Along These Winding Roads
Early morning on a winding track somewhere in the heart of the Devon countryside. There was heavy cloud but I thought it might be worth a little wander up the h...
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Early morning on a winding track somewhere in the heart of the Devon countryside. There was heavy cloud but I thought it might be worth a little wander up the hill from the campsite in the hopes the sun might peak out.
www.davidhaughtonphotography.co.uk
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www.davidhaughtonphotography.co.uk
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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I spent a few days camping near a little village called Peter Tavy, which is on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon. It's one of the biggest wild spaces in the UK and has a wonderful rugged beauty that is a joy to photograph. The surrounding farm land with tiny lanes edged by high stone walls covered in bracken and cow parsley in early summer.Time
I slipped out early in the morning as the sun was rising, at about 6am with the hopes of catching the sun piercing through the heavy clouds that had plagued us in the days before. I climbed the hill along these narrow lanes and paths and found this little section where the road snakes into a perfect S as it winds its way towards the distant hills and the sunrise beyond.Lighting
With a little patience I was able to balance the light of the sun breaking the clouds and the strong shadows from the hedges, mostly by positioning myself and the camera to reduce glare and lens flares. I actually took two exposures here and stitched them together in Lightroom to get the width. I was also using a fairly basic grad filter also as I was shooting towards the sun.Equipment
So equipment wise, I'm pretty radical really but it suits me perfectly as I like to travel light and clamber about in places most photographers avoid to get the angle I'm after. I carry a Panasonic Lumix GX-1 which is micro 4/3 camera with Panasonic 14mm lens... and really nothing else! And with that I'll take a either a couple of landscape pano shots or 5 or 6 portrait pano shots to stitch together in Lightroom when I get back. It's a simple workflow that really seems to work for me.Inspiration
I'm inspired by wild and intimate natural spaces and just enjoy clambering about hills or woodlands looking for shapes and textures and light. The high hedges were lush with wild flowers and bracken and I really wanted to capture the natural textures and light of a typical Devon rural setting.Editing
I do use a lot of post-processing in my images which I'd love to tell you about but I love to keep some sense of mystery about how I achieve the dreamy, painterly quality I strive for. I use a pretty similar workflow though in processing and pay as much attention to this as I do in taking the photo's.In my camera bag
As I say I really only ever have the Panasonic on a wrist strap. A silly warm hat and a waterproof rain coat. That's all I ever need!Feedback
My advice for others looking to make similar images is to open your eyes to what's around you. We are always drawn to the big views and spectacular vista's and that's ok but often the small and intimate spaces close to home can offer a rich variety of beautiful natural textures, shapes and forms. Look for the long grasses, twisting branches, winding paths, sunlit streams and ancient woodlands. Take a walk... take your time!
