I am excited to be starting a year-long journey into woodland photography with the amazing Charlotte Bellamy and a group of like-minded photographers from across the world. The project emerged from Charlie's work on her book 'If the Woods Whispered, Would You Hear Them, an interesting mix of photography, mindful journalling and poetry, which is why it so appealed to me.
Over the New Year, I spent some time reflecting on my journey through 2024, and the ways that my photography had developed. Thinking now about the year ahead, I want this project to be the 'spine' of my year. My intentions are to capture different aspects of the theme 'woodland' through the seasons, to explore the temperate rainforests of Devon and to work on the technical aspects of my photography, such as composition and macro. Not too demanding, I hope!
I am fortunate to be living within 10 minutes walk of one ancient natural limestone woodland, a designated site of Special Scientific Interest. I have always called it 'Bradley Woods' but I discovered today that although the estate is called Bradley Manor, the woods are Berry's Woods and Lang's Copse! For me, it is a good 'go-to' place for a variety of different length walks and I am keen to find out more about its history and other ancient woodlands in Devon as I work on this topic throughout 2025.
My starting point for this project was to go for my usual walk into the wood, down the path to the River Lemon and along the river bank. It was a cold, sunny, early-January day, and the path was very muddy after the heavy December rains. I took some initial 'record' shots and this video:
I slid and slurped my way down the path, looking at my surroundings with new eyes, scouting for ideas to use in the weeks ahead. The wood has a complex mix of trees and undergrowth, and is minimally managed by the National Trust. As a result, it is rather 'messy', and I realised that finding striking images within the chaos would be a challenge!
I soon reached the banks of the River Lemon which runs through the woods before joining with the River Teign on the other side of the town of Newton Abbot. It was really full, and had breached its banks, and had several broken branches stranded in its waters. But I stood and watched for some time, enjoying the sound of the water and appreciating the way the trees were reaching up into the cold, blue January sky:
As the sun started to get low in the sky, and the wood loses its light for another day, I made my way back home. I am now enthused (even if very cold!) by the idea of spending more time in this woodland and finding ways to create worthwhile images in the weeks ahead.
With a welcome mug of hot tea warming my fingers, I started to look online for some ideas, and came across the work of photographer Simon Baxter - loving the title of his video on woodland photography Enjoy Woodland Photography and Sod Epic! He suggests for the first visit to a new location, scout with just a phone camera: Scouting a new location.
i am really excited - so much to look forward to!
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