A collection of fine art photographic prints from the Norfolk and Suffolk landscape
Woodland photography though difficult is a wonderfully calming experience, especially on foggy days like this when sounds get muted. I’m always on the lookout for ‘character’ in my compositions to help bring the image to life, here I imagined the central tree telling outlandish stories to the others gathered around.
I’ve visited this beautiful watermeadow a few times over the years and on a couple of occasions I’ve even been lucky enough to witness it light up with gorgeous golden morning sunshine like this. It’s an early start to see it at it’s best though; the flowers bloom in early June which means being there by four am to beat the sunrise!
RSPB Strumpshaw fen is a fabulously peaceful and beautiful place to visit especially in the early morning, it’s easy to leave the troubles of the outside world behind spending time with the gorgeous highland cattle grazing the marshland as the rising sun glows through the misty highlighted grasses.
Herringfleet smock mill is a very popular destination for many photographers, just over the border in Suffolk it affords many different opportunities for shooting varied compositions. I was also lucky enough on this morning to hit the weather jackpot, with both frost and mist helping me to create a more atmospheric image.
St Benet’s Abbey is a Norfolk Broads icon and another site that allows for many different compositions as one is able to shoot from almost any direction, being surrounded as it is on all sides by marshes. Here, as foreground interest I’ve used the marsh grasses surrounding the old fishponds which were used by the monks in years past.
My first ever fog bow! A few frantic, fumble-fingered moments on Norfolk Wildlife Trust Roydon Common switching to an appropriate lens and I managed to capture it with just a few seconds to spare before it disappeared, a wonderful August sight, with the heather in full bloom.
Another wonderfully peaceful Norfolk Broads area, Hickling Broad is a favourite spot of mine. It can look foreboding and gloomy on driech winter days but it can also look stunning when the reeds turn golden and drink in the sunshine, as was the case here on one of the side channels.
These bracken leaves always put me in mind of ancient prehistoric ferns and fossils, I couldn’t resist creating an image of this one, backlit as it was so beautifully, standing out proudly all on its own.
A little bit of early morning mist and some sunlight can make for great photography, here at Blickling Park I’ve composed for drama with the backlit tree shadows contrasting with the glorious sun rays.
I tend to create most of my pieces in the early morning but this is one of the few exceptions, a field near Burnham Market in North Norfolk which had a lovely slope to it, allowing me to have the setting sun backlight the poppies whilst also not have any distracting background.
A collection of fine art photographic prints from the East Anglian coast
The coastal erosion at Covehithe is relentless, more trees and cliff face collapsed onto the beach every time I visit, both sad and fascinating at the same time. For this piece to work I needed to visit two days in a row at sunrise, discovering this fallen tree on day one then returning the following day as I knew the tide would be at a better level, allowing me to create a more dynamic image.
An irresistible photographers hotspot; always hoping for a photogenic crop in the field…anything but cabbages, please! I was treated to fantastically dramatic sunset lit cloudy sky on this occasion to go with the golden ears.
A moody morning at Thornham Old Harbour in North Norfolk, the abandoned fishing boat and old coal shed complementing each other, both harking back to days long gone by. The coal shed is the only surviving building from a once-thriving harbour.
A stunning sunrise glow greeted me on this visit to Happisburgh beach, with the tide level just right for some wet reflective sand surrounding the stones, many of which can be found strewn all along this stretch of coast, it being one of the worst-hit areas for coastal erosion in the county.
With the famous Cromer pier in the background, the sands of Cromer beach are a great place for photography at low tide, revealing lots of fabulous patterns and pools to work with as foreground interest.
A lovely pink sky surprised me when I turned around during a shoot at Southwold to photograph the famous pier and I quickly framed a composition to make the most of it. These colourful pebbles which act as a great foreground were actually at chest height since I was standing on the sand eroded side of a wooden groyne, so I took my camera off the tripod and just laid it on those pebbles to create this piece.
The wave washed and windblown sands of Winterton beach made for a beautiful leading compostion against the colourful clouds on this glorious morning. Lovely enough in fact to be shortlisted in the prestigious Landscape Photographer Of The Year Competition!
Overstrand beach is another favourite place of mine to shoot and I have many images from here, for this one I composed from a high angle and used a long exposure time to create an almost abstract piece.
Thornham Old harbour gets some very high tides that often catch people out, I made sure to have my galoshes with me for this shoot so I could get right down to the water level and create some great reflections.
These old abandoned fishing boats on Aldeburgh beach make for a great subject. Especially when the light is as good as it was on this morning while I was attending a one to one photography workshop with Justin Minns. They always look to me as though they are longing to get out on the water again, hence the title
I am certainly no wildlife photographer but whilst out and about in the early hours hunting for good landscape photography light I’m often lucky enough to witness wonderful natural world moments…occasionally I even manage to capture a beautiful image in that moment!
For me, the things that make this image work are the soft light, the subtle colours and the mist along with, more importantly, the angle of the cygnets head and the soft exhalation of breath from the adult swan.
As is often the case in the Norfolk Broads a boat trip will get you closer to wildlife than otherwise possible, this image is a case in point; taken on a boat trip from Fairhaven Water Gardens it’s the closest I’ve ever been to a heron in flight, which is handy as I don’t own any long wildlife lenses, this was with my 70-200 f2.8 lens.
A friend I made on Twitter was kind enough to allow me access to their land to have a go at photographing their resident barn owl. A tough gig, but this is one of my favourite images from an enjoyable summer. If you’re interested you can read more about it here.
An opportunistic find whilst out on a poppy field shoot, I liked the contrast between the sharp blue damselfly and soft red poppies, which I tried to use as a gentle framing element to the main attraction.
A very lucky moment, caught after my wife Fi called my attention to a ladybird sat on top of the hedge just the other side of our garden fence. I grabbed my camera and macro lens and teetered on a couple of wobbly bricks for a decent angle, just in time to witness this moment of take-off!
During the Corona Virus crisis, Fi and I took a lot of solace from our walks around the local area, and fortunately, these Orange-tip butterflies were a regular sight. Even more fortunately I managed to catch a couple, ahem, in the act!
An image taken at Barton Broad on one of the most sublime gently colouful misty mornings I’ve ever witnessed. With just the one simple subject and no distractions it is at once so simple and yet so stunning.
Another wonderful morning at Norfolk Wildlife Trust Hickling Broad, this time with the light just right for some backlit, roosting Four Spotted Chaser action…I love dragonflies!
When Fi and I went on a holiday up North a good friend I know on Twitter who lives in the area was kind enough to introduce me to a little known red squirrel site…I couldn’t be happier to have seen them, image caught or not, but I’m not saying where it was regardless!
Did I mention I love dragonflies ;) These are Four Spotted Chasers at Hickling Broad again, a good site for them, this time I’ve showed them roosting in the reeds just before the sun warms them enough to head out hunting for breakfast.
A selection of flowers that through their beauty have inspired me to render such into worthy artworks…I strive, though never I will succeed!
Every year Love in a Mist flowers in our garden and I always do my best to show her off, every year I try again…too beautiful to capture!
It’s always a wonderful time of year when the bluebells pop up once again. On this occasion, I had a lovely dewy morning which helps to create beautiful backgrounds like this
A close-up study of one of my favourite garden beauties!
I love the soft pillowy nature of a tree like this in full blossom, here I’ve used a wide-open aperture to accentuate the feeling of softness
The cosmos flower is aptly named, such wonderful colour and soft texture, they create mini awe-inspiring floral galaxies!
So soft and delicate, this anemone seemed to me to be worthy of a place in any angels garland
Another floral extravaganza I look forward to each year is snowdrop season. So brief but so magical, here I’ve used a mono conversion to help hone in on the pure white lovliness
A wonderful pixie lantern of a flower, the snake’s head fritillary is just so enchanting!
A sight to behold on hazy summer evenings, sunflowers are a joy to photograph
I’ve used a long focal length and wide aperture here to create a dreamy soft portrait of this beautifully delicate snowdrop
