August 2022 has been very hot dry and sunny with little to no rainfall. Fortunately it has not stopped me getting outdoors in the great outdoors with the camera. What follows is the best landscape photography and photo walks during August 2022.
Small Hythe Rother Levels
It was a hot August morning the day I visited Small Hythe in Kent and the Rother Levels. Did attempt the day before but road closures forced me back.
Road Closures
When driving there is no easy way for google maps aka Android Auto to reroute avoiding a specific road. The best bet is just to pull over and put the destination back in. Google maps does not always pick up road closures. Generally they are available on the local county websites, although not always easy and intuitive to find.
Butterflies Hay bales and sunflowers
With this new found knowledge returned to Small Hythe the following day. Small Hythe is just on the eastern edge of the high weald in Kent and just south of Tenterden. There is free parking at smallhythe bridge on the B2082 and from there can commence a walk along the river rother and on the Rother Levels.
With the hot weather was still in July butterfly mode with an eye out for new landscapes. Did capture my first small tortoiseshell butterfly.
Was looking for a typical August scene, hay bales and sunflowers would do it. The elements were not lining up though.
Lovely walk though to the small hill of Chapel Bank near Appledore. From Chapel Bank there is a lovely park bench on the hill top to sit down and admire the views of the Kent countryside. In fact should have taken a composition including the park bench, A park bench always provides a strong foreground subject in an otherwise wide angle countryside vista. Check out Google Photos Smallhythe rother levels.
Bedgebury Forest
Decided on a return visit to Bedbury Forest one fine August morning with the bike. Bedgebury Forest on the high weald on the Kent East Sussex border is renowned for its bike riding trails.
Parking up at Bedgebury is not cheap unless you leave before 11AM on a weekday, it opens at 8AM, gets busy too. But its a large area and lots to scout. Bit too hilly for me on a bike. Google Photos Bedgebury Forest
Ashdown Forest Heather Sunset
In the back of my mind wanted a typical August landscape photograph, one that would unmistakably say ‘August’ . Purple heather on the heath is unmistakably August and Ashdown Forest on the high weald is one of the best places for purple heather on the heath.
One hot August evening took a return trip to Ashdown Forest to scout an area not walked before. Problem with Ashdown forest being a wide expanse of heathland it can lack strong subjects. Found a good view and clump of purple heather in the foreground and decided then needed to return for a dawn shot. Google Photos Ashdown Forest Sunset
Martinsell Hill Wiltshire
Beginning of August was returning to work after a 6 month break. A 6 month contract near Amesbury in Wiltshire. Have to go into the office one day a week. So tend to travel up the evening before and stay over. This allows me to combine the trip with some landscape photography in the wonderful county of Wiltshire. At least during late summer when the days are still long.
My first evening in Wiltshire took a trip to Martinsell Hill on the Wessex Downs to photograph the lone scots pine. Was rewarded with a moonrise too on a clear August summer evening. Lovely evening on Martinsell Hill, took my mind off starting a new job. Followed by a few beers and relaxing bath back at the hotel. Google Photos Martinsell Hill
Ashdown Forest Heather Sunrise
A week later had to return to Ashdown Forest for a dawn shoot of the heath and purple heather. Was a little anxious due to not have a composition in mind just the area I had scouted the weekend before. The light is fleeting during dawn from dark to light, not much time at all to nail a keeper. Considering all that effort you have put in the odds have to be in my favour.
More or less ended up in the same location, same composition as the sunset shot. But what was revealing was the purple of the heather was a lot more saturated and vibrant during blue hour than golden hour. A beautiful August morning had in Ashdown Forest. Still more to explore and discover in this area. Had come away with my best landscape photos so far of Ashdown Forest, but feel still can improve here.
Park Hill Burwash Weald
One issue with landscape photography is having a location to go to. Often I feel up for it but am racking my brains on where to go. That’s what I love about moving to new locations and road trips. As you get more into Landscape photography you realise to get a great image requires many repeat visits to the same location under different lighting conditions that can take years. Still, I like a healthy mix of visiting new locations and revisiting old ones. Often to discover new locations requires lots of research online. So it was with Park Hill near Burwash Weald on the high weald in East Sussex.
Was googling the best hills on the high weald and discovered a website called peakvisor that listed all the highest peaks on the high weald with Park Hill being one of them. PeakVisor also lists something called its Prominence. This is how high the peak of the hill is relative to its surroundings, so for Park hill has an elevation of 175m with a prominence of 65m. So as long as the hilltop is not wooded should yield some good views. Not disappointed, although a hot bright August morning good scout over Park Hill would be good for sunrise looking east but no foreground interest. Telephoto wide angle pano would be the way to go. Should have shot a pano of the frame above on the ascent to the top of Park Hill. Google Photos Park Hill Burwash Weald
Stonehenge Wiltshire
Another return to Wiltshire, decided to revisit Stonehenge the evening before hopefully for a sunset through the ancient rocks. There has been two months of blistering weather and sunsets, the evening I choose to visit Stonehenge it clouds over.
Met an American photographer there who had travelled all the way from the west coast to photograph the milky way over Stonehenge. Don’t think he is going to get lucky tonight, that cloud looks like its staying around. I need to get into night photography. Seen some great images of the milky way etc. Another excuse to get outdoors with your camera. Should have got up early the next morning for a colourful sunrise, but needed to stay awake all day in the office. Google Photos Stonehenge
Lullingstone Country Park
What inspired another trip into the Kent downs and countryside was seeing photos online of the Lavender fields at Castlefarm. August may be peak time for other purple bloomers like heather and Marjoram but for Lavender that happens in early to mid July. So too late for the Lavender but 300m down the road is Lullingstone Country Park.
There is a lot to see and do in the area of Lullingstone country park. Nice walks along the river Darent. Lullingstone Castle, remains of a roman villa, even the Victorian Eynsford viaduct. But for me the best of all was the footpaths up into the hills of Kent downs, although shame about the golf course nearby.
Good walk around Lullingstone Park, scouted out a few good locations for my return in July 2023. Ill be back! The area is popular with families etc and gets pretty busy late morning. Nearby is the pretty and tourist town of Eynsford. Google Photos Lullingstone Country Park
The Norths Seat Sunrise Hastings
Working all week mostly from home binds you, cant just go out for a few hours when you would like to. Means getting up early for an hour or two and maybe catching a sunrise or heading out in the evening for a sunset. Working kind of zaps your energy though. So morning is a better option. As we get into the last week or two of August sunrise is getting later around 6AM. So was looking for some more local locations to make one of those repeat visits, different lighting conditions. Norths Seat in Hastings Country Park seemed to fit the bill. Looked out doors up at the sky 5AM in the morning hoping it was overcast so would have a good excuse to go back to bed, but the stars were twinkling, a quarter moon shining and there were some interesting clouds not too many.
Have visited Norths Seat once before on a June evening and the views were pretty impressive, surprised left it so long to make a return. Needed to zoom in to subtract the dried out field in the bottom right corner, dead space although was lush green and catching the light back in June 2020. Also had to darken that area down post processing so as not to distract.
Was hoping to catch the sunrise in the frame but now rising too far to the East. June would be a better time for a sunrise from Norths Seat but need to be here about 4AM! 🙁 Was experimenting with vertical panos taking 2 bracketed shots exposing for the highlights and shadows then merging post processing. What is generally not a problem with these type of compositions is focus. Everything is beyond infinity. Nice colourful sky that August morning but lacks a real subject once again. The colourful cloudscape sky is the main star. Glad I got up, challenging lighting and composition, its how we get better. Google Photos Norths Seat Hastings
Fire Hills Sunrise Hastings
The failure to capture the sun rising in the frame from North seat earlier in the week got me thinking what is a good location within Hastings country park further round to the east? The Fire Hills! Have shot from the fire hills a few times including a late winter dawn shoot and from that I knew where there was a potential better composition.
It was forecast stormy with some lightning and sun, perfect landscape photography weather! Storm clouds were on the horizon but no lightning, the clouds and colour quickly dispersed. Lost about 10 minutes due to another road closure and had to do a diversion. Straight out of the car park, setup and shot a vertical pano zoomed right in or a telephoto wide angle. Again no foreground interest and focusing on infinity.
Technical Problems
Few technical details about the photo above I not like, the pano is a bit off should have taken my levelling base, knew I would be shooting panos. The white balance is a bit off – too warm set to cloudy, should have cooled it down. You should get the white balance right in camera gives you more leeway post processing. Also was bracketing 2 shots one for the highlights in the sky the other for the shadows. The shot for the shadows was a long exposure. Considering shooting 5 or 6 in a vertical pano there is some merge issues if you zoom in and look closely. Not ideal. But it does capture the drama of the foreboding storm.
Hang around for sunrise and by then was just shooting a single frame. Its a lot to process when the light is changing by the minute. For the sunrise changed lenses from the 24-70mm to the 70-200mm. As zoomed max should have started off with the 70-200mm missed the best of the sunrise because of this. So still making lots of mistakes, still learning. Lots of early morning dog walkers were turning up and the dogs were taking an unsavoury interest in me being there and the legs of my tripod. In the distance can see Dungeness power station. Google Photos Fire Hills Sunrise
Kings Standing Ashdown Forest
August bank holiday weekend saw me take a return journey to Ashdown Forest. It was one of those moments racking my brains where to go. After sitting on my ass all week working needed a long walk. This is how and why I first got into landscape photography all those years ago now. My Achilles tendonitis is much better now. Considering had that injury back in the beginning of May can now walk over 5 miles without really feeling any pain. I knew the Kings standing was an area of the Ashdown forest that I wanted to scout.
Good walk to Poundgate, bit early for the pub there so headed back to check out Crows nest clump. Some interesting scenery in this part of the Ashdown forest. The clumps are circles of scots pine planted by the royals to shoot deer from. They do provide some of the best viewpoints. On this scout was more looking for what would make a good subject to base a composition around. So left the beaten track to get a good angle on these scots pines – not much heather in the vicinity which is on its last legs now come late August.
Went Hill South Downs
August bank holiday wanted to get out but no plan on where to go. In my minds eye was scouring the east Sussex coast. Between Birling Gap and East Dean there is a hill range not walked before called the Went Way. Have noticed it driving past to Birling Gap and thought it would provide some good views of the south downs. So that was the plan. Its better to plan out a photo walk the night before. it would have been better if I had got up an hour or two earlier, the earlier you are out in the morning the better the light.
Parked up on Birling Gap road which is free rather than the car park. Lots of spaces if you arrive before 10AM when the majority of visitors turn up. Most visitors to Birling Gap head down to the beach, or walk west over the seven sisters or east to Belle Tout lighthouse and Beachy Head. Few head north over Went Hill and the Went way that takes you back down into East Dean and is an ancient thoroughfare to Willingdon. What a view! What a find. Still finding little gems on the hills of the south downs. Lucky to have some good lighting conditions late in the morning. Photo above is a little unbalanced, heavy to the left. Need to return to this spot and better work the composition with a tripod. Think sunrise would be the best.
Pevensey Levels
There is a spot on the A259 popular with fishing that always take a glance when driving past on my way west usually to the south downs. Middle bridge that runs over Wallers Haven on the Pevensey Levels. It can be difficult to pull over here and park as the A259 is busy. Being late August been on the lookout for a good composition with hay bales. On the drive to Went Hill took a look and the field beside the river was full of hay bales. Plan was to pull over and check it out on the return trip from Went hill.
Hay bales are so typical of August, the summer harvest, even the end of summer. They provide such good foreground interest adding depth through the scene. Working the composition you need separation between the hay bales. Good interest in the sky sunlight breaking through the clouds and the ridge line of the south downs in the background. In fact plan is to return here for a sunset as the golden hues of the hay bales with golden hour light could really make the composition pop. Been in two minds using a polariser with these types of scenes. So taking with and without. Think polarisers are better for removing reflective light rather than saturating colour.
End of August
So August was a good month for outdoor landscape photography not being deterred by the heat. Compared to previous years got outdoors a lot more. End of August brings summer to end although possible to still experience an Indian summer or heatwaves into September even October. Roll on September 2022 and autumn.
Check out the August 2022 Landscape Photography gallery.
Check out the East Sussex Landscape photography gallery.
Check out the Kent landscape photography gallery.
Check out the Wiltshire landscape photography gallery.