Living in Sussex, the South Downs are the prominent landscape subject on offer. Where they may lack the drama of some of the northern and south west national parks, where they come into their own is with their mist filled valleys, gentle undulations and the interplay of light and shadow within them and the influence of an and farming over the centuries, creating a patchwork of fields and crops.

‘field of dreams’You can sometimes get lucky, but most of the time you have to plan and put the effort in to get ‘that shot’.This was one such example and looking back, still one of the most amazing trips out I have ever had. With a clear night prev…

‘field of dreams’

‘Alone with Lady Aurora’

‘heavens above ’

‘Heavens above’

‘River of stars’

‘Bale Out’

‘the red light’Some sunrises just leave you speechless, especially when they take you by surprise. This August morning was one such occasion. The primary aim of the trip was to shoot the mist out across the valley and then as the sun rose, capture the shadows and undulations across the hills. Sadly the sun got lost in some mid level cloud so the shadows didn’t kick in how I hoped, but when the sunrise was as beautiful as this, its hard to complain

‘the red light’

‘riches’

‘ridge’

‘The mill on the hill’The lovely thing about shooting in and around the South Downs is the variety of vantage points you can gain. With so many vistas on offer, you can shoot the same subject from a range of different points bringing something different to each composition. The mill at Ashcombe near Lewes is one such example.

‘The mill on the hill’

‘a new hope’A total cloud inversion is always an amazing sight see. From the right vantage points on the South Downs you can look out and see nothing but a sea of white, especially come the autumn. This particular morning offered up a beautiful burning sky which was just starting to reflect off the top of the mist. You can almost imagine the goings on of the world below blanket, unaware of the beauty unfolding above them.

‘a new hope’

‘ups and downs’The patchwork of gentle rolling hills and fields across the South Downs is one of its many charms. The interplay of light and shadows makes for some lovely compositions away from the more traditional type of far reaching, big vistas some of the other National Parks can more naturally lend themselves to.

‘ups and downs’

‘green and pleasant’

‘last days of summer’

‘last days of summer’

‘high & over’

‘high & over’

‘shadowlands’

‘red dawn’

‘Downhill’

‘BATTLEFIELD’

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