A visit to Bradgate Country Park

We've been planning a visit to Bradgate Country Park in Leicestershire for a few weeks; I (David) went to university in Leicester and used to go regularly for a good stretch of the legs and to see the deer that live semi-wild there. There are no fences so they roam completely freely over many miles of moorland and through forest. Ellie and I went once last year but far too late in the day and saw no deer (although we did see a gorgeous sunset) so it was high time to return.

We got very lucky with the weather; it's been so drizzly the last few weeks as we pass into wintertime but the day we went to Bradgate was clear and sunny. Almost embarrassingly, we went a good few miles out of the way before we got to Bradgate to visit... a new Waitrose! Did I say almost embarrassing? But it does have a café, and with our Waitrose cards (oh dear, sorry) we can get a very nice free cup of coffee and sit and have a read. We do this quite often... it really is fun! Especially in the lovely Malvern branch. Anyway, I'll shut up now!

So, caffeined-up, we tipped up at the gates. To find that yet again we had stumbled on a Christmas fayre; a really nice one this time. This happened the week before too in Malvern - but with only a few hours at best of light, we hauled our equipment out of the car and set off.

It was a long time before we saw any deer - and around 45 minutes in, we decided to take a few photos of Ellie through the beautiful long grass which fringes the moorland. I'm very lucky to have a beautiful model on hand everywhere we go! 

Not too long after we saw deer in the distance; Roe deer females. Nice - but I really wanted to find some of the Red deer stags, with their fantastic antlers. We kept walking until eventually we found a good group of them. They're pretty used to people being around so we managed to get within around 20 metres of them - just enough with the 200mm lens. I lay on my stomach and watched as they calmly made their way past, chewing constantly and also very vigilant. Ellie had a really interesting experience as another stag looked directly at her for some time before moving on. I was very struck by the calm grace of these animals, as I always was when I used to go regularly.

Suddenly, it seemed, the light was failing fast - so we walked pretty quickly back along one of the main paths. We'd actually walked quite a bit further than either of us realised, and we were fairly freezing by the time we got back to the car!

Bradgate's main entrance is in Newtown Abbot, some 5 miles outside of Leicester. Definitely a highly-recommended place for a very hearty walk and of course to see the deer.

An evening walk

With spare time to enjoy before lessons today, I took a stroll with the camera around Lightwoods. The mist was hovering thickly just above the ground, and the moon brightened as the sky darkened - just an atmospheric British late autumn walk. Reminded me of why I love this time of year!

Please click the photos to view on black.

Beach

This shoot has a lot of lovely memories for me. Ellie and I had a really clear idea of a shot on a beach with the model walking away from the camera and a beautiful calm sea and sun. Ellie had a lovely white lacy dress that seemed perfect, so we went off to a beach I know to be extremely photogenic to put our vision into action.

The day was spent rather blissfully in Barmouth, north Wales, playing on the beach. Towards the end of the day when the sun was going down, we began to take some shots, and as we did the scene just kept getting more peaceful; the sea-birds were calling in their high voices and the sun began to rake across the sea and beach. Warm colours in the sky and a breeze.

We soon got this shot, and though we kept experimenting I think we both knew which one we wanted. I love it because it expresses something about Ellie that I love; her inquisitiveness, sense of freedom and her amazing openness. I think it also expresses that feeling of limitless potential so readily found on a fine day with sea and mountains... we’re both really proud of it.

David

Horse

Ever since I was a small boy I’ve been fascinated by the mysterious quality of fog and mist. The hill that overlooked my house and my school, Turner’s Hill, the beneficent grassy mound rising above Rowley Regis and Dudley, is much higher than the ground which surrounds it, and so each time mist came, its top would disappear in an auspicious cloud.  In fact, the higher part of the hill was named “Cloud Land” on old maps, which shows how regular these events are.

On the hill were two trees, until around six years ago: old and gnarled, from the distance of my nan’s back garden some mile and a half away they looked like a giant grey-black horse bending her head to eat. When I would walk up there with my mom, nan or uncle, we would say hello to the real horses that graze on the grass. So I’ve always associated the hill with horses, and when I saw a particularly lovely thick mist descend, I grabbed the camera and went. 

I was moved by the aura of gentle power that emanated from the horses, somehow intensified by the dimness of the air, the failing light, and the stillness of the trees that day. 

David