Community Projects - The Dartmoor Photography Project

Community Gallery 3 . . . The Dartmoor Photography Project

Nun's Cross . . . Richard Banfield ARPS
"I have been interested in monochrome photography and imaging for several years, extending from the conventional to special effects and digital imaging. This image extols the special quality of uncertainty of the Dartmoor landscape. It is an enhanced digital print from a 'conventional' Sabattier effect image."

Haytor Quarry . . . Colin Burton
"To me this image represents the slow repair and restoration of the moor by itself against the ravages of man's assault in the past."

Granite Railway, Yarner Wood . . . Josh Coniam
Untitled . . . George D'Agostino
Scorhill Circle . . . Christine Dodd
Nature Returns to Haytor Quarry . . . David Elphick
"Having worked in London for most of my life I enjoy the landscape of Dartmoor. I feel that a sense of atmosphere is best portrayed by a monochrome image."

Combeston Tor . . . Jennifer Firth
"The fascinating shape of Combeston Tor - eroded by centuries of Dartmoor weather - reflects my feelings of the permanence of the moor."

Wind Sculpture . . . Charles Francis
Bellever Forest . . . Margaret Froggatt
"A hostile environment of open space, high skies and hard rock. This was my first impression of Dartmoor. Spending time taking photographs has given me the chance to look at details of the landscape and to modify my first concept. Here is a land of contrasts: hard and soft; animate and inanimate; past and present. Take a close look. There are always new things to be seen. Bellever Forest is a peaceful sheltered glade in the valley of the East Dart, barely a mile from the busy open moor at Postbridge."

Spillway at Avon Dam . . . Norman Froggatt
"Everything I see on Dartmoor reminds me that creation is never static. Granite decomposes, trees and plants grow and decay. Each change affects all others and man is only one of the agents. Today's landscape shows how exploitation of the moor for cultivation, sheep and cattle, minerals, road and building materials or forestry changes what was there but is soon hidden again if once neglected. This is what my photographs try to show - hardly original, but the moor has been here a long time! Dartmoor provides water for humans, and is inevitably changed by doing so. But not all the change needs to be destructive or ugly: this overflow spillway has its own beauty."

River Erme, Longtimber Woods . . . Steve Gleed
"I have lived around the southern edge of Dartmoor for some 20 years and have been studying photography with Graham Hodgson for the last 12 months. I find the wooded valleys of South Dartmoor rivers a source of both inspiration and meditative contemplation and this is my favourite part of the River Erme."

Past or Future?
Skywards . . . Ron Gosling
"Past or Future? shows the remains of a settlement hut, including the two uprights of the entrance and the circle of rocks which are representative of the walls. I feel strongly that historical remains such as these should be treated with the utmost respect. In a lot of cases these important remains only stay in our memory because of films and photographs, as the weather and years of neglect take their toll. There isa mysterious remoteness to the obviously bleak landscape and a suggestion of the harsh conditions that the residents of these huts had to endure. Skywards depicts an area known locally as Tavy Tors. Situated above the steep valley of Tavy Cleeve these rock formations overlook the valley 1200 feet below. No one picture could ever, I feel, describe the moods and beauty of Dartmoor."

Shadows, Down Tor Stone row
Wheal Betsy & Stone Wall, Mary Tavey
Open Moorland & Remains of Tinworkings, Eylesbarrow
Rowan Tree, near Combeshead Tor . . . Marie-Claire Harber
"I studied Photography and Design at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art before moving to Devon and becoming a Research Assistant/Photographer for Dartmoor National Park Authority. These four images have been produced digitally to combine two or more photographs in an attempt to portray some of Dartmoor's many faces. There are numerous characteristic features of the moor's landscape, but I chose an ancient stone row, an expanse of open moorland, a lone Rowan tree and the remains of both a tin mine and a 19th Century silver/lead mine. I hope to show that mankind and moorland have coexisted for thousands of years and will hopefully continue to do so."

Rock . . . Charles Hart
"Life struggles against the elements and lasts for a short while, but the rock endures."

Light and Shade, Haytor Quarry . . . Chas Hearnden
"My main photographic interest is in landscape. I try to show the beauty that is always there if one looks hard enough. Now that I am 68 I find I have a little more time and lots more patience! In Haytor Quarry I was intrigued by the play of light and shade and how the hand of man is eventually covered by the growth of nature. The elements leave fantastic sculptures on all the moor tors - if one looks."

Below Venford Reservoir . . . John Mackay-Marks ARPS
"I have been interested in photography for many years and I find great relaxation in my hobby away from my profession of teaching. My first love is monochrome photography although recently I have become interested in digital imaging, especially the production of colour prints from my collection of colour slides. I am always drawn to trees as an important element in the Dartmoor landscape. Those on the open moorland often make bold statements - their graphic shapes moulded by the prevailing weather. Those which grow in the shadows of the tors and deep valleys take on a cloak of lichen and moss. This photograph for me reflects the dark side of the moor."

The Face, Haytor quarry . . . Marie Minchington CPAGB
"My first intention when I started to take this photograph was to show how nature comes back, even when man has desecrated the landscape. As I looked through the viewfinder a sleeping face appeared to me which showed how beautiful the moors can be in good weather, but also reminded me how cold and inhospitable they can be when awoken."

Feather Tor, Merrivale, June 1998 . . . Stormsmith Nomi
"At the place where this picture was taken there is a huge horizon, a massive sky. Animals roaming the land appear as tiny specks. Giant boulders, like icebergs beneath the soil, are mirrored by mighty clouds. As above, so below."

The Mythic Garden, Chagford . . . George Norman
"I found this sculpture in the Mythic Garden near Chagford. It reminded me that Dartmoor is not only a place for reflection and wilderness. It is also a place for people and passion which inspires creativity in many forms."

Hound Tor
Hutchinson Cross
St Michael de Rupe Church, Brentor . . . Ann Owens

Untitled . . . Eric Parker
Panaeolus Toadstools . . . Michael Rockett
"I took this photograph as I was impressed by the contrast between the moor's massive permanent granite solidity and these tiny delicate transient fungi that appear to form a miniature landscape of their own."

Oak . . . Pat Rockett
"When I first saw this dramatic and enchanting tree with all its attached species I was captivated and knew I would have to return to see it again and again and to photograph it."

Occasional Litter
Turning Tables . . . Chris Rogers LRPS
"I have been involved in photography for 35 years and am resigned to never knowing enough about it. There is always more to learn than has been learnt. I am most interested in landscape and the pictorial design of the natural occurrence. In my exhibition pictures I wanted to reflect the small impacts on a big landscape of those who exploit the moor, either knowingly and sometimes carelessly (man) or naturally and inevitably (sheep)."

Rubbleheap Quarry . . . Muriel Somerfield ARPS
"Until I began to participate in the Dartmoor Photography Project I was not familiar with the area apart from passing around the edge. The last few months have given me the opportunity to explore not only the panoramic vistas but the river valleys, the granite outcrops, the quarries and the villages. I have had the satisfaction of exploring photography in more depth especially monochrome printing. I have also worked with colour negative and positive and all aspects have enabled me to have a more profound look at Dartmoor."

The Guardian . . . Neil Souch ARPS
"High on Brent Tor (1130 feet above sea level) stands the small church of St Michael, and a few isolated graves. The area is very special for me as I have visited it in all weathers and have found it to be extremely inspirational. It is difficult to take a photograph on Brent Tor, in good conditions, without showing the sensational view that is to be had in all directions. On this occasion I was working round the rear of the church when I noticed a lonely grave being cradled by a small, but very sturdy, windswept tree. Both the grave and the tree were perilously balanced on the edge of the summit of Brent Tor. The two subjects appeared to have a special relationship, or bond, and I was struck by the way the tree appeared to be guarding the grave. I used infrared film plus a red filter to dramatise the subjects, this has also helped to penetrate the heat haze and to emphasize the tremendous view over Dartmoor."

Ferns, Haytor Quarry . . . Anne Swinscow
"To me, Dartmoor is a place of contrasts, and I wanted to show the contrast of the young green ferns against the dark water of the quarry pool."

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			Nun's Cross . . . Richard Banfield ARPS "I have been interested in monochrome photography and imaging for several years, extending from the conventional to special effects and digital imaging. This image extols the special quality of uncertainty of the Dartmoor landscape. It is an enhanced digital print from a 'conventional' Sabattier effect image."
			Haytor Quarry . . . Colin Burton "To me this image represents the slow repair and restoration of the moor by itself against the ravages of man's assault in the past."
			Granite Railway, Yarner Wood . . . Josh Coniam
			Untitled . . . George D'Agostino
			Scorhill Circle . . . Christine Dodd
			Nature Returns to Haytor Quarry . . . David Elphick "Having worked in London for most of my life I enjoy the landscape of Dartmoor. I feel that a sense of atmosphere is best portrayed by a monochrome image."
			Combeston Tor . . . Jennifer Firth "The fascinating shape of Combeston Tor - eroded by centuries of Dartmoor weather - reflects my feelings of the permanence of the moor."
			Wind Sculpture . . . Charles Francis
			Bellever Forest . . . Margaret Froggatt "A hostile environment of open space, high skies and hard rock. This was my first impression of Dartmoor. Spending time taking photographs has given me the chance to look at details of the landscape and to modify my first concept. Here is a land of contrasts: hard and soft; animate and inanimate; past and present. Take a close look. There are always new things to be seen. Bellever Forest is a peaceful sheltered glade in the valley of the East Dart, barely a mile from the busy open moor at Postbridge."
			Spillway at Avon Dam . . . Norman Froggatt "Everything I see on Dartmoor reminds me that creation is never static. Granite decomposes, trees and plants grow and decay. Each change affects all others and man is only one of the agents. Today's landscape shows how exploitation of the moor for cultivation, sheep and cattle, minerals, road and building materials or forestry changes what was there but is soon hidden again if once neglected. This is what my photographs try to show - hardly original, but the moor has been here a long time! Dartmoor provides water for humans, and is inevitably changed by doing so. But not all the change needs to be destructive or ugly: this overflow spillway has its own beauty."
			River Erme, Longtimber Woods . . . Steve Gleed "I have lived around the southern edge of Dartmoor for some 20 years and have been studying photography with Graham Hodgson for the last 12 months. I find the wooded valleys of South Dartmoor rivers a source of both inspiration and meditative contemplation and this is my favourite part of the River Erme."
			Past or Future? Skywards . . . Ron Gosling "Past or Future? shows the remains of a settlement hut, including the two uprights of the entrance and the circle of rocks which are representative of the walls. I feel strongly that historical remains such as these should be treated with the utmost respect. In a lot of cases these important remains only stay in our memory because of films and photographs, as the weather and years of neglect take their toll. There isa mysterious remoteness to the obviously bleak landscape and a suggestion of the harsh conditions that the residents of these huts had to endure. Skywards depicts an area known locally as Tavy Tors. Situated above the steep valley of Tavy Cleeve these rock formations overlook the valley 1200 feet below. No one picture could ever, I feel, describe the moods and beauty of Dartmoor."
			Shadows, Down Tor Stone row Wheal Betsy & Stone Wall, Mary Tavey Open Moorland & Remains of Tinworkings, Eylesbarrow Rowan Tree, near Combeshead Tor . . . Marie-Claire Harber "I studied Photography and Design at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art before moving to Devon and becoming a Research Assistant/Photographer for Dartmoor National Park Authority. These four images have been produced digitally to combine two or more photographs in an attempt to portray some of Dartmoor's many faces. There are numerous characteristic features of the moor's landscape, but I chose an ancient stone row, an expanse of open moorland, a lone Rowan tree and the remains of both a tin mine and a 19th Century silver/lead mine. I hope to show that mankind and moorland have coexisted for thousands of years and will hopefully continue to do so."

			Rock . . . Charles Hart "Life struggles against the elements and lasts for a short while, but the rock endures."
			Light and Shade, Haytor Quarry . . . Chas Hearnden "My main photographic interest is in landscape. I try to show the beauty that is always there if one looks hard enough. Now that I am 68 I find I have a little more time and lots more patience! In Haytor Quarry I was intrigued by the play of light and shade and how the hand of man is eventually covered by the growth of nature. The elements leave fantastic sculptures on all the moor tors - if one looks."
			Below Venford Reservoir . . . John Mackay-Marks ARPS "I have been interested in photography for many years and I find great relaxation in my hobby away from my profession of teaching. My first love is monochrome photography although recently I have become interested in digital imaging, especially the production of colour prints from my collection of colour slides. I am always drawn to trees as an important element in the Dartmoor landscape. Those on the open moorland often make bold statements - their graphic shapes moulded by the prevailing weather. Those which grow in the shadows of the tors and deep valleys take on a cloak of lichen and moss. This photograph for me reflects the dark side of the moor."
			The Face, Haytor quarry . . . Marie Minchington CPAGB "My first intention when I started to take this photograph was to show how nature comes back, even when man has desecrated the landscape. As I looked through the viewfinder a sleeping face appeared to me which showed how beautiful the moors can be in good weather, but also reminded me how cold and inhospitable they can be when awoken."
			Feather Tor, Merrivale, June 1998 . . . Stormsmith Nomi "At the place where this picture was taken there is a huge horizon, a massive sky. Animals roaming the land appear as tiny specks. Giant boulders, like icebergs beneath the soil, are mirrored by mighty clouds. As above, so below."
			The Mythic Garden, Chagford . . . George Norman "I found this sculpture in the Mythic Garden near Chagford. It reminded me that Dartmoor is not only a place for reflection and wilderness. It is also a place for people and passion which inspires creativity in many forms."
			Hound Tor Hutchinson Cross St Michael de Rupe Church, Brentor . . . Ann Owens

			Untitled . . . Eric Parker
			Panaeolus Toadstools . . . Michael Rockett "I took this photograph as I was impressed by the contrast between the moor's massive permanent granite solidity and these tiny delicate transient fungi that appear to form a miniature landscape of their own."
			Oak . . . Pat Rockett "When I first saw this dramatic and enchanting tree with all its attached species I was captivated and knew I would have to return to see it again and again and to photograph it."
			Occasional Litter Turning Tables . . . Chris Rogers LRPS "I have been involved in photography for 35 years and am resigned to never knowing enough about it. There is always more to learn than has been learnt. I am most interested in landscape and the pictorial design of the natural occurrence. In my exhibition pictures I wanted to reflect the small impacts on a big landscape of those who exploit the moor, either knowingly and sometimes carelessly (man) or naturally and inevitably (sheep)."
			Rubbleheap Quarry . . . Muriel Somerfield ARPS "Until I began to participate in the Dartmoor Photography Project I was not familiar with the area apart from passing around the edge. The last few months have given me the opportunity to explore not only the panoramic vistas but the river valleys, the granite outcrops, the quarries and the villages. I have had the satisfaction of exploring photography in more depth especially monochrome printing. I have also worked with colour negative and positive and all aspects have enabled me to have a more profound look at Dartmoor."
			The Guardian . . . Neil Souch ARPS "High on Brent Tor (1130 feet above sea level) stands the small church of St Michael, and a few isolated graves. The area is very special for me as I have visited it in all weathers and have found it to be extremely inspirational. It is difficult to take a photograph on Brent Tor, in good conditions, without showing the sensational view that is to be had in all directions. On this occasion I was working round the rear of the church when I noticed a lonely grave being cradled by a small, but very sturdy, windswept tree. Both the grave and the tree were perilously balanced on the edge of the summit of Brent Tor. The two subjects appeared to have a special relationship, or bond, and I was struck by the way the tree appeared to be guarding the grave. I used infrared film plus a red filter to dramatise the subjects, this has also helped to penetrate the heat haze and to emphasize the tremendous view over Dartmoor."
			Ferns, Haytor Quarry . . . Anne Swinscow "To me, Dartmoor is a place of contrasts, and I wanted to show the contrast of the young green ferns against the dark water of the quarry pool."