of heather beautifully mixed in with the luscious yellow of the gorse bushes. But would I get the weather conditions? Would overcast or clear blue skies spoil the party?
Honeybag Heather #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64.
As you can see from the photographs, the answer is no. It's not often everything comes together, but when it does, it's extremely satisfying. I'm not suggesting the photographs here are outstanding, but that's rarely the goal. The goal is always to spend some quality time on Dartmoor, experience the start of a new day, and if possible, capture some photographs that make me happy. And these photographs make me happy.
Saying that, I'll probably head out in a few days again. The heather was looking good, so no point in stopping now.
Honeybag Heather #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 29mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #32 - Grimspound - Dartmoor National Park
In this blog post I continue my search for a compelling photograph of the heather on Dartmoor by visiting Grimspound.
In Search of Heather - Part 2
In my last blog post I talked about my search for a compelling photograph of the heather around the Haytor area of Dartmoor National Park. As I said in that blog post it was a little early in the heather season to get a good photograph.
Despite that I decided to head out the following morning, but this time to Hookney Tor. Even within the borders of Dartmoor, different areas reach their heather peak at various times so it was a reasonable assumption that a change of location could yield better results.
Arriving at Hookney Tor I found myself a little lost. Creatively speaking that is. Though I've visited Hookney Tor a few times, I'd never taken the time to properly photograph it. There were patches of heather, but I found it difficult to balance the clumps of heather with the tor. It didn't help that it was cloudy, and the landscape looked a bit flat.
I decided that Hookney Tor wasn't working for me, so I opted to photograph a location that I had shot before, Grimspound. I first discovered Grimspound when I visited it in Episode 2 of Discovering Dartmoor. The photograph that I captured during that episode also had heather in it, so there was a danger of capturing the same photograph, but it was my best option.
Grimspound Sunrise #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30 f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/200 sec at ISO 640.
Grimspound is one of Dartmoor National Parks most important bronze age sites, but it's best photographed from the path leading down from Hookney Tor. I was keen not to repeat the same composition, but despite hunting around for a better one, I kept returning to the same view. However, while the composition might be similar to my first visit during Discovering Dartmoor, the conditions were different, and dare I say better.
Grimspound Sunrise #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30 f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/25 sec at ISO 64.
The heather isn't as prominent in the photograph as I might like, but the light coming in from the side is lovely thanks to some diffusion from the clearing cloud. I took two variations of the composition, just changing my position slightly. I'm not sure which one I prefer.
So, my search for a compelling photograph of the heather on Dartmoor continues, but my morning at Hookney Tor and Grimspound was time well spent.
Bite-Size Blog Post #31 - Haytor - Dartmoor National Park
In my blog this week I start to tell you the story of my goal to capture a compelling photograph of the heather on Dartmoor.
In Search of Heather
I recently wrote about the frustrations and challenges I have with photographing the thrift on the Cornish coast. It can be such a small window of opportunity to photograph it at its best and because life has a habit of getting in the way of important things like photography, I sometimes miss out.
I often tell myself not to bother with photographing these brief seasonal events. It only leads to frustration! But with that kind of attitude, I’d never capture anything interesting so here I am again, just this time with the heather!
By the time you read this, heather season will be well and truly over, but over the next few weeks here on the blog, I will share my photography adventures as I search for a compelling photograph of heather. Hopefully, I won’t run out of time and the weather gods will be good to me before heather season is over.
Heather at Haytor
Heather is widespread across Dartmoor National Park, but there are areas such as Haytor which turn purple in August. Arriving early August, I had low expectations that I would see fields of purple heather and I wasn’t exactly wrong. There were patches of heather but not enough to make an interesting photograph.
Haytor Heather (Lowman's Rock), Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 22mm, f/13, 1/3 sec at ISO 64.
I was a little too early in the heather season, but as it was such a pleasant evening I took the opportunity to go for a walk. There are few things better than taking a long walk around the Haytor area on a summers evening. It was a wonderful opportunity to clear my head and relax a little bit. Sometimes a good evening isn’t defined by how good the photography was.
As it turned out though, when I returned to the car and looked onto Haytor (Lowman’s Rock), it was beautiful lit by the setting sun, so I quickly grabbed a photograph. It might not feature any heather, but I’m still pleased with the image, and even more pleased that I spent time on Dartmoor.
Haytor at Sunset (Lowman's Rock), Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 51mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #30 - Watern Tor - Dartmoor National Park
Watern Tor is one of Dartmoor's most remote locations, but is it worth a 15km round trip walk to photograph it?
One of Dartmoor’s Most Remote Tors
Watern Tor is one of Dartmoor National Park’s most remote tors. Fur Tor is commonly recognised as Dartmoor’s most remote tor, but that doesn’t mean Watern Tor is easy to get to. Far from it.
In Discovering Dartmoor Episode 5 I walked to Watern Tor from Batsworthy which was a distance of 5.5 km. If I was to wait for sunset, the walk back could be tricky as it wouldn’t stay light long enough for me to safely get back to the car. However, wild camping solves this problem and also provides the additional benefit of being able to photograph Watern Tor at sunset and sunrise.
Watern Tor is not only remote, but it is also spectacular, so ever since filming there for Discovering Dartmoor, I’ve been eager to get back. However, I wanted to see if there was a quicker route there. One that didn’t require me to wild camp but rather allowed me to walk back after sunset.
Watern Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/11, 1/10 sec at ISO64
Dartmoor’s Military Roads
Like it or not, we must share Dartmoor National Park with the military. While this means that sometimes access to certain parts of north and west Dartmoor is prohibited, it does also mean that if you need to walk somewhere fast, there might be a road you can make a fast walk on.
My idea was to pick up the road at East Okement Farm and follow it south until I was adjacent to Steeperton Tor. Cars are prohibited just past East Okement Farm, so you’ll only find farm and military vehicles using it, and while the surface isn’t the greatest, it’s more than suitable for a fast paced walk.
I managed to walk to Hangingstone Hill in good time by taking a more direct path that runs along the base of Steeperton Tor. Once at Hangingstone Hill it was a simple case of turning east and tracking to Watern Tor. Distance wise it was actually further than walking in from Batworthy. However, the 7km walk took almost as long, but importantly, I could be back on the road for the bulk of return walk after a relatively short walk from Watern Tor. It’s much easier to walk along a road in the dark than a path.
Watern Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/11, 1/10 sec at ISO64
Photographing Watern Tor
After all that walking and navigation, did I capture any photographs? Of course I did, and I’m pleased to say I found some different compositions from my previous visit.
Unsurprisingly though, the conditions were challenging. Around Watern Tor the sky was relatively cloud free, but to the west where the sun was setting it was rather cloudy. So even when the cloud cleared a little and I got some light on the tor, they sky wasn’t very interesting. It’s at times like this that I find the best approach to composition on Dartmoor is to try and make the tor large in the frame.
At first, I was struggling to do this as I was focused on one particular composition. The side on view of Watern Tor is iconic (in Dartmoor terms), but it also means shooting wide making it difficult to appear large in the frame. Thinking I need to do something different I put the tripod away and went for a walk with the camera until I found the composition you see in these photographs.
I have included both a colour and B&W version of the composition. Both work well but for different reasons. When there isn’t direct sunlight on the tor, I prefer the B&W version, and when there is light on the tor, I prefer the colour edits. What do you think? They do look very similar, but when the light on the tor isn’t the soft warm light you get directly from the sun, the tor can look very uninteresting and a bit flat. Converting to B&W brings out the texture and contrast of the tor.
As is the case more often than not, the photographs are a bonus to me. The real treat was the walk. Now that I know I can make the walk for sunset without having to camp, I’ll be returning to Watern Tor again soon. It is a location with huge potential and I can’t wait to return.
Bite-Size Blog Post #24 - Yes Tor
I'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.
Are My Tastes Maturing?
My kids have a limited palette when it comes to the foods they eat. There was a phase that if the food wasn’t yellow and it hadn’t came from the freezer, they wouldn’t eat it! I was certainly no different at that age, living on a steady diet of turkey drummers. But as I got older my tastes changed, and by the time I had a “proper” job I was eating at restaurants and drinking wine. Ginger beer and heavily processed turkey breaded drumsticks were not on the menu.
Much in the same way my food palette has expanded, it looks like my photographing style is expanding to include black & white photography. I’ve always been able to appreciate a good black & white landscape photograph, but I’ve never been able to effectively translate the style into my own photographs.
Yes Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/15 sec at ISO 64.
Life Without Colour
Recently though I’ve started taking more black & white photographs, especially of my local area, Dartmoor National Park. I admit, my first few black & white Dartmoor photographs were hasty conversions in an effort to save a mediocre shot, but I have now started to look at what the world would look like without colour.
I would classify myself as a classic landscape photographer and this I believe is reflected in the photographs I capture of Dartmoor. Lots of big open views taken during the golden hours. I like to think of these photographs as showing off Dartmoor in its best light. And while these photographs a true representation of Dartmoor, those conditions can be rare. Frustratingly rare!
It’s from that frustration that my interest in photographing Dartmoor in black & white has come about. Being able to see Dartmoor in a way that suits the conditions has freed me a little from the constraints of only being pleased when there is a certain type of light.
Cosdon Hill, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 56mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
Previsualtion
One of the reasons I am starting to photograph Dartmoor more in black and white is the effectiveness of Picture Controls on my Nikon Z8. In particular the Picture Control “deep tone monochrome” has become invaluable in helping me previsualise a Dartmoor photograph in black and white. Being able to previsualise the scene in black & white on my camera has freed me from the guilt of believing I’m only converting as a last resort
And now that Lightroom also has that profile built in, I have to do a lot less guess work in getting the photograph to look the way I saw it on the back of the camera when I captured it.
Hunt Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-10mm f/4 S at 120mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
The End of Colour in My Dartmoor Photographs?
As much as I have and will continue to enjoy taking Dartmoor photographs in black and white, this does not mean the end of colour for me. Far from it. Getting up early in the morning and experiencing the joy of a glorious sunrise is something I will always love to witness and to photograph.
What black and white gives me though is another tool in my creative toolbox. Something that I have in my portfolio of photography styles, rather than something to fall back on. I know what all you hardcore black and white photographers are saying…what took you so long! All I can say is, it doesn’t matter how long it took me to get here, the point is that I’m here, and I love it.
Yes Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-10mm f/4 S at 26mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #23 - Wild Tor
In 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!
A Long, Featureless Walk
Wild Tor is wild by name and wild by nature. It’s one of Dartmoor’s most remote tors and no matter which direction you come at it from, it will be a long walk. Not that a long walk is a bad thing on Dartmoor. If it’s a 7km walk to a tor worth photographing, then I’m more than happy to put in the effort. Besisdes, they do say it’s about the journey and not the destination.
Having walked to Wild Tor before I was keen to try an alternative route. Normally I’d walk in via Oke Tor and Steeperton Tor, but for this adventure I decided to start in Belstone village and head up to the summit of Cosdon Beacon, track along to Little Hound Tor, and then straight along to Wild Tor. On paper, this looked like a lovely route.
The trek up from Belstone village to Cosdon Beacon was a bit of slog. I couldn’t find a clear path, so I mostly had to follow animal tracks to the summit. It seemed to take ages but when I finally made it the views were dramatic. I could see for miles in all directions.
I could also see my next waypoint, Little Hound Tor, which was almost on a straight track south. The walk was easy enough, but despite some clear views, it wasn’t exactly the most exciting of walks. Don’t get me wrong, a walk on Dartmoor is rarely something I regret and I certainly wasn’t regretting this walk, it was just this route was a little featureless and dull. Maybe I was just feeling a bit grumpy!
Wild Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.
Feeling Isolated and Remote on Dartmoor
The last stretch of my walk to Wild Tor was familiar enough, and soon I had reached my destination. If a feeling of isolation or a sense of being away from it all is what you are after, then Wild Tor is the location for you! It’s one of the reasons I love going there. I rarely see anyone else and there’s not a road of building to be seen for miles!
While I love the way Wild Tor makes me feel, it’s the opportunity to photograph this magical tor that makes me undertake that long walk.
Wild Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.
Well, I say magical, but when I got there and I had a wander about, I felt decidedly uninspired! Maybe I was in a grumpy mood or perhaps I had over hyped Wild Tor in my head. Was the alure of how remote this Dartmoor tor is was skewing my judgement?
Sometimes though, a lack of creativity is a temporary thing. So, I had a sit down, ate a snack and enjoyed the view. Sure enough, a little rest and food allowed me to reset, and I was soon feeling inspired! And once you feel like you capture one good image, it’s easier to carry on capturing more.
Wild Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
A Different Vision of Wild Tor
The first photographs I captured are from viewpoints that I’ve shot from before. They are photographs that are very much in my style of Dartmoor photography. But as the sun got lower in the sky what cloud there was started to clear leaving bright blue skies.
Not to be put off by the clearing skies, I decided to look for a composition that didn’t depend on an interesting sky. I soon found what I was looking for! What interests me about this new composition is that it not only features a new angle on a tor I’d already photographed, but the postioning of the three rock stacks is something I’d not seen on Dartmoor before. It’s this composition that makes these photographs uniquely Wild Tor.
After a few hours of feeling a little grumpy, I left Wild Tor feeling great and inspired to come back. I even enjoyed the walk home….though I did take an alternative route back!
Wild Tor #4, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
Wild Tor #5, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/5 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #22 - Sharp Tor - Dartmoor National Park
In my blog this week, I do something that I haven't done before and that's photograph Sharp Tor near Willsworthy on Dartmoor.
Somewhere New on Dartmoor National Park!
I’ve been photographing Dartmoor for well over a decade and sometimes it feels like I’ve photographed it all! With Dartmoor National Park being just over 365 square miles in size, I think that it is unlikely that I have. But, as time goes on, it has become increasingly hard to find a location that I have never photographed before.
Inspiration can come when you least expect it though. I had a spare evening but going out to take pictures wasn’t top of my list of things to do. The weather was looking good and what I really fancied was a good walk! Opening my OSMaps app I scanned Dartmoor for a suitable route. Hovering around the Willsworthy Range I realised that I had explored very little of that area. In particular I had never been to Sharp Tor which I had visually spotted a few weeks earlier while photographing Ger Tor.
Sharp Tor#1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/11, 1/100 sec at ISO 640.
Always Take Your Camera to Dartmoor
Excited to have found somewhere new to explore, I packed my bag with everything I would need for an evening walk on Dartmoor, including my camera. I know I said taking photographs wasn’t top of my list of things to do that evening, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take my camera. Only that it wasn’t the primary focus of the evening!
I rarely leave home without the camera when going on a walk. You never know what you might see! It’s better to have the camera and not need it, than need the camera and not have it!
Sharp Tor#2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
The walk up to Sharp Tor is fairly straight foward. Having already checked there was no live firing in the range that evening, I parked at the car park near the entrance to the range. Walking up the road to the range I walked past a tent with some military folks in it I double checked it was OK to proceed and that I wasn’t going to be seen as a moving target. I was casually and politely waved on. Nothing to worry about then!
Sharp Tor#3, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
Sharp Tor on Dartmoor - Hit or Miss?
Arriving at Sharp Tor, I was hot, but bullet free! As with the views from Ger Tor and Great Links Tor, the views from Sharp Tor are expansive and on a clear evening like I had I could see well into Cornwall.
While the views were great and well worth the walk, I wasn’t particularly convinced that Sharp Tor itself was very photogenic. Some tors immediately capture your imagination, others take several visits or a specific set of conditions. As nice as the area around the tor was, I struggled to find a strong composition of the tor itself.
So, am I done with Sharp Tor? No. Looking at my photographs now I still believe there might be some potential there. It might just take a few visits to find what makes Sharp Tor special. Not that making repeated visits to Sharp Tor will be a hardship. It’s a walk and a view that I will always look forward to.
Sharp Tor#4, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO 64.
Bite-Size Blog Post #21 - Bowerman's Nose - Dartmoor National Park
In 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.
A Spring Morning on Dartmoor
As you’ll have guessed by the heading, this blog is a retrospective post, but it’s still a story worth sharing.
Every season on Dartmoor brings something special but the season of spring can be one of the most vibrant and noisy! Spring is also an opportunity to photograph one of Dartmoor’s most unique tors, Bowerman’s Nose, at sunrise. It’s only around springtime that the light from the rising sun isn’t blocked by a hill to east.
There is a downside though. Sunrise is at 5:30am! I don’t mind an early start, but a 5:30am sunrise is normally a 4am alarm call (at the latest!). However, if you can get past the early start, being up on Dartmoor National Park at that time day can be magical.
Bowerman’s Nose #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/13, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
Tranquility on Dartmoor
I can only describe that morning up on the eastern edge of Dartmoor as tranquil. As I sat on a small rocky outcrop looking down on the valley below, all I could see was a sea of fog. There was so much of it that I found it difficult to pick out places that I knew! As the sun hadn’t risen yet there was no light on the landscape, so I just decided to sit there and take in the view. (Check out my Instagram post to see a video of what I saw).
As if the visual delights weren’t enough, I was also surrounded by a chorus of bird song. I’m not sure how many birds there were, but given the levels of sound, I thought every bird on Dartmoor was at the same spot I was. The noise was almost overpowering, but it also came with a sense of tranquillity.
It’s not often I get a sense of inner peace at 5am, but as I sat there on my rocky outcrop watching the fog flow through the valley below, listening to a thousand birds sing, I truly felt like I was in the best place in the world and that I could spend all morning there. As it turned out, thThe photographs I captured that morning of Bowerman’s Nose were just a bonus and not the main event.
If only all mornings on Dartmoor were like that one.
Bowerman’s Nose #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 26mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 64.
Wild Camping at Steeperton Tor - Dartmoor National Park
In 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.
Supporting the Campaign to Protect the Right to Wild Camp
Before I get into the story and photographs from my recent wild camp on Steeperton Tor, I just want to highlight the issue of wild camping rights on Dartmoor National Park. People have been enjoying wild camping (backpack camping) on Dartmoor for decades, but a recent legal challenge puts all that at risk.
I’m not going to go into the well documented history of this legal case and what it means for those who enjoy wild camping responsibly, other than the loss of the right to wild camp responsibly would have a dramatic impact to the way many of us like to enjoy Dartmoor. It’s a critical issue regardless of if you wild camp or not. It’s an issue that could eventually impact how any of us access and use our countries wild spaces.
I recently saw a request from the Dartmoor Preservation Association for people to share their positive stories of backpack camping and what it means to them. While I am just one voice in a chorus of voices, I thought it was important to add my voice to that chorus, if only to make it a little louder. Here is the 30 second video I made while I was wild camping at Steeperton Tor.
As I said in the video, you can simply show your support by liking and sharing the video. However, if you can, please donate to one of the funds that are providing direct support to Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) to battle this case in the Supreme Court on 8th October 2024. I personally have chosen to donate to the Dartmoor Preservation Association who will use the funds to support the DNPAs legal case. You can find out more about their campaign and how to donate here.
Thank you.
Sunset Camp at Steeperton Tor
I had been looking for the right weather conditions for a photography wild camp on Dartmoor National Park for a few weeks. For me, wild camping gives me the opportunity to photograph some of Dartmoor’s most remote locations both at sunset and sunrise, without having to make a difficult or potentially dangerous walk to or from the car in the dark. To make a wild camp worthwhile for photography I therefore need good conditions at sunset and sunrise the following day.
This isn’t as easy as it might first sound. More often than not, you’ll get a good sunrise but not a good sunset, and vice versa. However, with summer coming to an end and September marking the start of Autumn, I decided to soften my requirements a little. i.e. As long as the sunset or sunrise would be good, I’d take a chance on the other.
Sunset at Steeperton Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO 64.
For the last camp of summer, I really wanted to go to Fur Tor, Dartmoor’s most remote tor, but for that to work, and to make the effort of getting there really worth it, the conditions would need to be pretty special. As it wasn’t looking that way, I decided to settle for Steeperton Tor. It’s a location I’ve wanted to shoot at both sunrise and sunset, and it was remote enough to make a camp worthwhile.
Sunset at Steeperton Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO 64.
The route I chose was to walk in from Belstone village along the western bank of the river Taw. It’s a flat and easy going. That is until you reach the base of Steeperton Tor and then it’s an uphill slog (with camera and camping gear) for around 150m of ascent! This wouldn’t have been so bad if I could have found the path up! But I made it eventually. Just a little hot and tired.
Sunset at Steeperton Tor #3, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, f/13, 0.8 sec at ISO 64.
After some refreshments I then spent a fair bit of time trying to work out where I would pitch my tent. Not normally a difficult thing for most wild campers, but I was trying to think ahead and not pitch my tent in a way that could compromise my sunset or sunrise compositions. I finally picked a nice flat area beside the military lookout point. The lookout huts ruin the viewpoint anyway, so might as well stick my tent there as well!
The great thing about wild camping on Dartmoor is that I never feel the temptation to leave early if I don’t think I’m going to get good conditions. You might as well hang about and see what happens because you are already at the place where you’ll be spending the night. Just as well, because about 15 mins after I would have normally gone home, I got the light I was hoping for.
Sunset at Steeperton Tor #4, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 3 sec at ISO 64.
Stargazing at Dartmoor National Park
With my sunset photographs captured I decided to retire to my tent. Despite Steeperton Tor being fairly remote, internet access isn’t an issue, and with around 10 hours to sunrise, I decided to settle down to watch a film on Netflix.
The Night Sky at Steeperton #1, Dartmoor National Park - Google Pixel 6 Pro
At around 11pm I decided to pop my head out of the tent to see if there were any clear skies and to my delight there were! Though I have captured photographs of the night sky before, I would never consider myself a night sky photographer, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to give it a go.
The Night Sky at Steeperton #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/14, 20 sec at ISO 6400.
My efforts aren’t going to win me any competitions, but that’s not the point. Not only was I having fun capturing photographs of the night sky, but I deny anyone to look at the night sky and see all those stars and not do so without a sense of wonder and awe. It was breath taking!
The Night Sky at Steeperton #3, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/14, 20 sec at ISO 3200.
Sunrise at Steeperton Tor
The wind picked up during the night and was still blowing when my alarm went off. I cautiously opened the tent but was pleasantly surprised to see blue sky. My optimism was short lived though. To the east, where the sun was going to rise, there was a large bank of hazy cloud that would be sure to block any soft light from the rising sun.
I thought if I gave it an hour though, the sun would eventually rise above the cloud and I would get some light on the landscape, but a bank of fast-moving low cloud from the southeast came in and covered the sky. That was the end of any chance of getting some good sunrise photos. There was a little gap in the distance which gave me a little light to work with, so I have a least one picture from the morning.
Sunrise at Steeperton Tor, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, f/8, 1/100 sec at ISO 500.
As I wasn’t in a hurry, I slowly packed away hoping that the conditions will change but unfortunately this wasn’t to be the case. Just to give myself some options should the conditions unexpectedly change, I decided to walk back via Oke Tor and Belstone Tor. As it turns out, leaving was the right decision because by the time I got to Oke Tor, Steeperton Tor has disappeared into cloud!
While the conditions for sunrise were disappointing (but not unexpected), I still walked home feeling great. I got some nice photographs at sunset, I’d camped under the Milky Way and most importantly I’d had an adventure. An adventure that I was free to do and didn’t require me to gain any permission or buy any permits. It was true freedom.
Bite-Size Blog Post #20 - Ger Tor - Dartmoor National Park
A trip to Ger Tor on Dartmoor where I expected nothing and got something!
Just Out for a Wander
Most of my decisions to go out with the camera are based on what the weather is doing. Will the time, effort, and cost of going result in the reasonable likelihood of capturing a good landscape photograph? This approach might sound like it lacks any spontaneity, and to a certain extent it does, but with limited resources and availability, I need to be pragmatic about these things sometimes. However, life isn't always about making pragmatic or even the best decisions. Sometimes you just want to throw caution to the wind and go out for a walk.
I had a spare evening a few weeks ago, and while the weather forecast didn't look great for photography, I really wanted to go for a walk and because I feel naked without my camera, I took it with me anyway. After scanning my OS Maps and struggling to find somewhere new to explore, I settled on Ger Tor. This is a location I had briefly walked to before, but that was some time ago and now seemed as good as time as any to give it another visit to see if I was missing anything.
Time To Explore
It's a reasonable walk from the car park to Ger Tor but I wasn't in any hurry or stressing about photography, so I took my time to enjoy the experience. Arriving at Ger Tor I spent about an hour wandering about looking for compositions. I'd get the camera out every now and again and I shot a few handheld photos of this new Dartmoor photography location. It was a really positive experience giving myself the time to explore a location without the pressure of capturing a good photograph.
Ger Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20mm, f/11, 1/125 secs at ISO 1000.
Relax and the Photographs Will Come
Taking a break, I sat down and took in the view. In one direction the forecasted clouds started to roll in and it looked like I might be in for a soaking. I was just about to pack up when the sun made an appearance behind me, and dappled light appeared on the landscape and the rocks. These moments on Dartmoor can be fleeting so I immediately grabbed my camera and captured some more handheld shots.
Ger Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 19mm, f/11, 1/125 secs at ISO 1000.
The light was indeed fleeting, but I captured some unexpectedly nice photographs of Ger Tor. Certainly, nice enough for me to stick a (virtual) pin on my map for it. But more than that, it was a good reminder not to overly plan my Dartmoor photography and to be a bit more spontaneous. You never know what might happen.
Ger Tor #3, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 1/125 secs at ISO 1000.
Bite-Size Blog Post #19 - Yar Tor - Dartmoor National Park
Giving up on Venford Falls and discovering Yar Tor on Dartmoor National Park.
First Stop, Venford Falls
For many years, Venford Falls has been one of my favourite Dartmoor locations to photograph. Its iconic twin waterfalls are a unique sight for Dartmoor and in the right conditions they can be extremely photogenic (though compositions are limited).
I took my favourite shot of Venford Falls back in 2016, and despite returning several times and producing very pleasing shots, I’ve never felt I’d improved over that 2016 image. However, I keep going back every year to see I can’t get a slightly better shot. After my most recent visit this year though, I’ve decided to give up.
The main problem for me is that the location has become very messy. It’s always been a bit muddy and a bit slippy, but the amount of natural debris that litters the location now makes it a bit of a mess. So, for me at least, Venford is off the shot list (for now anyway).
Let’s Go…Here!
As I’d already made the journey out into the middle to Dartmoor to photograph Venford Falls I thought it would be a bit of a waste of time and petrol just to drive home. But where to photograph? I got my phone out, opened OS Maps and started to have a scan of the area. Looking around it felt like I’d photographed everywhere that was worth photographing. Then I spotted Yar Tor.
Somewhere in my subconscious I was aware of Yar Tor but I couldn’t picture it (excuse the pun) so I wasn’t sure if it were a location worth photographing. With nothing to lose though, I set of to see what I could see!
Yar Tor
Arriving at Yar Tor I was initially underwhelmed. The views were lovely but there was little in the foreground to make for a compelling photograph. I kept my camera in my bag and do what I normally do when arriving at a Dartmoor location and that is to just wander about and view the scene with my eyes rather than through the viewfinder.
After a short while inspiration hit me, and I captured this photograph.
Yar Tor #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/11, 0.4 secs at ISO 64.
By the time I captured this image it was getting late, so I decided to return the following evening.
Return To Yar Tor
Returning the following evening to Yar Tor on Dartmoor I was able to capture a different compisition. I had spotted it the previous night but thanks to some better light it was worth capturing this time.
Yar Tor #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64.
As the sun got close to setting the orange glow got stronger so I decided to head back the composition I captured the previous night to see if I could get a slightly different image, or at least an image with a different feeling.
Yar Tor #3, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 0.5 secs at ISO 64.
Despite me feeling sometimes that I’ve photographed everywhere on Dartmoor, it’s good to know there are still new gems to be found. I shall be returning to Yar Tor, and maybe I’ll just check in on Venford Falls on the way.
Discovering Dartmoor - All 5 Episodes Now Available
A 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.
My Discovering Dartmoor Journey is Born
Want to quickly know more? Here is a 60 second introduction to Discovery Dartmoor!
If you are a subscriber to my newsletter or regular viewer of my YouTube channel, I expect you've already heard about my Discovering Dartmoor video series. Hopefully, you've already watched some of the four and half hours of content or even watched all of it! Either way, thank you and I hope you enjoyed it.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Discovering Dartmoor, let me tell you all about it. It was sometime in 2020 that friend of mine said "you can't claim to love a place unless you really know it". I might be paraphrasing a little but that was the general gist of it. He had moved to an area and then completely immersed himself in the culture, language, and landscape. He truly had taken his new home to heart.
Though I'd moved to Devon from Scotland over a decade ago, I couldn't say that I had done something similar with Dartmoor. Dartmoor was a place I really enjoyed photographing and I was getting to know all the best spots for landscape photography. But, when I thought about how much I actually knew about Dartmoor, I had to be honest and admit that I knew very little about Dartmoor.
I decided therefore to learn more about Dartmoor. Not only would this be beneficial to me and my photography, but if I also documented my journey to discover more about Dartmoor, others could be inspired to learn more about Dartmoor or their local area.
At first, I wasn't sure how to start or structure my journey of discovery, so I just decided to go across Dartmoor from A to Z. If I selected a Dartmoor location for each letter of the alphabet, I would surely cover a wide range of Dartmoor locations. With a "robust" plan in place, Discovering Dartmoor was born. Full of passion and excitement I thought it might take me a few weeks of hard work to get all the filming done. Maybe a few months. Six months worst case scenario.
The Culmination of Three Years of Work
I have to admit, I did somewhat underestimate how much work was required to film at 26 locations. First, I had to find 26 locations. Not as easy as you might think. For example, there aren't really any Dartmoor locations beginning with Z! Then, when you find a location, is it interesting? Is there something to learn there? Sometimes you can't be 100% sure so you have go and have a look first to see if the story of the location is worth telling. If not, you find somewhere else, and if it is, your return to film that location.
If you do that for each location, and you mix in the fact that you have other commitments (work and personal), time soon escapes you. As it turned out, it took over two years to film 24 locations.
You would then think that this is enough. Nope. Not me. What about the people who live, work and relax on Dartmoor? They all have stories and information to share. So, I decided to film some interviews as well. This took another year.
Add in all the post production (which I also underestimated) and over three and half years go by before Discovering Dartmoor was ready to release. But ready to release it was, and I sent it out into the world!
Watch Discovering Dartmoor
The production of Discovering Dartmoor was every bit as difficult as you might think making a 5 part documentary series about Dartmoor is. But now that it's out there, I am very proud of it and all that hard work and stress seems a small price to pay.
The feedback I've been getting from the people that have watched it, and from the people I interviewed has also been wonderful. There were some dark moments over those last three and half years, and I wondered if it was all worth the effort, but reading the comments people have left has made all that work feel worthwhile.
If you haven't seen Discovering Dartmoor yet and you want to find out what I produced from all that work, then all five episodes from the series are available to watch below (or directly on YouTube here). Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you want to know more about the Discovering Dartmoor book, prints or how to support the series, then just head to julianbaird.com/discoveringdartmoor.
The Discovering Dartmoor Gallery
Below you will find all 55 landscape photographs from the series. I’ve also produced a small book that features all 55 of the photographs and if you wish to purchase a copy you can do so by clicking here.
All the locations for these photographs are also featured in my Free Landscape Photography Locations Map.
Acknowledgments
The following text is extracted from the Discovering Dartmoor book, but it’s very much worth repeating here.
My journey across Dartmoor has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. It’s been full of ups and downs (some literal, some emotional) but one of the highlights has been the people I’ve met along the way. The people that work, live, and relax on Dartmoor.
A special thanks goes to Tom Usher & Kelly Rich from the Dartmoor Preservation Association, Josephine Collingwood, Max Piper, Mark Owen, and Emma Cunis. I can’t thank you enough for giving up your time and talking to me. Without our conversations Discovering Dartmoor wouldn’t be what it is.
Thank you also to Rob Hayward for letting me read from his dad’s book Dartmoor 365 and to Julian Cartwright for giving me permission to use his photograph of a rushlight.
Finally, thanks to my dear friends Ross and Chris. Thank you for your creative support in helping me stay focused on this lengthy project. Most of all, thanks for your friendship during those difficult personal times that accompanied me on my Discovering Dartmoor journey.
All good journeys need good friends.
The Unpublished Collection 4
While I’m Away…
It’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!
Photographing and Printing Dartmoor with Fotospeed Gloss and Lustre 310 Papers
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!
The Challenge of Photographing Great Links Tor on Dartmoor
Capturing photographs of one of Dartmoor’s greatest tors, Great Links Tor, is challenging. Depending on your route up it can take around 45 minutes of walking (all up hill). And then, because of its elevation, it is often in cloud. But when the conditions are right it can be a spectacular location to photograph such as the time I photographed it at sunset.
Inspired by my sunset picture I was determined to also photograph it at sunrise. This was going to be more difficult than I hoped it would be. The first four attempts where non-starters as the location was completely covered in cloud. On my 5th attempt I had the opposite problem, and it was clear blue skies. Not ideal, but I was determined to make the most of it!
While I was pleased enough with the photograph when the skies were clear, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted or visualised. But that’s the great thing about Dartmoor (or the worst thing), and that is the weather can change very quickly. And that’s exactly what it did do! And that change in conditions gave the perfect opportunity to capture an image that would make for a great photograph to use as the first print for two new papers I had just received from Fotospeed.
In the video below you can see my photography adventure from Great Links Tor on Dartmoor and see what the prints look on those two new Fotospeed papers.
Great Links Tor, Dartmoor - Landscape Photographs
Great Links Tor Sunrise #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm at 14mm, f/11, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.
Great Links Tor Sunrise #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm at 15mm, f/13, 1/10 sec at ISO 64.
Great Links Tor Sunrise #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm at 89mm, f/8, 1/160 sec at ISO 64, 6:17 crop.
Links to Products and Other Videos
*** Remember to us the discount code Julian15 and get 15% off Fotospeed papers ***
🛒 Fotospeed PF Gloss 310 - https://fotospeed.com/fotospeed-pf-gloss-310.html
🛒 Fotospeed PF Lustre 310 - https://fotospeed.com/fotospeed-pf-lustre-310.html
🛒 Fotospeed Test Packs https://fotospeed.com/paper/test-packs.html?default_brand=Fotospeed
✔️ Download Fotospeed’s Art of Printing eBook - FREE - https://fotospeed.com/ebook/artofprinting
🎞️ My video review of the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 - https://youtu.be/QF3_JXuu_Ag
🎞️ My editing video with Fotospeed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rrLOnVHcCA
🎞️ My post-processing workflow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHg4agMU-GI&list=PLJU6FMi6Tvo97OcghsCsBlKGLXY2BcMdx
Just Enjoying My Landscape Photography
Sometimes 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.
There Goes Autumn!
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with photographing anything seasonal. This could be the beautiful pink Thrift you find along the Cornish coast during spring, or the glorious colours of a woodland at autumn. I love photographing these unique times of year, but life has this nasty habit of getting in the way and I often end up missing the (photographic) peak of a season.
Autumn is a particularly tricky one. The days are short which make it difficult for me to get out, and when I eventually do find the time it’s normally after a storm and all the autumnal colour has blow off the trees!
Should I Risk It?
Every now and again, the stars align, and I’m presented with an opportunity to shoot some autumnal colour. However, the decision to photograph East Dartmoor Woods wasn’t that straightforward. The weather conditions over East Dartmoor Woods were forecast for clear skies at sunrise. It’s also a 5 km walk, in the dark, in a woodland, to get to the viewpoint that I wanted. While I had visited the viewpoint (in winter) I had never photographed it before.
It was a risky decision to go there, and it was a fair effort to get there. My head was telling me that I would be much better off going somewhere else where the conditions would be better, and I would be shooting something I’m familiar with (i.e. not woodlands!).
My heart on the other hand was telling me this was a fantastic opportunity to photograph this woodland while the autumn colours were still there. OK, the clear skies weren’t ideal, but the sun was rising in the right direction, and it should catch the tops of the trees. If I waited for another day, that other day might not come. The weather might turn, or I just might not find another opportunity to photograph it before the end of autumn.
It’s not often I ignore my head but this time I decided to follow my heart and take a risk! I did question this decision as I followed the path through the woodland with a head torch while trying not to think about the beasts of Dartmoor that lurk in the shadows!
But was all that effort and risk worth it? Well, you can find it out in the 5 Minute Photo Adventure video below!
What do you think? Was it worth the effort? Would you have made the 5km walk in the dark for that view or photographs? Let me know in the comments below.
East Dartmoor Woods - Landscape Photographs
Here are the landscape photographs you saw me capture in the video.
East Dartmoor Woods Autumn Sunrise #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 S at 37mm, f/13, 0.4 sec at ISO64, Kase Filters CPL.
East Dartmoor Woods Autumn Sunrise #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 S at 82mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO64, Kase Filters CPL.
Did the Nikon Z8 Kill My Landscape Photography?
I 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.
I’m Back! But Where Have I Been?
It’s been a few months since I published a video or written something here on the blog. It’s probably the longest gap I’ve had since I started my blog back in 2016. It wasn’t a conscious choice to stop creating content. I just stopped.
There are a number of reasons for this, and I do touch on them in the video, but it has been a bit of a struggle to get back into creating content (something which I love doing). Apart from shooting the odd music festival, I didn’t take any landscape photographs for a couple of months. I just didn’t feel like it. I’d lost my motivation.
After some soul searching, a few failed attempts to create something and support from people close to me, I’m finally back to a place where I feel creative (and importantly, I want to share my photography adventures again).
Dramatic Dartmoor
There’s nothing like a successful trip out with the camera to give your motivation for photography a good boost. The trouble with Dartmoor is that the weather plays a significant part in how your photographs turn out. My favourite kind of conditions are when things are unsettled. I’m looking for a bit of drama!
Every now and again, I get those conditions. Sometimes they are expected, sometimes not. Things get really exciting when you just aren’t sure how things will work out and it changes minute by minute. And that’s exactly the conditions I got on my recent visit to East Mill Tor!
It was the perfect type of morning on Dartmoor to give my photography a significant kick up the arse! You can see why in the video below!
I got a real buzz creating those photographs and making that video. It’s given me all the motivation I need to get going again. While the changes in my life have left me with less time to dedicate to photography, I am committed to regularly producing content for you to enjoy. Make sure you stay tuned!
East Mill Tor, Dartmoor - Landscape Photographs
Here are the landscape photographs you saw me capture in the video. I hope you enjoy them.
East Mill Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, 1.3 sec at ISO 64, f/13, Kase Filters CPL.
East Mill Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S at 19mm, 0.6 sec at ISO 64, f/13, Kase Filters CPL.
East Mill Tor #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, 1/13 sec at ISO 64, f/13, Kase Filters CPL.
East Mill Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, 0.5 sec at ISO 64, f/13, Kase Filters CPL.
Photographing a Snowy Dartmoor with the NEW Vallerret Skadi Gloves
Landscape photography, a new pair of thermal gloves, Dartmoor, snow, and my Nikon Z7. What's not to love. So, join me in my latest video as I photograph a snowy Dartmoor and tell you all about my new @Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt LRS Gloves.
The Best Photography Gloves - Improved!
Best is of course a subjective term. Different conditions can require different gloves. Perhaps I’d be better describing my Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt PSP gloves as my favourite winter photography glove. Well, that was until Vallerret released the Skadi Zipper Mitt LRS gloves <INSERT AFFLIATE LINK>! A new and improved version of their deep winter mitts.
In the video below I not only photography Dartmoor with a rare dusting of snow, but I also share with you my thoughts on these new gloves from Vallerret.
If you’d like to purchase a pair of the Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt LRS gloves you can do so directly from Vallerret right here.
Where Are the Landscape Photographs?
It’s normally at this point in the blog post that I share the photographs I captured in the video, and you may be wondering where they are. There’re not here because I’ve already published them in the blog post Photographing Dartmoor in the Snow earlier this year. The reason for the time gap between video and photographs is that the video featured gloves that Vallerret hadn’t announced yet, so I kept the video back until now.
Be sure to check out the blog post Photographing Dartmoor in the Snow to not only see the photographs from that video, but some of the other snowy photos I captured from Dartmoor back in January.
Landscape Photography with Nikon Z8 - A Dartmoor 5 Minute Photo Adventure
Join me on my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure video as I take out the Nikon Z8 for its first landscape photography shoot. Would the excitement of using the Nikon Z8 to photograph Bowerman's Nose on Dartmoor outweigh the pain of a 03:30 alarm call?
Receiving the Nikon Z8
When the Nikon Z8 was announced I spent a frantic hour refreshing my browser waiting for the Nikon Z8 to be listed for pre-order on WexPhotoVideo. As soon as it did, I placed my order. I was confident I would receive a camera from their first batch of deliveries.
Sure enough, the release date of the camera came around and a shiny new Nikon Z8 box was delivered. New camera day is always exciting and receiving a Nikon Z8 was no different. You can see me unbox the camera for the first time here.
As a landscape photographer my first goal was to get out there into the wilderness and start taking landscape photographs with the Nikon Z8. However, as is always my luck with new cameras, the weather conditions were more suited to sunbathing than landscape photography! Unfortunately, the hot and sunny weather would last for days and days.
Out with the Nikon Z8 - Finally!
During the heatwave I did get the chance to photograph Muse in Plymouth, and you can read all about that here. That concert was a bit of a baptism of fire for the Nikon Z8, but what I really wanted to do was take some landscape photographs with it.
Then finally one morning I’d decided I’d had enough of waiting and I set my alarm for 03:30 with the aim of photographing Bowerman’s Nose on Dartmoor. When I set an alarm for that sort of stime I like to do it when the forecast is for great conditions, but I was so desperate to get out, even the slightest hint that there might be some cloud in sky was enough to get me out of bed.
It had been a while since I last set an alarm call that early so I when the alarm did go off it was a bit of a shock. But a few minutes later I was guzzling some coffee and, in the car, heading to Dartmoor. Was it worth the effort of getting up? Did my eagerness to get out with the Nikon Z8 blind me to what the weather forecast was saying? Well, you can find out in the video below and my first 5 Minute Photo Adventure with the Nikon Z8.
Bowerman’s Nose - Dartmoor Landscape Photographs with the Nikon Z8
Sunrise at Bowerman’s Nose #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/13, 0.4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Sunrise at Bowerman’s Nose #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Saying Goodbye to My Nikon Z7
I'm changing my landscape photography camera so it's time for one last shoot with the Nikon Z7. Join me in as I visit two of my favourite Dartmoor locations to capture my final Nikon Z7 landscape photographs with the Z7.
One Last Adventure
Over the last four years my Nikon Z7 been a constant companion on my landscape photography adventures and it has helped me capture some of my favourite landscape photographs.
However, it is time to move on and the delivery of my new camera is just around the corner. I don’t get emotionally attached to my cameras, but I decided to celebrate the end of my photography journey with the Z7 by taking it out on one my last landscape photography adventure to Dartmoor.
So, join me on my latest landscape photography adventure and watch me press the shutter button on my Nikon Z7 for the very last time.
Bowerman’s Nose, Dartmoor
Bowerman’s Nose, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/15 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone, Dartmoor
Belstone Tor Sunset #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 20m, f/11, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunset #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunset #3 , Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 17mm, f/11, 1/6 sec at ISO 64.
