I SHOULD BE COMMITTED…….

When does a hobby become a passion, and a passion become an obsession?

An 02:30 alarm may seem madness to some people but to landscape photographers it’s normal if you aim to capture sunrise at this time of year. I say “normal” but I probably mean necessary as two or three of these a week tests the resolve to the extreme.

I’m on my way to the wonderful Forest of Dean, just across the border in England. It’s an hour’s travel but seeing a pair of Roe deer on the roadside makes the journey a real treat. I was recently viewed with disdain by an elegant looking stag as I drove slowly through one of the sleeping villages a couple of hours before dawn. Some things can’t be bought.

It’s pitch black as I pull into the car park and there’s already another car there (don’t look Ethel….). I’ve got a twenty minute climb to the viewpoint so the sooner I set off the better prepared I’ll be for sunrise. Anyone else noticed how hills are getting steeper each year? I’m kept company on the walk by cuckoos and woodpeckers in the canopy and there’s a stonechat trilling away close by. Dawn chorus really is early this time of year !

My location this morning is Blaize Bailey viewpoint on a steep ridge overlooking the River Severn at Newnham in Gloucestershire. The river bends into an oxbow here and you get the full view from this location. There’s a fair amount of cloud cover this morning though, more than forecast, and there’s plenty on the horizon which may spoil sunrise, but with an hour to go you never know. It’s not long before I’m joined by another photographer, a local chap who knows this area well (so that’s who was in the car park ! Me and my overactive imagination….). We share some tips on locations in the area while we’re waiting for the light. I always prefer having a location to myself but this chap’s good company. Sunrise comes and goes though and it’s a no show this time, so my new acquaintance calls it a day as he has to get to work, but I’m going to hang on just in case….

Experience has taught me never to give up on a location until it’s clearly a bust and I’ve got it right this time. Half an hour after dawn the sun climbs above the low bank of clouds and provides spectacular light. It continues to improve for the next twenty minutes or so until it becomes too harsh. I reckon I’ve nabbed a couple of keepers this morning so I pack away feeling a bit pleased with myself. The walk back provides an opportunity to photograph bluebells and violets in the banks lining the trail, and a couple of local ladies out walking their dogs give me some great info on recent wild boar sightings. A great end to this outing and it makes the early start even more worthwhile. On my drive home I spot my first swift of the year - another harbinger of Spring and the warmer days ahead.

So my passion/obsession eventually became my profession. I put a lot into it, but I get a hell of a lot more back.

Takes commitment though…..

BLAIZE BAILEY VIEWPOINT