The hills over Alfriston were ripe with photo opportunities on this late September morning. All four of these images are still a key part of my portfolio, and I love each image for it’s different qualities. The walk initially started in Alfriston, and I came up a short footpath leading to these cross roads below. The light from the imminent sunrise gave this photo a real glow and I really liked the leading lines the footpaths created, as well as the little signpost placed on a rule of thirds hotspot.
Crossroads on the South Downs Way, Alfriston, 2015
Heading to the top of this path, I reconvened where one of my last walks had finished earlier in the month and this field had become lush with green crops. Using a long focal length I wanted to capture just the pattern created by the hill side curves carved by the farm machinery and the texture created by the early morning light.
Field, Alfriston, 2015
Further along that same field, the light was casting long shadows and golden colours on the trees in the hedgerow. I’d perhaps like the photo below to have a simpler composition, but after the previous shot, it might feel a bit too similar in contrast. I still used a long focal length to capture it, and you can see the mist forming in the background of the image of the fields.
Tree line on an early morning, Alfriston, 2015
Finally, as the mist started to rise further, I noticed most of the village of Alfriston had become shrouded in a cool mist as the sun rose further, drawing moisture into the air with it. The spire of the church was prominent over the other buildings and so I went for an unusual central composition here. With most of these photos, I found using the long focal length and the mist really reduced the colour quality of some images, so I had to bump up the saturation and tones afterwards. I’ve since invested in a polariser, which I used for my next shoot.
Early Morning, Alfriston, 2015
