Another year over, having spent the majority living and working in east Sussex. I did a lot of hiking and landscape photography over the south downs throughout 2018. What follows is my best landscape photo shot from each month.
January, Appledore, Kent
January can be bitterly cold but on the pro side the days are short and the sun is low in the sky. You don’t have to get up too early for sunrises or stay out too late for sunsets. On a sunny day in January visibility can be very good to excellent.
And in that vein it was a very cold crisp sunny clear day when I visited Appledore in Kent, where I took my favourite landscape photo in January 2018.
February, Bo Peep, South Downs
During the month of February you can begin to see and feel the first signs of spring. The days are beginning to get longer. During February one day you can be in the throws of winter, the next its a warm sunny spring day. I took a lot of landscape photos during the month of February and visited some great places.
My favourite photo of the month though was the sunrise and morning mist I caught from Bo Peep on the South Downs. Its very rare for me to be up early enough to catch a sunrise, only made possible this morning due to insomnia.
March, Combe Valley, East Sussex
I not get out a lot during March due to taking a 3 week vacation abroad, so only have one shoot to include for March 2018 and that is the Combe Valley Saint Leonards in east Sussex.
March is spring time, so not a good month to miss in the UK. During the early part of March Daffodils are in full bloom and make good foreground interest and focal points.
April, Johns Cross, East Sussex
April for me, is the time to photograph Bluebells. April and spring is in full swing. Bluebells can carpet forest floors, the weather can be beautiful and mild.
So it was in April I was still exploring new places around East Sussex. Using my ordnance survey online maps I followed the footpaths through forests and bluebells around Mountfield and St Johns Cross.
May, Wye, Kent Downs
The month of May is the transition from spring to summer and can start to get hot and hazy. During the month of May I pushed the boundaries out and visited Wye on the Kent Downs.
It was a beautiful day around Wye and up on the north downs. The trees have full foliage, the ground can be covered in bright colourful flowers as summer approaches.
June, Wilmington Hill
Into June and into summer, long hot days early sunrises and late sunsets. The month of June has the longest day of the year. One of my favourite spots in east Sussex are the views from Wilmington hill on the south downs.
And so it was one evening I walked up Wilmington hill to catch a sunset over the distant valley of the south downs between Bo Peep and Mount Caburn.
July, Castle Hill, South Downs
July being the height of summer is not always the best month for landscape photography. But with limited days free and needing the practice and exercise I was keen to explore more of the south downs. So it was in July I captured the more remote area of the south downs and Castle Hill nature Reserve.
It can be a hard slog in the summer months, its important to carry enough water, wear sun cream and wear the right clothing. But there are still beautiful landscape images to be captured every month of the year when you put in the effort. On this walk and with the Poppies I was experimenting with focusing on the hyperfocal distance.
August, Southease, South Downs
Summer can still be raging come August, the land can be dry but Autumn is just around the corner. I was keen to catch the Golden Hour over the south downs around Southease East Sussex.
It was a beautiful late summer evening over the south downs, could not understand why on a Saturday night I was the only one there? This was when I was experimenting with focusing on infinity and not the hyperfocal.
September, Wolstonbury Hill, West Sussex
Come September I had been in east Sussex a year now and running out of new locations to photograph. I loved the south downs and pushing the boundaries I ventured into west Sussex and up Wolstonbury Hill.
A sun-kissed day in September can be the most beautiful, the temperatures have dropped, the days shortened as Autumn is just around the corner. That day in September sat on top of Wolstonbury hill admiring the view, I was at peace.
October, November ?
From the end of September until the end of November I was out of the country so nothing for October and November 2018. I had missed autumn in England and the UK.
December, Holywell, Cornwall
December I was back in the UK and was going to spend the month on a road trip around the south of England landscape photography. The first couple of weeks of the month the weather was wet stormy and mild, not perfect conditions. On the rare day there were breaks in the weather pattern.
The most dramatic image I caught in December and all of 2018 was a seascape photo of a momentary rainbow over Holywell beach in Cornwall.
That wraps up my UK landscape photography for 2018. All my images are hosted on Shutterstock and can be downloaded in full resolution.