Quiet Light: landscape photography by Julian Barkway

Image 'Pink sandstone' added to gallery 'New Work'

I spent a good few hours, over a couple of visits, exploring the attractive lavender-pink sandstone near St. Bees on England's Cumbrian coast

Image 'Pink sandstone' added to gallery 'New Work'

Another image from an extremely productive session at St. Bees.

Image 'Reflections' added to gallery 'New Work'

The sunset reflected in water left by the receding tide.

Image 'Bog Myrtle' added to gallery 'New Work'

A beautiful plant - especially in late-autumn when the remaining leaves make a nice contrast against the branches of this fascinating shrub.

Image 'Whirling tree' added to gallery 'New Work'

This tree seemed to me to be whirling around in a frenzy so I made use of the wind to add a little motion-blur.

Image 'Quarry wall' added to gallery 'New Work'

I was taken by the way the slate appeared to hang in curtains of rock.

Image 'Shock and ore' added to gallery 'New Work'

At an abandoned quarry, a cave had been cut into the rock, the ceiling of which contained some intriguing mineral staining. It was a tough shot to get - especially with a large format camera - but I persevered with the minimal light and the awkward position in which I was forced to work and was rewarded with this colorful abstract.

Image 'Borrowdale' added to gallery 'New Work'

The view across Borrowdale in England's Lake District.

Image 'Slatescape' added to gallery 'New Work'

These slate contours, topped by 'forests' of moss, reminded me of mountains in a jungle.

Image 'Blazing foliage' added to gallery 'New Work'

I spotted these trees whilst driving down to the car-park at the rim of the gorge at Le Châtelot, which provides access to the large concrete dam and the artificial Lac de Moron, and just had to stop and make a photograph...

Image 'Beech saplings' added to gallery 'New Work'

I really enjoy discovering patterns in the essential randomness of nature and so it was with these beech seedlings. What intrigued me was the juxtaposition of old and young leaves.

Image 'Heart of the gorge' added to gallery 'New Work'

In this wilder part of the gorge the river is narrow and constricted by sheer cliffs. Yet this is an amazingly verdant place.

Image '' added to gallery 'New Work'

One of the paths down into the Gorges du Doubs takes you past this little store of firewood and the house to which it belongs. As I walked by, the owner was busily collecting water from a nearby spring - presumably a house with no vehicle access also has none of the modern facilities we take for granted. The man appeared too busy to chat and, besides, my French wasn't really up to the task so I said a cheery "bonjour!" and walked on...

Image 'Lone tree' added to gallery 'New Work'

I had high hopes of a misty sunrise as I crested the Col de la Tourne but, although the mist in the valley was holding on, at higher levels it had all been burned away by the sun. Almost. The last vestiges served to simplify the background and help this wonderful tree stand out in the morning light.

Image 'Above les Ponts-de-Martel' added to gallery 'New Work'

Climbing out of Les Ponts-de-Martel on the road to Le Locle, I was immediately struck by the bright red foliage of the tree to the right of this image. However, a head-on view meant the sun would be behind me causing flat and unflattering light to fall on it. Moving to a position that afforded some amount of side-lighting, this intriguing view opened up, looking down on the fog sitting in the Val de La Sagne.

Image 'Granite and Snow' added to gallery 'New Work'

I had to wait half an hour for the sun to disappear behind the ridgeline of this mountain in order to capture the delicate texture of this beautiful rock and the subtle reflection of the sky in the snow.

Image 'Birch wood and granite' added to gallery 'New Work'

I was surprised to find this small silver-birch wood on two counts: the ground appeared to be bone-dry (this tree usually prefers marshy ground) and I was 1900m up a mountain...

I had to work fast as the sun was fast emerging from behind a mountain. Direct sunlight would have spoilt the subtlety of this scene.

Image 'Icicles' added to gallery 'New Work'

I spent quite a while exploring the potential of this quiet little mountain stream with its intriguing array of icicles.

Image 'Cascade of colour' added to gallery 'New Work'

I just loved the way the foliage of several beeches had seemingly merged together to form a spectacular cascade of colour down the cliff-face.

Image 'Pink sandstone' added to gallery 'New Work'

Another composition from this area of beautiful geology.

Image 'Reflected branches' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

This part of the French Jura is known as 'Les Quatre Lacs' because here, in an area of only a handful of square kilometres, can be found the Lac de Narlay, Lac d'Ilay, Lac de Petit Maclu and Lac de Grand Maclu.

I found this intriguing little scene at the northern end of the Grand Maclu lake and I was fascinated by the way the gentle ripples interfered with the reflected shapes of the branches.

Image 'Gole di Breggia - 1' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

The river Breggia flows through a steep sided gorge where the folded and distorted geological strata are laid bare. This makes for a fascinating area to explore photographically. I made these three very different images in a short 100 metre stretch of the river.

Image 'Last light, Lac de Narlay' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I completed my photographic tour of Les Quatre Lacs with a trip to the Lac de Narlay, hoping to use the sparse reedbeds in a composition. That didn't work out but this one did....

Image 'Gole di Breggia - 3' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

Image 'Fragile' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I wanted to show the fragility of life in this environment so I was pleased to find these flowers growing on a boulder in the shadow of an undercut cliff. The composition was chosen deliberately to emphasise the oppressive presence of the cliff-face.

Image 'Echelles du Mort' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I got here just as the golden morning light was turning to the harsh light of midday and I was lucky to capture this while the light was still good.

Image 'Pfynwald ' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

This small area of wetland in the midst of the Pfynwald (Forêt de Finges) provided me with an interesting, if difficult, subject. The difficulties lay with access to the few unobstructed vantage points and in framing the composition so as to avoid some rather inconveniently-located power cables.

Image 'Peeling Birch' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I was entranced by the way the peeling bark of this silver birch was filtering the sunlight and selected Kodak Portra colour negative film for its silky-smooth tonality.

Image 'Dancing birches' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

These birches seemed to me to be dancing a wild tango whilst the more straight-laced pines look on, disapprovingly....

Image 'Beech saplings' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I really enjoy discovering patterns in the essential randomness of nature and so it was with these beech seedlings. What intrigued me was the juxtaposition of old and young leaves.

Image 'Blue and gold' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

A curl of moving water highlighted by both the reflection of the blue sky and that of Autumn foliage.

Image '' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

Image 'Descent into chaos' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

Smooth, glassy water suddenly becomes a foaming mass of white water at these rapids, formed partly from the ruins of one of the many forges and mills which dotted the gorge between the sixteenth century and the coming of steam in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Image 'Pink sandstone' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

I spent a good few hours, over a couple of visits, exploring the attractive lavender-pink sandstone near St. Bees on England's Cumbrian coast

Image 'Cold tin roof' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

The badly-corroded corrugated steel roof of a fisherman's hut makes an interesting study in the effects of the elements on our fragile buildings.

Image 'Bog Myrtle' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

A beautiful plant - especially in late-autumn when the remaining leaves make a nice contrast against the branches of this fascinating shrub.

Image 'Stone waves' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

A small part of the wave-cut platform at Nanven Beach. This is a spot I previously visited in 2007 and I have been wanting to return there ever since. The fascinating geology and wave-smoothed boulders provide limitless subject-matter for photographers.

Image 'Whirling tree' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

This tree seemed to me to be whirling around in a frenzy so I made use of the wind to add a little motion-blur.

Image 'Granite egg' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

One of the joys of making images in a location such as this is that no two visits yield quite the same patterns of rock and sand. Each day, the power of the sea shifts heavy boulders with ease and rearranges the beach totally randomly.

Image 'Slatescape' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

These slate contours, topped by 'forests' of moss, reminded me of mountains in a jungle.

Image 'Flow' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

A small stream flows through the boulder-field that forms the beach at Porth Nanven and on my previous visit in 2007, I made a rather unsuccessful attempt at recording it. This time I was determined to do better and spent a long time looking for just the right arrangement of rocks and water.

Image 'Big sky' added to gallery 'Pick of the Year (2011)'

Living in Switzerland, the opportunity to make images at the coast is practically non-existent and horizons are almost always blocked by large mountains or, at least, low hills. So when I looked up, after spending a couple of hours finding intimate compositions of Porth Nanven beach, to discover a wonderful sky I just had to point the camera upwards to record it.

Kodak Portra film provided a subtle colour-pallette with which to make the most of the big sky and a moderately wide angle lens allowed me to include a large part of the sky without overly diminishing the two rocky outcrops known as 'The Brisons'.

Image 'Autumn at La Goule - 1' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

A day of intermittent light rain provided the perfect conditions for this dramatic image of the gorge below the dam at La Goule.

Image 'Autumn at La Goule' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

At La Goule, the river has been dammed to provide electricity and the resulting reservoir provides a stretch of quiet water, in stark contrast to the wilder parts of the gorge further upstream.

Image 'Spring greens' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

It was the sole flowering tree which drew me to this scene. After that, it was just a matter of arranging the shapes, colours and general chaos of nature into an interesting composition.

Image 'Echelles du Mort' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

I got here just as the golden morning light was turning to the harsh light of midday and I was lucky to capture this while the light was still good.

Image 'Les Échelles du Mort' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

The name of this section of the gorge means 'ladders of death' and refers to the via ferrata which allows suitably equipped climbers to negotiate the sheer cliffs by means of ladders and steel cables attached to the rock. Not being a climber, my interests lay with the river and the fine display of Autumn colours around it.

Image 'Les Échelles du Mort' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

I am hoping to visit this location again later in the year. It is a section of the gorge that I have so far not explored, due in no small part to the difficulty of access. However, there is much to see and photograph in this wilder and more rugged part of the river.

Image 'Les Échelles du Mort' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

My previous images from this exceptionally beautiful gorge concentrated on the areas where dams hold back the torrent to create placid lakes. At this point, downstream of the dam at Biaufond, the river is in its natural state - raw and powerful.

Image 'Snow Boat' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

The tiny hamlet of Biaufond sits right on the frontier between France and Switzerland. Consisting of not much more than a handful of houses and a small restaurant catering to fishermen and other visitors, it is serviced by a narrow road running along the side of this reservoir and on up to the Swiss rim of the gorge. The elegant steel bridge depicted here is actually the frontier crossing, marked by the border post just visible on the Swiss side (to the left). Switzerland recently signed up to be a part of the Schengen open-borders zone and the frontier is now little more than a mere geo-political convenience.

I arrived in conditions of intermittent snowfall and immediately felt this quiet scene, with its brooding sky and light covering of snow, had a melancholy aspect that I was keen to capture - despite the light, which was far from having that special quality for which landscape photographers fervently hope.

Image 'La Ronde' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Near Biaufond can be found this algae and weed infested backwater, the confluence of the La Ronde river and the Doubs. However, the Ronde only gets as far as the Doubs during times when the water-table is exceptionally high. At other times, it simply ends in a small lake where it disappears into the porous rock.

Image 'Ice and tree branch' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

This shallow backwater of the river Doubs, near Biaufond, is a place to which I keep returning. It is a fascinating stretch of water which offers subjects in all seasons. I was previously there in Autumn when the trees put on a rich display of colour. In Winter, the shades are more muted but no less appealing.

I was attracted by the way the ice had formed around this low-hanging branch and felt the larger area of ice covering the pond might make for an intriguing background.

Image 'Maison Monsieur' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

I previously photographed this delightful little summer house in the depths of Winter, when the gorge shows a different face. For this image, I walked a little further along the river and found a composition that nicely shows off the building and its spectacular setting.

Doubtless I shall be returning again...

Image 'Autumn foliage' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Autumn colour lights up the Gorges du Doubs.

Image 'Winter in the Gorges du Doubs - 2' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

One of the things that keeps bringing me back to this location on the Franco-Swiss border, apart from its obvious beauty, is the sense of timelessness here. A short hike from the busy border-crossing at Biaufond and all you hear is birdsong. Apart from the occasional ruined building hinting at the gorge's working past, there is no indication that you are barely a couple of kilometres from civilisation.

In this image, and the one which precedes it, I wanted to evoke the profound sense of serenity in this part of the gorge.

Image 'Winter in the Gorges du Doubs - 1' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

One of the things that keeps bringing me back to this location on the Franco-Swiss border, apart from its obvious beauty, is the sense of timelessness here. A short hike from the busy border-crossing at Biaufond and all you hear is birdsong. Apart from the occasional ruined building hinting at the gorge's working past, there is no indication that you are barely a couple of kilometres from civilisation.

In this image, and the one which follows, I wanted to evoke the profound sense of serenity in this part of the gorge.

Image 'Gorges du Doubs' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

The view downstream with Switzerland on the right and France on the left.

Image 'Forges du Pissoux' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

This part of the gorge is quite difficult to reach, involving a hike from the rim down a steep path, a wade across the river and then negotiating a dense boulder-field of slippery rocks. It was worth it, though.

Image 'Descent into chaos' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Image 'Fragile' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Image 'Le Châtelot' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Photographing this marvellous river gorge is starting to become an obsession yet I keep on being drawn back, finding new locations each time.

This image was made towards the end of a day when 30° temperatures and an all-over blue sky made for horrendous conditions - for photography! I knew a front was moving in and was lucky that the cloud-cover softened the harsh sunlight enough to make for some flattering light.

Thunder was rumbling around the sky as I took this so my final idea for an image that day had to remain unrealised. Having neglected to carry any rainwear down into the gorge, I marched up the steep path to the car-park as fast as my legs - and the heavy load on my back - would allow. Safely back in the car, the heavens opened.

Image 'Le Châtelot' added to gallery 'Gorges du Doubs'

Below the impressive concrete dam which holds back the waters of the Lac de Moron lies a very wild stretch of the river Doubs. The evidence of the long, hard Winter of 2010 is obvious here and I was keen to capture the rawness of nature before the warmth of Spring brought out the gorge's softer side.

Image 'Woodpiles' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

I first saw these piles of coppiced timber on my visit in early Spring when I made one rather lacklustre image which ended up in the round filing-cabinet on the floor. This time I feel I have got closer to doing this fascinating woodland justice.

I deliberately picked a wet day and, for my pains, had to wait out frequent downpours until the weather cleared sufficiently to set up the camera.

Image 'Woodpile' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Moving in close to one of the piles of thinned-put branches makes for an intriguing study in ordered chaos.

Image 'Château-Chalon from Névy-sur-Seille' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

A beautiful spot in the French Jura caught in the low evening sun, shortly before sunset.

Image 'St. Michaels Mount' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

A watery dawn over St. Michael's Mount provides a warm, soft lighting for this famous landmark.

Image 'Cold tin roof' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

The badly-corroded corrugated steel roof of a fisherman's hut makes an interesting study in the effects of the elements on our fragile buildings.

Image 'Sunlit vineyard' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Grapes need plenty of sun to ripen so its not surprising that vineyards are to be found in places which catch the sun even when the far side of the valley is in shadow. Switzerland produces a great deal of wine but the majority of it is for domestic consumption only.

Image 'Dawn at Lac d'Ilay' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

I discovered this little boat on a recce the previous afternoon and felt it would make a good subject but the harsh afternoon light was doing it no favours. Returning before dawn presented me with much more interesting light...

Image 'Slate Quarry' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Near Grange-in-Borrowdale lies this abandoned quarry, surrounded by attractive woodland. When I was there, the larches were putting on a particularly impressive display.

Image 'Newlands Valley' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

I don't really do scenics but sometimes even I can't resist. This is Newlands Valley on a windy and showery day from the ridge up to the summit of Catbells.

Image 'Wasdale Head' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Climbing a Lakeland fell with a small day-pack is a strenuous, yet enjoyable, activity. Climbing one of the steepest and most unrelenting Lake District paths, that up Kirk Fell, with 14kg of camera equipment was akin to strenuous torture! However, the view from the crag where I decided to terminate my ascent more than made up for all the sweat and toil.

Image 'Kilchurn Impressions' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Kilchurn Castle is one of Scotland's most celebrated ruined castles and, as such, is often photographed. So, rather than present a straight portrait of this impressive building, I chose to use the transformative nature of reflections in water to present a more impressionistic view.

The lightest of breezes was just enough to cause small ripples to form in the otherwise smooth surface of Loch Awe. These served to simplify the castle's reflection without destroying its characteristic outline and provided me with precisely the look I was after. I was doubly lucky in that the reflection of the ribbon of cloud passing in front of the hill behind coincided almost exactly with some reeds protruding from the loch's surface. Without this light background, the reeds would have merged with the reflected hillside. Finally, some half-submerged boulders provided the necessary anchor for this largely abstract composition.

Image 'Dry stone wall' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

I found this dilapidated and moss-covered dry stone wall beside Loch Awe and immediately saw that it had potential, although finding a satisfactory composition was not easy. After two abandoned attempts, I was ready to give up when I realised that this approach might just work. It was, however, somewhat technically demanding to maintain sharpness throughout the image - even with the exceptional control over focus afforded by my large format view camera.

Image 'Forclaz' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

This was my second visit to this attractive location in southern Switzerland. The Swiss photographer, Paul Schilliger, calls it, 'one of the most poetic places I know' and I can fully understand why. These little barns dot a dramatic working landscape which owes nothing to the mass-tourism which blights other parts of Switzerland. You get a strong feeling that this scene has changed little in many decades.

I shot this in intermittent rain, using the longer reach afforded by the 300mm lens on my DSLR to isolate the little barn. The same focal length on my large format camera would have been far too wide.

Image 'Autumn Shades' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

The Turtmanntal is a small valley tucked away on the south side of the Rhone Valley in Southern Switzerland. It's a pleasantly unspoilt, although largely unremarkable, area of small dairy farms but in the Autumn the trees put on an amazing display of pastel shades, here picked out by the low October sun.

Image 'Swaledale Abstract' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

One of the advantages of the large-format view camera is that the image appears to the photographer upside-down and laterally reversed, making for a view which is already abstracted from the scene before the lens. Seeing Swaledale in this way, I immediately began thinking in terms of shape and line, rather than meadows and farm-buildings. Using monochrome film served to emphasise the stark lines, forming a very graphic composition - the closest I have come to using elements of the landscape in the same way that a painter might.

Image 'Traditional Valais Barn' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

I often find inspiration for locations from the work of other photographers, although my intention is never to duplicate their work.

This small barn appears in several wonderful images by the Swiss photographer, Paul Schilliger, whose work has been a particular inspiration to me. Although I arrived at this location in the hope of capturing an original image, it soon became apparent that modern incursions (it is, after all, part of a working farm and not a museum) greatly restrict the number of viewpoints where one may make a pleasing photograph. Try as I might, I could not find an original viewpoint which worked but it's such an attractive and timeless scene I felt I had to make my own image anyway.

Image 'Beached Wreck' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

The remains of 'Eddie's Boat', a trawler which became beached on the Donegal coast.

Image 'Saltwick Bay' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

The famous wreck of the Admiral von Tromp at Saltwick Bay, guarded by the 'hunched figure' of Black Nab.

Image 'Inchmery Beach' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Inchmery beach at sunset.

Image 'West pier at dawn' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Whitby's West Pier during a rather cloudy dawn.

Image 'The crane at Portland Bill' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

This simple crane is used to lower small boats into the rocky waters around Portland Bill. By shooting in monochrome, it was my intention to bring out the drama of the location and the elemental forces of wind and water at work here.

Image 'Port Light' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

A navigation light on the outer wall of Newlyn harbour, shortly before dawn.

Image 'No parking in Mousehole' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

..and it's not difficult to see why, given this impressive stack of crab pots outside a fisherman's cottage.

Image 'St. Michael's Mount' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

St. Michael's Mount from the beach, shortly before dawn.

Image 'Granite basin, Revoïra' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Revöira is a remote mountain community in the Verzasca Valley in southern Switzerland. It is now mostly abandoned, however some of the dwellings are still occupied and others have been renovated as holiday homes for hikers or those who just want to get away from it all.

Revöira itself can only be reached by an arduous footpath, which climbs through woods of oak and chestnut but it is chiefly known for its lack of natural water sources. This problem is solved by basins like this, laboriously cut from solid granite boulders, which, via wooden guttering, collect rainwater runoff from the roofs of the huts.

Image 'Stone huts, Revoïra' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Another of the impressive stone basins in the small mountain community of Revöira. This picture also shows two of the huts and looks towards the mountains on the other side of the Verzasca Valley.

Image 'Open door, Revoïra' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

Finally, a detail from one of the abandoned huts in Revöira.

Image 'Fishing boats at dawn' added to gallery 'Man and Nature'

A group of fishing boats awaits early-morning fishermen on the Silsersee.

Image 'Runoff with seaweed' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Water running from a friable sandstone cliff is coloured attractively by the sand it contains. A piece of bladderwrack deposited by the receding tide neatly echoes the path taken by the trickle of water.

Image 'Dead leaf and pebbles' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

A dessicated leaf contrasts with these rounded pebbles in the Val Verzasca in southern Switzerland.

Image 'Rock and a hard place' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

At Lavertezzo the markings in the granite form attractive and contrasting patterns. A trapped pebble links the two larger pieces of rock.

Image 'Ice patterns' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Patterns in ice contrast with the striated rock.

Image 'Shard' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

An beautiful shard of ice adorns a rock near Lavertezzo in the Val Verzasca.

Image 'Stone waves' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Image 'Granite egg' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Image 'Flow' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Image 'Granite cluster' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

I can honestly say I did not touch a single one of these stones - they were arranged precisely this way when I found them. However, I was initially tempted to remove the smaller, darker pebbles but resisted as I felt the resulting pattern would look too 'arranged'.

It was the varied and subtle hues of the granite that attracted me. I decided on a simple, centred composition as trying to improve on nature's work would have been pointless.

Image 'Reflected branches' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Image 'Reed doughnuts' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

I have no explanation for how these reeds came to take on the appearance of American doughnuts although I suspect the icing over of this small pond during the harsh Winter had a part to play.

Image 'Tufa patterns' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

I keep returning to these strange formations of deposited minerals perhaps because they are fairly unusual. I still don't think I have done this amazing location justice but I will keep trying.

Image 'Kimmeridge shale' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Several small streams run off the Purbeck Hills into Kimmeridge Bay. Further west, one runs over flat rock before dissipating into the pebbles whereas the one on the east side of the bay forms a dramatic waterfall. However, it was this one, in the middle, which most interested me. The geometric patterns it has cut in the cross-bedded shale just cried out to be photographed. By the time I returned to this spot after exploring further along the cliffs, the sun had fully set and the consequent exposure of some 14 seconds caused the chaotic flow of the stream to be simplified into smoky wisps.

Image 'Clean Slate' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

The slate quarries on the tiny island of Easdale provided much of the world's slate until they were overtaken by more productive Welsh quarries in the 17th century.

Image 'Slate quarry detail' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

The abandoned slate quarry near Grange offers some attractive details within its mineral-stained walls. At the far end of the quarry stands a lone birch tree, set off quite spectacularly by some vivid yellow stains in the surrounding dark slate.

Image 'Shoots and leaves' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Floating leaves decorate the surface of this slow-moving part of the river above the tufa waterfall at Les Planches in the French Jura.

Image 'Dessicated branch on dried peat' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

At Le Pont de Martel in western Switzerland is a relic of the peat-cutting industry, which was outlawed in 1992 on ecological grounds. Over a large area of worked-out marsh can be found many dessicated sticks and branches, blown from the surrounding Silver Birch trees during bad weather. I found the shape of this branch particularly intriguing.

Image 'Above the Cascade, Baumes les Messieurs' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Above the falls, there are a series of stepped cascades, created by the limestone-rich river depositing tiny amounts of calcium carbonate as it runs down the hillside.

This is the river Dard and it emerges from a cavern in the cliff above. Now a show cave, it has spawned some rather ugly supporting development. One day, I'm sure I will take the cave tour but with so much to see (and photograph) outside for free, there really is little incentive.

Image 'Above the cascade, Les Planches' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Above the main cascade, the river runs through a thickly wooded stretch with smaller stepped cascades. To make this image, I had to stand in the middle of the flowing water - essential to get the required viewpoint. I like the feeling that the cascades are somehow rotating around the central trees like a giant merry-go-round.

Image 'Les Clées' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

I previously visited this location on a bright Summer's day and I quickly found that image-making would only be possible in a small shady corner. I resolved then to return in conditions of less contrast.

So I had high hopes when I returned on a cloudy Autumn day - to find that conditions were still tough. The contrast range between the bright water and dark, mossy rock was huge and challenged even the greater range afforded by colour negative film.

Image 'Plucky little sapling' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

This plucky little sapling has found an unlikely place to make its home, yet it seems to be thriving in the face of adversity.

Image 'Limestone Pavement, above Malham Cove' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

A closer view of the limestone pavement to be found above Yorkshire's dramatic Malham Cove. It occurred to me that the ridges and gullies in the rock looked a little like a miniature mountain range, rising from the plains.

Image 'Raft of leaves' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

A raft of floating leaves found near the falls at Aysgarth makes a fascinating natural abstract, full of vibrant colour.

Image 'Tegna' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Near Tegna in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, the Maggia river makes a tight 90° bend, forming a placid pool as it does so. After the last ice-age, retreating glaciers deposited many boulders in this pool, giving the impression of icebergs floating in a frozen ocean.

I framed my photograph to emphasise the space between the boulders and to make the most of the reflections in the still, glassy water.

Image 'Eye of the Storm' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Near Lavertezzo in southern Switzerland, the fast-flowing Verzasca river has carved many bizarre forms and patterns into the granite bedrock. This is a small pool of still water amidst the rushing torrent of the river.

Image 'Water, ice and rock' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

A mountain lit by the setting sun is reflected in a pool of still water.

Image 'Sandstone erosion' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

...or a slot-canyon in the making. Part of the sandstone streambed of the Schwarzwasser canyon in central Switzerland has been worn into parallel slots by the force of this fast-flowing river.

Image 'Wave-cut platform' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

I switched to monochrome film to emphasise the shape and flow of this layer of rock and the water washing over it. I wanted to bring out the elemental aspects of a scene that has been played out across countless millennia.

Image 'Three rocks' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

These sandstone erratics were sitting on the rocky platform at Kimmeridge Bay, having been recently revealed by the ebbing tide. I saw them first when the setting sun was hidden by cloud and waited for the sun to reappear. When it did, it lit up the rocks with such intensity that they almost seem to be glowing from within.

Image 'Strata' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

An intimate view of the magnificently layered cliff at Sandymouth Bay. Here, differential rates of erosion have laid bare the structure of the rock in an intriguing way.

Image 'Pebbles' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

Colourful pebbles on the rocky beach of Nanven in Cornwall.

This beach is the close neighbour of Porth Nanven which is also noted for its many striking rock formations.

Image 'Boulders on Whitby Beach' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

A great location for geologists - and photographers!

Sandstone always yields excellent patterns and patination - a boon for any photographer. I was particularly drawn to the large white boulder caught in a depression in the cliff-face and built my composition around that. It looks almost as if the cliff itself is spitting out the boulders and leaving them strewn on the beach...

Image 'May Beck' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

May Beck is a small stream not far from Whitby in Yorkshire. Its relatively shallow course takes it across dark ironstone and through an area of woodland. Here, fallen leaves contrast with the dark riverbed and soft reflections of foliage and the sky combine to create a quiet, introspective composition.

Image 'Upper Antelope Canyon 1' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

No visit to Page is complete without a trip to Antelope Canyon. Actually two canyons (upper and lower), Antelope is justly World-famous for the quality of light found there and the water-sculpted magnificence of its sandstone walls.

Rather than pointing my camera straight upward to capture the incredible play of light, I made this image looking forwards and only slightly upward. The colours here are more subtle but no less beautiful.

Image 'Upper Antelope Canyon 2' added to gallery 'Small Worlds'

The Corkscrew, Upper Antelope Canyon

Image 'Ice-coated Rock' added to gallery 'Water'

I spent quite a while exploring the potential of this quiet little mountain stream with its intriguing array of icicles.

Image 'Lac du Petit Maclus' added to gallery 'Water'

A quiet dawn breaks over the Lac du Petit Maclus in the French Jura.

Image 'Reeds and Reflections' added to gallery 'Water'

A more abstract view of the reeds and the dawn sky at the Lac du Petit Maclus in the French Jura.

Image 'Cascade de la Pissevieille' added to gallery 'Water'

This is the bottom level of Cascade de la Pissevieille where the falls have carved this attractive undercut. Admittedly, with the pathetic dribble shown here, it's hard to see this process in action but when the falls are in spate, it is, I've heard, a much more impressive sight. Perhaps next time...

Image 'Cascades de Baumes-les-Messieurs' added to gallery 'Water'

Sometimes you can go to a place you've visited a few times previously, you take a path you've never even seen before and you find that, on all those previous occasions, you've been looking at a sideshow, thinking it was the main event.

At Baumes-les-Messieurs there is a famous tufa cascade, a river that runs over tiers of tufa and a show-cave. There is also an unmarked path leading off into the woods which you wouldn't really think to take.

But if you do, you suddenly find a huge area of the most fascinating tufa cascades and tiered pools. I simply couldn't believe how I managed to miss all this on my previous visits!

This image is from just below the top of this spectacular formation.

Image 'Cascades de Baumes-les-Messieurs' added to gallery 'Water'

This image looks towards the top of this spectacular 'hidden' tufa formation.

Image 'Partying limpets' added to gallery 'Water'

This cluster of limpets on one of the many granite boulders at Porth Nanven seemed to me to be like a party and I could imagine them dancing and having fun only to stop dead when the receding tide forced them to hunker down.

I had to move fast as the tide was coming in quickly. The water was around my feet as I set up and I just managed to expose one sheet of film before being forced to grab my camera and make a run for it...

Image 'Big sky' added to gallery 'Water'

Image 'Buttermere Reflections' added to gallery 'Water'

Reflections in Buttermere soon after dawn.

Image 'Derborence' added to gallery 'Water'

This was my third visit to the lake at Derborence, high above Sion. Created when a landslide blocked the Derbonne river in the 18th century, Europe's youngest natural lake sits in a dramatic setting surrounded by high peaks. I was lucky that my visit coincided with the first light falls of snow - compensating for the rather drab and dismal lighting.

Image 'Cascade des Tufs, Baumes les Messieurs' added to gallery 'Water'

I previously visited these beautiful and other-worldly cascades on a crisp Winter's day in 2008. This time, however, the weather was very different. Gone was the beautiful sunlight reflecting from the limestone cliffs and in its place was a dreary grey sky. Perfect! I love dreary weather as it makes the colours of the landscape sing and the gentle light allows every detail to be seen.

My previous image of these falls concentrated on patterns in the flow of water (something of a recurring theme in my work!) so for this one I moved back a little and captured the full scene. Sadly, on this day a recent spell of dry weather had reduced the flow to a mere trickle.

Image 'Cascade de Baume des Messieurs' added to gallery 'Water'

After negotiating a set of shallow cascades, the river Dard falls to the valley floor via this impressive tufa waterfall. Built up by millennia of mineral deposition, this obstacle makes for interesting patterns and flows within the surging water. I opted for a tight composition to emphasise the drama and power of this natural phenomenon.

Image 'Cascade des Tufs, Les Planches' added to gallery 'Water'

The French Jura is blessed with not one but two of these amazing tufa cascades. The cascade at Les Planches bears obvious similarities with its more southerly sibling but here the only development is a simple earth footpath. This, and the heavily forested setting gives these falls an almost magical atmosphere. I spent quite a while here, exploring upstream as well as down. A beautiful and unspoilt place.

Image 'Cascade des Tufs, Les Planches' added to gallery 'Water'

As with my earlier visit to the cascade at Baume-les-Messieurs, I couldn't resist going in close to record the patterns in the water and the textures of the tufa rock. The bizarre shapes are not the result of erosion by water but the reverse process. Here, minerals dissolved in the water precipitate over countless thousands of years and slowly build up these incredible rock formations.

Image 'Tufa waterfall' added to gallery 'Water'

Usefully, there is a path which allows quite close access to these falls. This time, I decided to forego a 'head-on' view in favour of a more dynamic viewpoint.

Image 'Tine de Conflens' added to gallery 'Water'

This is the confluence of the river Veyron and the Venoge, although the word 'collision' is a better description of the violence of the meeting. The two rivers come together after dropping some 15m into a rocky 'cauldron' with only one exit. It is a place of immense atmosphere where one can truly feel the raw, elemental power of nature.

Seen here is the river Venoge. The Veyron makes its entrance through a short canyon off to the left of the frame.

Image 'Vallée de Nozon' added to gallery 'Water'

This is the scene below the impressive Chute du Dard waterfall on a rather grey and murky day. The conditions meant that my image of the fall itself turned out to be rather dull and, erm, murky. One for a nice Autumn dawn, I feel.

Still, I was drawn to the lovely carpet of beech leaves which gives the valley a wonderful otherworldly atmosphere. A recently fallen tree, its leaves still green, provides just the right amount of accent colour to lift this composition.

Image 'Last resting place' added to gallery 'Water'

The salt marsh at Achnahaird is a bleak and desolate place. No wonder, then, that the local sheep sometimes succumb to the elements. There is no outward indication of why this animal died but it is more than likely that it was caught out by the stormy conditions that preceded my visit.

It is, perhaps, not a particularly easy subject for a photograph but this image speaks more about the wildness and isolation of this location than any number of attractive postcard shots.

Image 'Gorges de l'Areuse' added to gallery 'Water'

I previously visited the Gorges de l'Areuse in late Summer at which time I made some rather unsuccessful images. In Winter, the gorge presents a much more raw and uncompromising face and I tried to reflect that elemental power in this image, shot on monochrome film.

Image 'Moonset over Magadino' added to gallery 'Water'

With precisely this shot in mind, I arrived at this location before dawn and had to wait nearly an hour before the light was ideal. It was worth it, however, to catch the moon sinking behind the mountains...

Image 'Rapids' added to gallery 'Water'

The force of the Verzasca river has dragged along many boulders, which are left scattered across the riverbed, continuously battered by the power of the raging torrent.

Image 'Sensegraben' added to gallery 'Water'

This is the canyon of the river Sense in central Switzerland, close to the confluence with the Schwarzwasser river, looking south. The sun was picking out the glorious Autumn foliage of the far bank whilst the canyon was still in shade and I composed this image to take full advantage of the contrast between the warm Autumn tones and the cool colours of the shaded area.

Image 'Tobelbach - 1' added to gallery 'Water'

The Tobelbach in Northeastern Switzerland is a charming little stream, set in a steep-sided wooded valley. In a relatively short distance it drops over two waterfalls, as well as forming a 'secret' pool at a quieter point above the lower fall.

The river is prone to serious flooding and nowhere is this more visible than here at the lower fall, where an uprooted tree has been washed over the edge and is now lodged squarely in the middle of the flow.

Image 'Tobelbach - 2' added to gallery 'Water'

Above the lower fall is this quiet 'secret' pool. Perhaps because it is surrounded by living woodland, this place has an almost womb-like feeling of peace and tranquility about it.

Image 'Lac du Val' added to gallery 'Water'

The road to the lower end of the Cascades de l'Hérisson runs alongside this attractive lake. I was particularly taken with the way the sunlight was striking the reeds and how this contrasted with the dark winter trees in the background so I just had to stop the car and make a photograph.

Image 'Le Gour Bleu' added to gallery 'Water'

This small yet atmospheric waterfall is part of a remarkable chain of cascades to be found along a 4km stretch of the Hérisson river in the Jura region of France.

Midday is not usually the best time to be making landscape photographs so here I turned my camera away from the bland blue sky and instead concentrated on the reflections in the river.

Image 'Sunlit Uplands' added to gallery 'Rock'

Returning from a hike to the Ducantal (the valley pictured), I turned to look back at the spot I'd just hiked to and was pleased to see the mountainside beautifully lit up by the low sun.

I just had to get the camera out again...

Image 'Gole di Breggia - 1' added to gallery 'Rock'

Image 'Gole di Breggia - 2' added to gallery 'Rock'

Image 'Gole di Breggia - 3' added to gallery 'Rock'

Image 'Natural rock art' added to gallery 'Rock'

Natural markings in this water-eroded granite boulder give the impression of petroglyphs left by an unknown prehistoric tribe.

Image 'Val d'Arolla' added to gallery 'Rock'

Arolla is a small ski-resort at the end of a side-valley of the Val d'Hérens, itself a side valley of the Rhône Valley.

I tend not to shoot such obviously beautiful scenes, preferring instead more subtle beauty but even I couldn't resist this - especially when I could shoot from the relative comfort of a hotel carpark and pop in for a coffee afterwards.

Image 'Drumadoon' added to gallery 'Rock'

Drumadoon Point is a wild and windswept location on the more exposed western side of Arran. It also boasts a golf course which, to a non-golfer like myself, seems like it might be one of the more challenging courses in the area simply because of the location.

Image 'Igneous rock, Imacher' added to gallery 'Rock'

Just a tiny part of the beautiful striated formations at Imacher Point on Arran.

Image 'The view from the Creux du Van' added to gallery 'Rock'

The Creux du Van is a vast natural amphitheatre of limestone, created as a result of geological faulting. Standing at the edge of a sheer cliff at dawn as the light slowly grew in intensity and looking at this impressive view was a special experience - and one which I hope my image evokes.

Image 'Bryce at dawn' added to gallery 'Rock'

The sheer other-worldliness of the landscape of Bryce Canyon gives the place a very special atmosphere and at no time is this atmosphere more tangible than at dawn. The way the sun slowly reveals this awe-inspiring sight, whilst all around is reverently silent, is an experience that stays in the mind. I like to think that this image captures a little of that feeling...

Image 'Broad Bench' added to gallery 'Rock'

This area is part of an army firing range, so access is not easy and is limited to weekends and a few other days of the year when the army are not present. At these times, the beauty of this stark and dramatic location can be enjoyed by anyone minded to make the walk from Kimmeridge. I arrived shortly before sunset and made several images in a frantic rush to take advantage of the good light.

Image 'Bryce under snow' added to gallery 'Rock'

A recent fall of snow contrasts with the delicate pinks and reds of the sandstone formations of Bryce Canyon, giving this strange landscape a fairytale look.

Image 'Horseshoe Bend' added to gallery 'Rock'

Near Page, Arizona the Colorado River makes a tight bend underneath 100m cliffs. A favourite spot for photgraphers, the overlook has a scary unguarded drop right down to the river. This is not a place for vertigo sufferers...

Image 'Dawn over Monument Valley' added to gallery 'Rock'

For some pictures you have to trek miles through desert and wilderness, while others are just there for the taking.

This was shot from the balcony of my hotel room in Monument Valley....

Image 'John Ford's Point' added to gallery 'Rock'

The rock formations of Monument Valley are well-known to lovers of Westerns. This is the aptly-named John Ford's Point.

Image 'Canyon Light' added to gallery 'Rock'

A shaft of sunlight illuminates a stand of cottonwood trees on the floor of the main canyon at Zion National Park.

Image 'Donegal beach scene' added to gallery 'Rock'

Rock, sand dunes and low cloud at Annagary Strand.

Image 'Larches and an Alp' added to gallery 'Living things'

I do my best to avoid obvious views but sometimes my resistance just crumbles and I have to succumb to temptation...

Image 'Peeling Birch' added to gallery 'Living things'

I was entranced by the way the peeling bark of this silver birch was filtering the sunlight and selected Kodak Portra colour negative film for its silky-smooth tonality.

Image 'Resplendent Ash' added to gallery 'Living things'

The Clos du Doubs is a wide, deep valley immediately downstream from the Gorges du Doubs. The landscape is softer and there is some agriculture here. It's also where the Franco-Swiss border parts company with the river, which continues on for a short excursion into Switzerland before turning 180° and heading straight back out again.

I happened on this tree close to the small café which marks the border and, in the soft overcast light, with subtle backlighting it looked spectacular. Thunder was rumbling ominously around the valley so I worked quickly and managed to get back to the car just before the downpour started...

Image 'Pfynwald ' added to gallery 'Living things'

Image 'Dancing birches' added to gallery 'Living things'

These birches seemed to me to be dancing a wild tango whilst the more straight-laced pines look on, disapprovingly....

Image 'Larch and lichen' added to gallery 'Living things'

A rather complex composition but unavoidable if I was to capture this lichen-coated larch with its remaining needles on the turn.

Including some context provides a framework for the chaotic nature of the tree branches whilst presenting a contrast of straight and flowing lines.

Image 'Last light, Lac de Narlay' added to gallery 'Living things'

I completed my photographic tour of Les Quatre Lacs with a trip to the Lac de Narlay, hoping to use the sparse reedbeds in a composition. That didn't work out but this one did....

Image 'Still-life with seaweed' added to gallery 'Living things'

Pirate's Cove, on the island of Arran, is noted for the bizarre red sandstone formations to be found on the foreshore there, formations which have led to it being dubbed 'Utah-on-sea'. Although I made some more specific images of the rock, it was this arrangement of washed-up seaweed that really caught my attention. The way the seaweed was spread out on the flat rock seemed so perfect I couldn't have made a better display had I placed it myself.

Image 'Tree, grass and a stream' added to gallery 'Living things'

This small area on the banks of Loch Awe proved to be exceptionally productive. I saw this image as I was preparing to leave but I couldn't resist it so I set up and waited for a break in the clouds to provide the required lighting. After only ten minutes the sun broke through and lit the scene with a soft glow. Perfect! And another shot in the bag.

Image 'Fearnoch forest' added to gallery 'Living things'

The road from Lochawe to Oban passes through the middle of Fearnoch Forest - a relic of the great Atlantic oak forest which covered much of the West coast of Scotland in prehistoric times. This image gives a sense of the mystery and atmosphere of this location on a grey and drizzly November day.

Image 'Neighbouring larches' added to gallery 'Living things'

Larches are among the very few deciduous conifers and in the Autumn they slowly turn from green to lemon yellow to brown making them some of the most spectacular of trees. For this image, I decided to concentrate on two neighbouring larches whose branches had become intertwined.

Image 'Forest of larch' added to gallery 'Living things'

A forest of larch provides a magnificent display of Autumn colour.

Image 'Autumn colour' added to gallery 'Living things'

The tree-lined lower slopes of the limestone cirque at Baume-les-Messieurs.

Image 'Val Dessous' added to gallery 'Living things'

The valley below Les Cascades de l'Hérisson is full of wetland vegetation. Making sense of this natural complexity proved to be an intriguing photographic challenge.

Image 'Cirque de Baumes les Messieurs' added to gallery 'Living things'

After making an image of the fascinating tufa formations of the River Dard, I turned round and saw this wonderful leafless tree, set off beautifully by its rather more active neighbour. The limestone cliffs above made an interesting backdrop.

Image 'Vallée de Nozon' added to gallery 'Living things'

Climbing out of the deep ravine that forms this part of the Vallée du Nozon, I looked back to see this wonderfully soft Autumnal scene of beautifully-coloured beeches. The fast descending mist added its own special touch...

Image 'Gorges du Pichoux' added to gallery 'Living things'

The Gorges du Pichoux was cut by the Sorne river as it traversed an outcrop of Jura limestone. Towards the bottom of the gorge is a large wooded area, criss-crossed by streams and waterfalls. This weathered and dilapidated old footbridge drew my attention immediately and I felt it had to be the centrepiece of an image of sylvan beauty.

Image 'Old willow tree, Monsal Dale' added to gallery 'Living things'

Whilst walking in Derbyshire's Monsall Dale, I came across this wizened old willow. It looked to be reaching out to me across the river and I felt compelled to make a portrait of this intriguing tree.

Image 'Dead trees and grass' added to gallery 'Living things'

On the Kolob Terrace to the west of Zion Canyon, I came across this strange field with its skeletal trees poking out of the long grass.

Image 'Snow-covered fir trees' added to gallery 'Living things'

This image was made during a trip to the Swiss Jura in mid-December. Forests of pine and fir are typical of mountain regions and after a heavy snowfall take on a fairytale appearance.

It was a cloudy day when I visited the region so I used a sheet of black and white film to record this image, there being little colour to record in the first place!

Image 'Magadino Nature Reserve' added to gallery 'Living things'

In the northern-eastern corner of Lake Maggiore, lies a small nature reserve. This area of marsh is a reminder of how the lake must have looked before it was developed as a holiday resort. It is a fascinating area, full of photographic possibilities. I spent a sunset and sunrise the following day there, recording its quiet beauty.

Image 'Clinging on' added to gallery 'Living things'

A pine tree clings precariously to the banks of Lake Sils, near Maloja in the southeast of Switzerland. Alpenrose (rhododendron) flowers add a touch of complementary colour.