Having moved down to the Dorset/Hampshire border about 18 months ago I was looking forward to exploring the area and tasting its photographic delights. Then Covid came along which thwarted most of my plans (and workshops!). At least with the ’stay local’ mantra it gave me a chance to use my legs to wander around the immediate vicinity. Most of the places I frequent are probably only used by joggers and dog walkers and completely off the radar for most local photographers. They may not be stunningly picturesque locations like parts of the New Forest or the many coastal locations near me… I must admit to doing a few though! What I particularly enjoy is being able to make a unique record of a completely anonymous place. A lot of these places have names and some are even designated nature reserves but can certainly be a challenge when it comes to compositions. Another huge benefit (apart from reducing your carbon footprint) of staying local is being able to react quickly if the conditions are predicted to be atmospheric. It was very much the same when I lived near Burnham Beeches, before hardly anyone had heard of it! Admittedly some of the blame for its recent popularity can be left at my doorstep, saying that the organisation that looks after it need visitors to help with the upkeep to keep this location special, like lots of other places I'm sure.
Apologies for the ramble, all I was originally going to do was post a few images from a misty morning foray at a local nature reserve. In actual fact it was not my originally intention to end up here as my intended location just wasn’t doing anything for me so drove down the road to another spot, even then I went in completely the opposite direction to where I usually head. Am so glad I did as I think this new location is going to keep me amused for many years to come!
