Mark's Blog

Recently, I decided to take a run to the coast to do some close-up work. A genre that I am finding more and more pleasurable. Initially, I stopped at Staithes in order to wander around underneath Boulby Cliffs as the tide was out. Unfortunately, the only image that inspired me to get the camera out was being hounded by my shadow due to the sun being directly behind me. No matter what I did, this particular image just had to wait for another day. I remembered around six or seven years earlier visiting Port Mulgrave, just up the road from Staithes. It had been an early morning shoot that day I recalled and though the light was particularly good I just couldn't find a suitable image to do it justice. I remember returning from my journey rather despondent that day not having made a successful image. This was a time when...

I seem to have my seasons mixed up at the moment what with an Autumn woodland image posted in July and now a fresh spring-like image with bluebells. I even have an image I made on Skye last year just being drum scanned by Tim Parkin that I haven’t worked on yet! However, due to this year being more than hectic for me, it’s only just now that I’m able to catch up and add my favourite images to the website (although slow image making is pretty much the norm for large format photographers). Today’s image is of a small bluebell wood near Richmond in North Yorkshire that I have visited every year for the last four years. Its only downside is that you have to cross over two fields of cows who always seem to be curious when someone like me walks across their territory and inevitably come bounding over...

It seems rather peculiar to be posting images of Autumn in Summer but just like last week’s image I’m playing catch up after renewing the website. If nothing else it whets my appetite for this year’s autumnal colours to come! This is an image made at Littlebeck last October. I’d spent most of the day seeking out an image or two and came across this one quite late on in the day. It was getting quite dark so I knew I’d have to make a long exposure so I was fortunate that it was a very calm day without even a breeze (that doesn’t happen often!!).I found a good vantage point above the fern to make the most of the circular display of leaves and after setting up the Ebony, proceeded to make a 10 second exposure. As usual, this image and more can be found in the Recently Added section of...

Today’s image is of a Cercidiphyllum Japonicum – a small tree which I just love in the Autumn. The colours are delightful and rich and, as can be seen, very varied. I took some time working out the composition of the tree as there were many options I could have gone for. However, I really like this one. I’m sure an even closer (macro?) image would also have been very effective. This was an image I was supposed to post last Autumn but I was just about to embark on a new website so I decided to leave it until the new site was live…. little did I know it would be nine months later! Things just throw you off your best intentions!! Many thanks to Rod Bennington for letting me know the name of the tree. Now I’m off to see my friend Stuart Townsend – a fellow keen photographer...