BLOG ARCHIVE
New Photos | Winter 2024
A collection of photos taken during Winter 2024.
In keeping with the previous four seasonal photo updates, I’ve collected a few of my favourite photos taken during the winter months of 2024/2025. This is an opportunity for those visiting my site and reading my blog to see my latest work before it’s posted to social media in a format and style I want it to be presented in. There are no algorithms or preferential treatment here, meaning you get to see the photos I post in the way I want them viewed.
As ever, I welcome any feedback, comments or suggestions either by email, through my contact page or just as a comment at the end of this post.
Below are the previous four instalments of my “New Photos” series.
December 2024 to February 2025 - Winter 2024 collection.
In a change from the previous seasonal collections, I’ve started this one with a few photos I took of London during winter. It may not be apparent to everyone just how much the different seasons affects the photos I take in the city, and for sure, visually, the differences might be less obvious than other landscape photography subjects, but the time of year still makes a huge difference to how I go about taking cityscape photos in London.
The main seasonal factors that affect the photos I take are the weather conditions, the sun’s lower position during the day and where and when the sun rises and sets. I’ll expand on these as we go.
Photographing London
Although most of London requires you to obtain a permit(s), or at least formal permission to fly a drone, there are a few specific locations where my sub-250g drone can be flown freely and here, in front of the Isle of Dogs, is one of them. This photo I took of Canary Wharf highlights one of the key factors that affect my photos in London during the Winter….. the weather.
Blue sky days can be few and far between in the Winter, and the days are more likely to be cloudy like this. But to tell the truth, that’s how I like it. In the summer, I feel I am endlessly dodging the high contrast sunny conditions, which I don’t usually like to photograph in. Unless the light is amazing and the sunset/sunrise epic, I would much rather have an overcast, moody day to photograph the city.
I’ve recently started to lean towards a vertical composition using the traditional 10x8 aspect ratio. I feel I can emphasise the height and scale of the city better in a vertical format, and cropping down to the 10x8 aspect ratio makes the overall composition look more balanced than the taller, native 3x2 my camera uses.
Another advantage of photographing London in the winter is being able to get to the city before sunrise and take some photos while it’s still dark. Of course, I could simply hang around after sunset in the evening, but the advantage of taking photos early in the morning is that it’s a lot quieter, and I don’t have to contend with so many people around me walking in and out of frame.
The last point I’ll make about photographing London at different times of the year is where the sun rises and sets. You should get to know what scenes work best at specific times of year to capture the best photos. The photo above taken from the Horizon 22 viewing platform is a good example as in the summer months, the son would be setting way off to the right and this view looking towards The Shard with the sun setting just off to the right would not be possible.
Ok, so this panoramic photo I took of Canary Wharf from across the Thames is proof that we still get some cloudless skies in the winter and the fact that the skies over London are always grey is a bit of a myth really.
The Winter Landscape
This winter, I didn’t get out into the landscape of woodlands as much as usual. Instead, I spent more time photographing London, taking photos for my Timeless City project. I guess some things always have to give.
I did, however, venture out into the wintry landscape a few times and have shared some of the photos I took along the way. All the photos in the landscape section of this post were taken during a handful of trips to a local forest in East Sussex. This is my go-to for woodland photography, but with lots of open heathland and the odd lookout point, it’s also great for a bit of landscape photography.
I’m really pleased with these close-up icy scenes I found next to a small waterfall in the forest. I took three compositions of the ice, and with lots of relative depth, each one needed to be photo stacked to get the image sharp from front to back. I’m really happy with the resulting triptych below.
I’ve also posted a photo I took of the wider scene underneath, and the small patch of ice on the bottom right of the frame is where I took these close-up images of the ice so you can see how tight I needed to get.
Photographing the woodland
Along with some misty woodland adventures I had during the winter months, I also took this first group of four photos shown below. Sometimes, the eye sees what the eye sees, and on this cold but mistless morning, I was drawn to the stronger shapes created by some of the more prominent trees in the scenes I came across.
For these to work, I had to find a strong woodland subject with some character, set against thicker foliage to help remove background distractions, and with the ambient light being dull and gloomy, the resulting collection of photos all have a dark, moody feel to them.
A trip to the East Sussex Coast
Finally, a trip to the seaside. I decided to head down to the coast on a chilly February afternoon to revisit my favourite lighthouse at Beachy Head, followed by a few hours in Eastbourne to photograph some of the starling murmuration around the pier.
Once the sun had just about set and the starlings safely nested under the pier, I took this last picture of what I think is the most picturesque pier along the Sussex Coast. I like the soft, blue tones across the scene, but that subtle belt of colour in the sky adds a touch of interest and is a welcome addition.
With the winter months behind me, it’s time to look forward to spring and the colour it brings to the landscape. I’ve got a few adventures planned and some new ideas for projects that will help me focus on photographing my local landscape more this year. Time will tell if that all works out as planned but if it does, you’ll see those photos here first.
As I mentioned before, feel free to drop a comment below as it’s always good to hear your thoughts about the pictures I take and how they might resonate with you.
Until next time,
Trevor
New Photos | Autumn 2024
A collection of photos taken during Autumn 2024.
This is now the fourth instalment of my “New Photos” series, a project conceived to ensure my photography is seen on my website and in my newsletter before being shared on social media. These aren’t portfolios showcasing my very best work, but more a snapshot of the share-worthy photos I made during those three months and if, during that time I manage to take just one or two portfolio images then I consider that a bonus.
Below are the previous three instalments of my “New Photos” series.
September to November 2024 - Autumn 2024 collection.
One thing you might notice in this edition is just how few traditionally wide landscape photos I took during the autumn. For various reasons back in 2023, I didn’t have the time I wanted to photograph the changing colours in my local forest, so in 2024, I made a concerted effort to spend more of my photography time there and as a result, I had less time to photograph what would be considered traditional landscapes.
(You can click on the smaller photos to see a larger version)
Apart from the photo of Brighton’s West Pier below and London’s cityscapes further down, the only shareworthy landscape images I photographed were taken from the same spot. This viewpoint overlooks part of my local forest and is one I visit often before venturing off amongst the trees to photograph the woodland.
Landscape Photography
I’ve spoken before about the West Pier along England’s south coast in Brighton and how I visit from time to time to photograph this composition, capturing its skeletal remains as it slowly gets taken by the sea. On this particular morning in early autumn, conditions weren’t great and I had no light to speak of, but I kept this photo because of the additional context it provided. The water was clear and for the first time in countless visits, I could see the scattered pieces of metal that had fallen into the sea when the pier collapsed, adding to the story of this cursed seaside structure.
Cityscape photography in London
These days, nearly all the time I have to photograph London is spent creating work for my Timeless City project. I tend not to share those photos here as I’m still building that body of work, adapting and learning as I go, but every so often, I’ll take a picture I feel should also be processed in colour. Alongside this, I feel that my shift to taking more black-and-white cityscape photos is now starting to influence my colour work, (for the better I hope). My colour photos are more muted with less busy compositions and a simpler colour pallet.
Photographing an autumnal woodland
As mentioned above, I spent a lot more time this year amongst the trees, photographing the colours as they changed from deep, late summer greens to vibrant oranges, yellows and finally the dull browns of late autumn. My ability to look closer at the woodland has slowly improved and as such I thoroughly enjoyed my time last year, stretching myself photographically, and finding new, intimate compositions while revisiting some old favourites along the way.
Although I’m generally happy with the photos I took of the Autumnal woodland in 2024, particularly the tighter, intimate compositions, I still feel I lack the vision and awareness to spot the small scenes around my feet and as a result, I don’t take anywhere near as many photos of small scenes as I would like. I did manage to take a few, however. The green fern at the beginning of autumn and bookending the season, a collection of frosty fallen leaves towards the end of November.
Photographing the northern lights in Sussex
As I left work one evening in October, the socials were ablaze with aurora alerts for the south of England and having missed the opportunity to photograph the northern lights back in May, I quickly decided to head out of the city and into Sussex to try to capture them. I wrote more about this amazing evening of photography in the blog post below.
Photographing the Brecon Beacons in Late Autumn
In mid-November, I made a late dash to the Brecon Beacons to photograph the waterfalls. Being so late in the season, nearly all the leaves had fallen, leaving very little foliage on the trees, but I dug deep, got creative and came away with a handful of photos I liked.
Wow, that’s over 40 photos I’ve shared from my photo outings in Autumn. I’m pretty happy with that. As always, feel free to message me or leave a comment with any questions or feedback you may have.
Until next time,
Trevor
New Photos | Summer 2024
A collection of photos taken during Summer 2024.
Like many landscape photographers, I struggle to take photos in the summer. I prefer to take my photos during the calmer, relaxing sunrise hours meaning some ridiculously early mornings which, along with the green, monotone colours summer provides, can take their toll on my enthusiasm to get up and head out in the morning. This year’s summer months may have been the most challenging yet. Of course, I know that with fuller foliage and the right conditions, the woodland can look incredibly beautiful. Still, throughout June, July and August, I felt I was constantly battling a general lack of motivation and my desire to find some of those early morning summer scenes I knew were out there.
The desire to head out and enjoy the summer woodland in the morning did win out a few times, and I was able to take a few new photos while revisiting some old friends.
Alongside some summertime woodland photography, I’ve also shared a few pictures I took while in Cornwall, London and the Sussex landscape.
June to August 2024 - Summer 2024 collection.
Below is the first of three collections I’ve shared from my woodland adventures in this post. This collection was taken early in the summer when the woodlands were still awash with bright, vivid green tones.
(You can click in the smaller photos to see a larger version)
Next up, I’ve shared some photos I took at my local forest towards the end of June. My local forest is largely made up of open heathland and every now and then, when the conditions are right, I can be greeted with some fantastic foggy conditions such as those I photographed below.
After I spent some time taking photos of London’s rooftops from the Garden at 120 back in July, I made my way down to Tower Bridge and experienced some of the best light I’d ever seen as the sun set across the city. I remember the weather couldn’t make its mind up. One minute it was sunny, the next it was raining and just as the sun set, the entire sky erupted in fiery reds, and I just happened to be at one of my favourite Thameside viewpoints to witness it.
Towards the end of summer, I was yet again blessed with some fantastic foggy conditions in my local forest. This time around the fog was thick enough to penetrate the woodland, so I left the open heathland and ventured in to seek out compositions amongst the trees.
In August. I spent a week in North Cornwall with my family and although this wasn’t a dedicated photography trip, I did manage to head out a few times on my own with my camera to take a few pictures. My first stop was The Rumps where I took a mixture of photos, both with my main camera at ground level and from above by sending my drone up and out to sea, pointing it back towards the coast.
Although happy with the photos I took from the ground, I love the photos I took with the drone. I’ve never seen The Rumps from this angle and with the waves crashing along the coast and dark clouds above, the resulting photos were packed full of drama and mood.
I visited a few other spots during the week, including Bedruthan and Trebarwith Beach. From here, I ended up taking a few black and white photos as I wanted to try something a little different (for me) and the rough, foamy water created some interesting contrast and dynamism in the pictures. With my recent fondness for the square crop, I decided to use it here to add a little consistency to the final set.
As I was staying only a few minutes down the road in Tintagel, I couldn’t leave without paying a visit to this well-known viewpoint in Boscastle. It was a cloudy morning and there was no chance of any sunrise colour but that didn’t put me off at all. With the heather in full bloom, it made up for the lack of colour in the sky and I spent a fantastic few hours photographing this fantastic coastal view.
The last photo of Cornwall below is a top-down drone photo I took at Bossiney Cove. A cute little beach just a few minutes’ drive from Tintagel.
Finishing off this collection of photos I took during the summer months are these more traditional landscape photos taken while out and about in Sussex. All of these landscapes are familiar to me, but all show off the vibrant colour summer can provide.
Until next time,
Trevor
New Photos | Spring 2024
A collection of photos taken during spring 2024.
In early 2024, I decided that those who visit my website, read my blog or subscribe to my newsletter should be the first to see my most recent work. I want to ensure that those who actively follow my work can see my latest photos here, presented in a way I want them to be seen. I’ll be releasing new collections as and when I finish editing them and with so many of my photos taken in the woodland, a seasonal release schedule seems to make the most sense to me. This approach may not be limited to just seasonal collections as I will still post new photos with my “On-Location” stories or project-specific collections but, the important point is that they will be seen here or in my newsletter first.
I speak about it a bit more in the first Winter 2023 collection.
March to May 2024 - Spring 2024 collection.
Spring got off to an incredibly slow start in the woodland this year. It seemed to take an age for the new growth to appear and with so many cold, wet and windy days we had, I was eager to say goodbye to the bare, dormant woodlands and hello to fresh leaves and vibrant spring colour.
I’ve grouped the woodland collections below into three, each representing the different stages of springtime in my local woodlands. Many of the subjects are repeated but look distinctively different thanks to the changes introduced as spring took hold.
The first few images were taken in March when the woodland still had a wintery look and feel to it. There were early signs of growth around, but the trees and understory were predominantly bare.
I revisited the woodland again in April and the new growth was well on its way. The forest floor had come to life with new grass, fern shoots and a scattering of bluebells.
Finally, in May, the woodland was much fuller and was awash with vibrant lime greens. Along with finding a few new compositions, I also revisited many of my regular subjects as I find it interesting to document them as they change throughout the year.
Although I don’t send my drone up nearly as much as I should, I did take a few aerial images during my time visiting and photographing the South Downs National Park.
Apart from a few trees here and there, it’s difficult to get a sense of spring in my cityscape photos of London, especially with the cooler tones I tend to lean towards in my photos. Still, this image collection was taken between March and May this year. I can never get bored of exploring this fantastic city I’m lucky enough to live close to and even though it’s such a popular place to photograph, now and then, I find a new composition I’ve not seen before.
Finally, at the very end of May, I spent a week in Snowdonia and although not a dedicated photography trip, I did allocate a few hours here and there to get out with my camera for some landscape photography. I published an on-location blog post featuring more of the photos I took.
Until next time.
Trevor
New Photos | Winter 2023
A collection of photos taken during winter 2023.
One of the many things I ponder regarding my photography is how to publish my work. How do I avoid randomly sharing photos on social media and be more deliberate with the work I release? How can I ensure that those who actively follow my work can see my latest photos presented in the way I want them to be seen? With social media algorithms deciding what photos of mine are seen by those who follow me, how do ensure those who want to see my new work actually can?
I applaud those who can shoot, edit and post photos in a day or two, but I don’t work that way and there are obvious ups and downs to that approach too. It can be weeks or even months before I finish processing some of my photos as I like to take my time, sit on them for a while and be in the right frame of mind to edit. This is particularly true for the more complex images, those I have to work a bit harder to pull the potential out from, to match what I remember witnessing as I stood there in the field taking the photo.
So, I’ve decided that those who visit my website, read my blog or subscribe to my newsletter should be the first to see my most recent work. I want to release new collections as and when I finish editing them and with so many of my photos taken in the woodland, a seasonal release schedule seems to make the most sense to me. This approach may not be limited to just seasonal collections as I will still post new photos with my “On-Location” stories or project-specific collections but, the important point is that they will be seen here or on my newsletter first.
It’s about taking the pressure off and being more deliberate. I’m not concerned about a strict release date or how many photos will make up a collection and I won’t worry too much about them being portfolio-worthy either. True, some will end up in the portfolio galleries here on my website but for these collections, it’s simply about sharing some of my favourite photos I took during those 3 months.
This approach to releasing photos in batches or as collections is not new. I know of a few other photographers who do the same and little by little over the last few months, it’s something I’ve thought more seriously about. I have already shared one or two of the photos below but going forward, unless for a good reason, I will release photos on my website and newsletter before sharing elsewhere.
December 2023 to February 2024 - Winter 2023 collection.
Winter 2023 was the warmest, wettest and windiest winter I’ve witnessed in a long time, certainly since I’ve been taking photos. There was very little in the way of frost, let alone snow! During these darker months, I spent most of my time photographing my local woodland and found a few new, more intimate compositions. I do like to revisit woodland scenes I connect with and photograph them as they change throughout the year. So, you may see some of these again in future collections.
Alongside my woodland work, I ventured into the landscape to photograph a few more recognisable spots in London, around Sussex and across to Snowdonia. Although my style is constantly changing and woodland photography is quickly becoming my most photographed subject, I still enjoy photographing a wide vista or iconic subject.
