I headed up to Balmer Down in late May to scout the poppies and see if the location might work for a wider South Downs landscape photograph. It felt early for poppies, but after the recent warm, dry weather, they were already starting to appear across parts of East Sussex.

Poppies on Balmer Down

Balmer Down was not a dense carpet of red, but more of a rough, scrubby field with poppies scattered through the grass. There were still enough flowers to give the foreground colour and help lead the eye into the wider landscape.

South Downs Views

The strength of this location is the view. From Balmer Down you get a wide sweep across the South Downs, with Seaford Head, Ashcombe Mill, Firle Beacon and Mount Caburn visible in the distance.

For this image, the poppies added the foreground interest, while the Downs gave the photograph its sense of place.

Photographing Poppies

Poppies can be awkward to photograph well. The flowers need to be fresh, with strong colour and petals still in good condition. Once they start fading, wilting or dropping petals, the impact quickly weakens.

Wind is another problem. Even a light breeze can move the petals, especially if you are trying to keep the flowers sharp in the foreground.

Depth of field also matters. Too shallow, and the South Downs backdrop disappears. Too deep, and the image can become busy. Here I wanted enough detail in the poppies without losing the shape of the distant landscape.

Another issue with close-up poppy photographs is that you usually want to face the flower head directly, with the dark centre clearly visible. Many poppies tend to open towards the morning light, which in late May often means an easterly or north-easterly direction. That can limit your compositions, because the best-facing flowers do not always line up with the strongest background.

Scouting the Location

The main challenge at Balmer Down was the slope of the field. It falls away to the north west, so the best patches of poppies did not line up naturally with the strongest views.

It was still a useful scout. From up there I could see more poppy fields towards Itford and Beddingham Hill, on the Firle beacon ridge, so this visit helped point me towards the next locations to explore.

Related Sussex Photography Posts

• [Ditchling Beacon] — a classic South Downs viewpoint with wide views across Sussex.
• [Ditchling Road] — one of the most dramatic roads crossing the Downs.
• [Stanmer Park] — woodland, parkland and Downland close to Brighton.
• [Firle Beacon] — one of the key landmarks visible from Balmer Down.
• [Woodingdean and Ovingdean] — Downland villages and walking routes on the edge of Brighton.

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This photo location is included in my private map of photo locations, available through Buy Me a Coffee. The map includes the Google Map location and what3words reference for the places featured in these photo blog posts.

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