I am a very lucky man- I live in the Derbyshire Peak, not very far from where I grew up. But it’s only after many years living in other parts of the world that I have really come to appreciate it and savour it. It is now my place of solace. As I get older, I appreciate it more and more, and somehow photography is my own way of expressing my love and fascination for the place.
I like to get out at least every other day with my camera, sometimes on a mission but mostly with nothing special in mind. This photograph was taken on one of those aimless days- it was on a rather dreich November day on the moors above our house. I like to think that a picture can be had anywhere, at any time, in any weather, if only you look. Perhaps this time I was proved right.
This moor is an ancient landscape, peppered with standing stones, secret carved rocks and Bronze Age barrows whose meaning has long been lost in the mists of time; it’s a mysterious place which I never tire of visiting. The rocky remnants of ancient communities are hidden amongst this magical open woodland of birch trees. It’s the sort of woodland I prefer, with lots of space, and for a photographer, the lack of clutter makes composition much easier than in a dense forest.
I love the mystique and effortless elegance of these trees; the one in the middle reminds me of an exotically feathered bird. I can’t say I thought very carefully about taking the picture- it was intuitively snapped in an instant. The only thing I had to be careful about was focusing such a long lens on a rangefinder with a wide open aperture. Happily, I nailed the focus.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
I think it had to be in low contrast black and white to convey the mood of the place and time- the Scots word, dreich, sums it up perfectly. The fog helps separate the main subject from its diminutive neighbours.
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or differently?
In my dreams, I would take the picture on a large format film camera… but then I’m too lazy to do the development and printing!
Per Bullough shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Per Bullough, Derbyshire, England
Equipment and settings
Leica M(240) rangefinder, 135mm APO Telyt lens
ISO 320, 1/500 s, f/4.5, hand-held
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