As a Londoner, I find it very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life. Much of my photography reflects my urban life and the city I live in.
On a lovely spring day yesterday, with the sun peering through the clouds, thirteen of us began an eight mile walk near the Surry, West Sussex and Hampshire borders, starting from a pub not far from Haslemere. My camera was firmly in my hand, ready to take photos.
Much of the walk was through fields, which we shared with sheep, and in forests - with the last part of it through Petworth Park, which is owned by the National Trust. There was lightness in the air and the new shoots of spring coming through. I was spoiled for shots.
What really struck me was the peacefulness of the walk. Even with the sheep, as well as other ramblers we came across, I really had a sense of being in and with nature.
What was very striking was the peacefulness of the nature. I had a deep sense of the natural disasters that happened in Japan recently, and of the uprisings in the Middle East. While nature can be idyllic, beautiful and peaceful, it can also be brutal and dramatic.
I tried to capture this sense of peace, as well as the shoots of new growth, in my photos. Capturing the mood isn’t always easy, and can be greatly affected by light as much as surroundings.
I cherish the ramblers group I am a part of. It allows me to get out of London and see parts of England that I may not have otherwise have seen, or take photos of.