Dartmoor

I went on a trip to Dartmoor in South Devon with some friends from my course. Dartmoor covers 954 square kilometres and the moorland includes many interesting tors. These landmarks are exposed granite hilltops, and provide great points of interest in landscape photographs. We planned to visit a few of these especially those higher up after a forecast of snow in these areas! Having left Falmouth incredibly early we managed to arrive before sunrise but due to it being so overcast we missed the warm colour you would usually see. In between snow storms I managed to capture a few successful landscape shots, and experimented with both colour and black and white photography.

Dartmoor is home to a variety of wildlife. Mammals include the iconic dartmoor pony, but also common species like rabbits, foxes and deer. With its range of habitats from high grassy moorland to deep wooded valleys and farmland it also provides a home for a variety of bird species. On this trip I spotted buzzards and meadow pipits. We also stopped to photograph these dartmoor ponies! They are very tame around people compared to the ponies on Bodmin moor. 

#dartmoor

Kennall Vale

It's been a long time since I updated my blog! So theres a huge amount to catch up on... In September last year I started on my course studying marine and natural history photography at Falmouth University. It's been amazing having access to great camera gear and  learning more about photography. This collection of work comes from a project I did focusing on Kennall Vale nature reserve in Cornwall. I will try and keep more up to date with my work!  : )

Kennall Vale is a 20 acre nature reserve full of history. From 1812 to 1910 the area was actually the site of Kennall Gunpowder company. Now a tranquil nature reserve it has been managed by the wildlife trust since 1985. You can still see reminders scattered around the forest of the industry that was once dominate here, from ivy covered tumbledown buildings and rusty cogs to a milestone submerged in the river itself. It is home to a variety of wildlife, key species being the dippers and grey wagtails you can watch with patience from the river bank. Frogs and toads also make their home in the woodland and I was especially happy with this photograph of a common frog surrounded by autumn leaves. I used a wide aperture with some leaves slightly overlapping the lens which gave the image a warm orange haze enhancing the autumn atmosphere.

The landscape at Kennall Vale is magical, and I think the photograph below sums it up well. With the river flowing past and an old mill stone in the foreground remnant of the gunpowder industry here.

I found this coral slime mould a fantastic subject to photograph! Coral slime mould’s individual fruit bodies are 0.5-1mm wide and 1 to 10mm high. It’s something that could easily be passed by but upon closer look it is remarkable and looks like tiny pieces of coral.