Catching the last cold morning before the summer, James Jagger and I took the two hour drive for a night and a morning around Corfe Castle.
I'd seen the location a number of times. My first real awareness of Corfe Castle was when it was featured in the winning image of The Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010, by Anthony Spencer.
With a clear, cold night and morning forecasted, it was a fair bet that we'd encounter a misty morning, though it being a full moon the conditions were not ideal for starry nightscapes - though I tried a star trail sequence.
Full moon conditions were too bright for the stars to 'pop', but the landscape is illunimated vibrantly.
Our time photographing Corfe Castle did not disappoint.
Going for the first time and with no guarantee of return, the real challenge was deciding where best to setup the camera. Truly, it was like being a kid in a sweet shop.
I had 2-3 cameras on the go at the same time - 2 mounted on tripods and the other handheld. That didn't always work because the front lens element on the camera lens needed semi-regular wiping to remove the build up of condensation.
Keeping kit clean is a tricky task when shooting in the cold and misty conditions that are ideal for atmospheric landscape images.
Ultimately, I wanted to be everywhere, which is a real compliment to Corfe Castle - it is right up there with the best landscape photography locations I have ever been to.
Just before sunrise, we hiked our way up an adjacent hill to the castle. I decided to stay low in order to get the outline of the castle against the sky, while James went high.
Taken using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
We had very different experiences. I like the composition of my images, but the real stand out moment was walking back up the hill to higher viewpoint as daylight unfolded.
On the other side of the castle, the sun-soaked mist was glorious, being moved along briskly in the breeze and illuminated orange in parts. The scene will be etched in my mind for a long time.
Hopefully you enjoy the images here. I will add more of my favourites in the gallery section of the website too.
Enjoy!