Driven to Walk

How do you get to your locations? I know that the likes of Richard Childs and some of the other big hitters in the photography world will think nothing of climbing a mountain in the dark or camping overnight at a summit, just to get that 10 minutes of golden time when the sun rises. I however am a little more leisurely in my approach. I don't have all day to go togging generally. What I get is a couple of hours to get on location snap away like fury and get home in time for tea with the family. So I drive. I drive to the location, I park on a grassy verge, or halfway into a field or in a layby or passing place and then I rush out, unfolding my tripod as I go, walk maybe 100 yeards, snap away and get back in the car to get to the next location half a mile away. It's not ideal, but needs must.

Recently I had the chance to pick up an old hobby from my youth - hill walking. But now I was walking with a big Lowepro camera bag over my shoulder and keeping my eye out for a great composition. Unfortunately I'm not fit enough to carry my heavy but stable tripod too, so everything has had to be a short exposure, well lit and hand held. But what a benefit. To get out to the wild places, to see the less frequently photographed sites, to get to the sort of rugged areas that cars simply cannot, you HAVE to get out and walk. Cycling wont do either, you zoom by too fast. With walking you get the time to spot compositions and you are mobile enough to make a picture by adjusting your position. I was guilty of having gotten too lazy and had neglected this completely in recent years.

So over the last couple of weeks, with my wife and family away on holiday and me left with time on my hands,I have been out on 3 seperate 5 mile hikes in 8 days - and what locations!!! The Trossachs, the East Neuk of Fife, St Abbs Head. All glorious, I've even been lucky with the weather!

Having found these great locations, now I want to be there for sunset, I want the tripod so I can make a 30 second exposure. The great thing about being on your feet is you can climb to higher ground and spot the tiny roads that go to the best views. At St Abbs, I found a great location and I also found a road to get me there. It is a road I thought would be private and would never have gone up, now I know differently. In Fife, I found some great bays that are within half a mile of a car park - if I had not gone there to walk, I would never have known they existed.

So now I use the best of both worlds. I use the car to get me to walking locations. I use my feet to scout out great compositions and routes to get to them, and having timed the routes I can use the car to get back there again at the right time of day for a dramatic shot.