Blog - If at first you don’t succeed...

The weather in Dartmoor seems to obey its own special rules. I would call it a ‘microclimate’, except if you have ever been in it, you’ll know that there is nothing ‘micro’ about the weather in Dartmoor! It’s capable of rewarding you with the most amazing and dramatic light imaginable, but it’s also liable to turn very bad, very quickly - and often does.

The volatile Dartmoor weather tested my mettle last Autumn as I tried to photograph a small hawthorn tree near Saddle Tor. It’s a popular spot in Dartmoor, with wonderful views over the rugged landscape, and a location I have been trying to photograph well for some time.

With a promising sunrise forecast, I set the alarm early. The drive to Dartmoor went well, the sky was looking good – but when I got up into Dartmoor, I found thick fog. I waited, but it didn’t shift, so I headed home without taking the camera from the bag. When I get a shot in mind, I tend to keep at it until I get it. I went back again at sunrise for the following two days, but found only grey skies, fog, rain or all three!

By the fourth day, I was getting a little tired of it, so I abandoned the idea of a dawn shoot, and got some sleep. However by evening, the sky was again looking good. I tried my hardest to avoid Saddle Tor, but like an itch which must be sated, I found myself drawn closer and closer, and eventually arrived in the same car park. With trepidation, I grabbed my kit, and headed over to the tree, anxious to get the shot before the weather went horribly wrong – and I nearly got there when the heavens opened up!

The rain started gently at first, but soon got harder. It was hopeless keeping the rain from the front of the lens (spoiling any shots), so the camera went back into the bag. I would just have to get wet and wait it out. With the sun sinking towards the horizon, the sky to the west was becoming truly epic, the sun catching the edges of the billowing clouds and turning them into big balls of fire. All I could do is watch and pray the rain stopped before the sun set.

And finally, it did stop. With only seconds to spare, there was just enough time to retrieve the camera from the bag, dry it off and get the shot before the sun hit the horizon. I positioned the sun behind the hawthorn, which produced some flare shooting through the branches. Normally, I try to avoid solar flare, but on this occasion I think it makes the shot. The grass was amazingly verdant as well – flush with the warm, wet weather and the post shower freshness.

I finished up with a panoramic shot, with the cloud that had just soaked us, looking like a fireball had flashed through the sky. An amazing demonstration of how capricious the weather can be in Dartmoor!