Liz and I wild camped on the top of Caer Caradoc in Shropshire over the bank holiday weekend. It was wild, windy and very cold and as our tent was pitched on a bit of a slope we ended up piled on top of one another! The upside was that I was on the top of this beautiful hill at 6:00am taking photos of the whale-like hills rising out of the early morning mist. I've added one of the images of this wonderful morning to the Southern gallery.
27th May 2010
I didn't get many bluebell shots this year. They came through quite late due to the cold start to the year and then the warm dry patch brought all the leaves and other plants out all at once so the bluebells were soon smothered. I managed to get a couple of nice evenings and one slightly misty, sunny dawn. I've just added an image to the Southern Gallery from a morning trip into Itchen Wood where I met a fellow photographer who'd been looking at my website just the night before!
11th February 2010
I've just added a print to the Lith Gallery of a tree in mist and snow. The tree appears to have been cut off with a pruning knife though in fact it is simply the curving snowy ground against a misty background that creates the illusion.
9th January 2010
I've just added three images to the Monochrome Gallery following a very snowy Christmas and New Year in The Lakes and The Dales. Amazing weather and the snow's still with us with more expected tomorrow. How long can it go on for?
19th November 2009
I've added a scan of a lith print to the Lith Gallery of the slate 'tombstones' that walkers have erected in the disused slate mine near the summit of Castle Crag in Borrowdale in The Lake District. I used infrared film to create a moody, grainy image.
7th November 2009
I've just added a colour image to the Lake District gallery. Taken at dawn last week from Kettlewell bay on Derwent Water, it shows the dawn glow illuminating the shapely flanks of Skiddaw beyond the lake, the glowing clouds reflected in the lake. Moments like these are ones to cherish. Just after taking this shot two enormous swans swooped down and landed right in front of me, nearly soaking my camera!
3rd November 2009
I've added two new images to the Monochrome gallery. The first is an infra red print of the old bridge at Waverley Abbey on a bright autumn day. The second is of a fallen tree resting on boulders in Derwent Water in The Lake District on a distinctly less sunny moring in the Lake District.
28th September 2009
Added a monochrome print to the Monochrome gallery of evening light reflecting on the river flowing from Boverton Water in the Jotunheimen Mountains in Norway. The moonlit sky reflected in the water to produce a nice set of positive and negative spaces.
11th September 2009
Following a wonderful week in Norway I've added to colour photos to the Travel Gallery. One is of light and shadow playing on the distant hills on the eastern edge of the Jotunheimen mountain area and the other is a view down Bovertunvatnet, a glacial lake in west Jotunheimen. Look out for more monochrome images over the coming weeks.
18th August 2009
I've added another print from our long weekend in The Lakes, this time to the Monochrome Gallery. This time it's a print of Rowantreethwaite Beck tumbling under the old packhorse bridge into Haweswater with the High Street range behind.
8th August 2009
I've just added a lith print to the Lith Gallery of Hardenden Cement Factory in Shap, Cumbria. We enjoyed a long weekend in the quiet, unspoilt northeast of The Lakes and encountered only four or five people in three days of walking in the peak of the summer season. A trip to Keswick told us where everybody was! The cement factory has caught my attention every time we've driven past it on the M6 but this was the first time I had the chance to actually photograph it. I waited until near sunset and took several long exposures between bouts of rain.
20th July 2009
I've added a new interpretation of one of my infra red bluebell images to the lith gallery. This version is a panoramic crop of one of my monochrome images. By toning the lith print in selenium and then gold I've introduced some blue and violet tones that reflect the colours of the wood in April.
8th May 2009
I've added two new colour bluebell photos to the Southern Gallery. These misty early morning shots were taken on the same day as the infrared shot posted on 4th May. Conditions were wonderful and it was an immensely enjoyable morning.
4th May 2009
Due to the success of the last week at the Fairground Craft Centre they've asked us to stay on for another week! So you can catch the exhibition up until 10th May.
I've added an image to the Monochrome gallery of bluebells captured in Itchen Wood in infrared. It's a different take on the bluebell theme and the conditions were the best we've had since 2004 - lots of bluebells and a lovely low mist.
26th April 2009
If you're near Andover over the bank holiday weekend you might like to drop in to the Fairground Craft Centre where I'll be exhibiting my prints from 29th April to 4th May inclusive. There will be turned wood bowls, hangings, original art and more besides in the gallery which also hosts an excellent tearoom at the far end of the centre. There's loads of parking and a number of fixed craft units that will be open so it's definitely worth dropping by.
18th April 2009
I've just added a picture of the beautiful barns and drystone walls in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales to the Yorkshire Dales gallery. We enjoyed a wonderful Easter break in Swaledale and I was lucky enough to capture the low evening light illuminating the fields. Below me two mother sheep were tending their four lambs and kept looking up at me with some concern as I fiddled with the camera settings.
16th March 2009
I've added a lith print to the Lith Gallery. The image was captured in January this year on Draycott Hill south of Marlborough in Wiltshire. It was a wonderful morning of hoar frost and thick mist that turned the downland into something from Narnia. A great day's walking ensued, with lunch in Marlborough, and we returned to the car, 15 miles later, about an hour after sunset. It was dark and we were tired but elated.
1st March 2009
Having been kept busy by Rohan for the last few weeks I finally got some time in the darkroom yesterday and created a print of an image that I captured at Watership Down back in December. Watership Down was made famous by Richard Adams in his book and the subsequent film and Art Garfunkel's song seem to remain in the minds of those growing up in the '80s. The mist was blowing up the steep side of the down and rushing over the top momentarily hiding and then revealing different parts of the landscape. The print's in the Monochrome Gallery.
21st January 2009
I'm pleased to report that seven of my Lake District images have been used in the new Rohan '21 Years in the Lake District' catalogue and on their website. Follow the links to the 21st anniversary feature to see them all. The images are interspersed throughout the new catalogue of outdoor clothing and provide a colourful reminder of the beauty of the area.
18th November 2008
I've added three new colour images to the Lake District gallery following A wonderful week spent in Ambleside. After torrential rain and severe flooding on the day arrived we had a week of mostly sunshine and great autumn colour.
7th November 2008
I will be exhibiting a selection of my colour and black and white images as part of the 'Making Merry' open studios week at 52 Kilham Lane, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 5QD over the weekend of 29th/30th November. I hope you can come along and see the images in the flesh. I will be there to discuss my work at various times on the Saturday and Sunday. There will be framed prints for sale along with greetings cards. Three other artists will be sharing the studio and they will have a selection of original paintings and crafts available to buy - all ideal and unique christmas presents.
11th October 2008
I've added a new image to the Southern England gallery of sunset at Mousehole. The tide was receding quite quickly and I wasn't sure what patterns the breaking waves would make on the rock shelf in the foreground. The 25 second exposure has created some nice textures and shapes.
5th October 2008
I've added two new images to the Monochrome gallery. The first is a picture of St Clement's Island just off the coast of Mousehole in Cornwall. I was hoping to capture a colourful sunset after a sunny day but stormy weather came in from the east and so I shot black and white instead. The long exposure of 1m 22s has turned the sea into a mist and created real dynamism in the rapidly moving storm clouds. As I packed up the camera is started to rain!
The second image is of twisted oak woodland in Horner Wood near Dunkery Beacon on Exmoor. The woodland is truly beautiful and after a grey day the sun suddenly came out and lit up the leaves creating a wonderful atmosphere. In fact, the opposite circumstances to those in the image of St Clement's Island.
18th August 2008
I've added a wide-angle shot of two of the Lacs Jovets to the Monochrome gallery. The last of the sun was pouring through the gap between the distant mountains and illuminating the higher ground. The lakes were still and acted like mirrors.
16th August 2008
I've added a colour image of one of the Lacs Jovets to the Travel gallery. We were lucky enough to capture the last light on the high altitude (2200m) lake whilst trekking in The Alps this summer. Having the lake to oneself really enhances the experience.
12th August 2008
I've added two more images to the Monochrome gallery. The first is an infra red photo of the spire of Les Contamines church in the French Alps and was captured as we sat to rest on a shady seat in the church grounds after a long walk. The second is a tree spreading its branches across the top of the frame to embrace the luminous meadows beyond. This too is an infra-red photo and was captured near Old Winchester Hill in Hampshire.
11th May 2008
I've added three new bluebell images to the Southern England gallery. My friend and I enjoyed an interesting trip into Micheldever Wood last weekend. It rained hard for most of the morning which turns the bark of the beech trees black and produces nice droplets on the fresh, vibrantly green new leaves. This and the unusual glow that occured as the rain clouds began to clear and the sun began to shine through a layer of thin cloud has produced a nice light and interesting contrasts.
5th May 2008
I've added a print to the Monochrome gallery of a circular formation that I came across on the beach near Runswick Bay on the 'Jurassic coast' of North Yorkshire. We were expecting the tide to be going out but it turned out to be coming in and soon after taking the shot the water was running over my feet which meant a mad dash for the escape route up the cliffs!
18th April 2008
I've added a print of the pretty fishing village of Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast to the Monochrome Gallery and a lith print of a reflected scene on the Welshpool Canal in Wales to the Lith Gallery. The image of Staithes was captured in windy conditions and between heavy bouts of rain - it really was a case of taking the image then quickly replacing the lens cap as another front came in from the sea.
2nd March 2008
Got some exciting news when Photobox called me on Thursday to ask if I'd like to be their featured photographer for March. Naturally I accepted! The previous featured photographers have included some well respected pros, the last one being Adam Lawrence whose masterful portraits of famous celebs are well worth a look. You can take a look at the write-up and maybe buy some prints :-) here.
1st March 2008
I've added an image of a fence marching off into the mist in a snowy landscape to the Monochrome Gallery. The image was captured in January but I've only just had the chance to finish the film and create the print.
30th January 2008
I've added a print to the Lith gallery that captures the remains of the plantation at Iron Keld in The Lake District. The plantation had been felled and the area looked like the remains of a word war one battle. The fallen tree in the foreground looked like razor wire and the few random trees left standing stepped away into the mist. A lith print was the only way to bring out the emotions that I was attempting to capture when I took the shot.
19th January 2008
After a few more nights locked away in the darkroom I've added two more prints to the Monochrome gallery. One is of St David's cathedral in Pembrokeshire and the second is of a winding road leading into the hills in The Lake District with sun rays bursting through the dark clouds overhead. Both were great moments, the action of catching those moments has burned the memory of the time into my mind.
13th January 2008
Having caught up with some darkroom printing yesterday I've posted two new images to the Monochrome gallery. The first is a pciture of two trees in the snow in The Lake District and the second is an image of the amazing stones that stand as the remains of the burial chamber at Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire.
11th January 2008
Following a wonderful Christmas/New Year break taking in the Pembrokeshire coast and The Lake District, I've added one new image to each of the Southern England/Wales gallery and The Lake District gallery. The image of Strumble Head lighthouse was captured at sunset at the end of a dull grey day showing that it always pays to have your camera with you and the image of Blea Tarn at dawn was captured on a very cold, crisp morning when the light just got better and better, long after the period when I'd expect it to go 'off'.
16th December 2007
I've added two new monochrome prints of Ullswater to the Monochrome gallery. The dawn was grey and overcast but this produced attractive soft light on the surface of the lake. I'd been waiting to find the right paper for these prints and now I have. Using Forte Polygrade developed in Tetenal Dokumol produces deep, cool blacks which complement the light sepia tone in the highlights.
18th November 2007
I've added a print of weathered sandstone walls at Lacy's Caves near Little Salkeld in Cumbria to the Monochrome Gallery. The caves, next to the River Eden, are strange and interesting and the Mill cafe at Little Salkeld is a hidden treasure serving wonderful home milled and baked bread with hearty soups. Perfect after a day's walking in the cold.
11th November 2007
I've added two new lith prints to the Lith Gallery of images captured on our recent trip to the Lake District. Both images were captured using Kodak HIE, a high-sensitivity infra-red film which renders foliage bathed in sunlight as bright white which gives the images a ghostly appearance.
2nd November 2007
Following a very productive week in The Lake District where myself, my wife and my twelve year old daughter all completed the Wainwrights (all 214 fells in The Lake District), I've added a number of new colour images to the Lake District Gallery.
4th September 2007
I've added a lith print to the Lith Gallery of a tree above Seathwaite in Dunnerdale in The Lake District. The weather was perfect for black and white with overcast skies and a luminous light. I immediately knew how I wanted to portray the scene and that I'd need to expose the print through a soft filter.
19th August 2007
I've added another monochrome print to the Monochrome Gallery from our recent hiking trip in the Vanoise National Park. This image shows my wife and daughter crossing the rock path through Lac des Vaches. The lac is in a spectacular glacial bowl above the alpine pastures and is a highlight of any walk up to Col de la Vanoise.
13th August 2007
I have just added a scan of a print to the Monochrome Gallery. The image was captured during our trip to the Vanoise National Park and it has taken me some time to interpret it in a way that conveys the feelings that we felt as we made our way up to the Col de la Vanoise into the thick mist, the snow adding a feeling of isolation and intense beauty as we climbed higher.
27th July 2007
After a wonderful two weeks walking in the Vanoise National Park in the French Alps I've posted an image to the Travel Gallery showing some of the alpine peaks at sunset. We had an amazing mixture of weather that began with rain then led into a heavy snow fall and finally transitioned into an extended period of bright sunshine!
21st June 2007
I've added an image captured with my large format camera of the first fabulous sunset of the summer. A few days before the longest day I noticed the evening light was perfect and drove over to a field of opium poppies that I'd spied a few days earlier. As the sun set the wonderful cloud formation over the horizon was lit up with the most astonishing array of reds, pinks and oranges. Even after I'd finished shooting I stood mesmerised as the colours continued to evolve.
8th June 2007
I've added another shot to the Southern Gallery, this time of four young people walking across the floor of the British Museum. Looking down on people walking about this wonderful space I was taken by the intersection of floor tiles, the shadows from the glass sections above and the shadows of the people themselves.
7th June 2007
Following an enjoyable weekend on Purbeck, I've added an image of the wonderful Dancing Ledge at sunset to the Southern Gallery.
2nd June 2007
I've added a print to the Monochrome gallery of a single rose illuminated by the light of the setting sun flooding through a small window behind the camera. Shot with infra-red film the image creates a different perspective on the rose.
13th May 2007
I've added two new monochrome prints to the Monochrome gallery and a new lith print to the Lith gallery. Each of these prints took much experimenting before I hit upon the optimum combination of paper grade, exposure time, dodging and burning to create the end result. I hope you like the final product.
11th May 2007
I've added an image of two trees in a field of rapeseed taken on one luminous pink evening in April. I'd noted the trees on the horizon in winter and was delighted when the field was planted with rapeseed. I kept driving past the field until the right combination of ripeness and light combined to allow me to capture this image.
9th April 2007
I've added a shot of a drystone wall snaking over a hillside near Longthwaite in Borrowdale to the Monochrome gallery. As is often the case in The Lake District, the light was perfect for only a fleeting moment which I managed to capture by standing atop a stile to get the best composition!
5th April 2007
I've added two new images to the Lake District Gallery following a long weekend near Bowness-on-Windermere in March. We had beautiful, crisp light and a cold easterly breeze and enjoyed some fantastic walking on the fells.
7th March 2007
I've added a new gallery under the Monochrome Galleries section of the home page called Monochrome. These are silver gelatin prints made on double weight fibre based paper in a traditional darkroom.
5th March 2007
I've added a lith print to the Lith Gallery of The Manger in Oxfordshire. This wonderful site is a dry valley but it looks man-made due to its amazing shape. Right next to the valley is the famous White Horse, the mound where St George supposedly slew the dragon, an enormous hill fort and Wayland's Smithy, one of the largest burial chambers so far found in the UK.
4th March 2007
Last night we enjoyed a total eclipse of the moon and I managed to take a number of images despite standing in thick fog for the second half of the eclipse! This image doesn't really fit anywhere else but I thought you might like to see it. You can buy a print from my Photobox Gallery as normal.
28th January 2007
I've added a lith print to the Lith Gallery of hoar frost on hedgerows near my home in Hampshire. The image was toned in selenium and then gold to produce the blue colouration.
6th January 2007
We've just returned from a wet and windy week in The Lake District. Very much a week for black and white photography in very challenging conditions! Look out for some new images over the coming weeks. In the meantime I've added a lith print to the Lith Gallery of a single tree in the mist taken in December 2006.
24th December 2006
I'm pleased to report that the large size images are now accessible for all of the galleries. Simply click on a thumbnail in any of the galleries to see a larger size version.
23rd December 2006
The main news is that for the first time since October 2004, the site has had a major re-vamp. I hope that you like the new look and feel! At the moment you can only view thumbnails but I will be loading the larger images over the coming weeks so please be patient!
I have taken the opportunity to add three images to the Lake District Gallery, taken in late October 2006, and three images to the Southern England Gallery taken in November and December 2006.
The new site also includes a new gallery for my monochrome 'lith' prints. I continue to fly the flag for analogue photography and lith printing is the epitomy of what makes analogue images special. Each and every lith print is utterly unique - it is nearly impossible to totally replicate the look of a single print since there are so many variables that can affect the outcome, despite my best efforts to ensure consistency. The process of creating lith prints in a traditional dark room is slow and can be frustrating but the end results are well worth the effort in my view - I hope you agree.
As ever, you can buy colour prints via my Photobox Pro Gallery by following this link. Thank you to the many people who bought prints in 2006, I hope you continue to enjoy them for years to come. If you would like to buy lith prints then please read the details in my Buying section.
As ever, please e-mail me if you have any comments or suggestions.
