floods | alan frost photography

Flooded Meadows ….. from the other side, with a tripod to slow me down

A few days ago I posted a set of images of the flooded water meadows close to where I live. You can read that post and see the images here.

I knew there was the possibility of some different views if I accessed the meadows from the other side of the river. In particular I wanted to capture some trees which I thought would be ideal subjects providing I could pick a still day to make the most of their reflections.

When conditions were favourable I selected what camera gear I would need and put on my wellies. I took a tripod, not because I would be taking any long exposures but to slow me down. I tend to work quite quickly and the one advantage of a tripod is that I take greater care over the composition and the camera’s settings. I find the process of being in the field more immersive as a consequence.

The water levels have receded but any more rain will only fall on saturated ground, so I fully expect these scenes will persist for some time to come. I may travel a little further afield to find other areas where I know local rivers have burst their banks. I have not known flooding on this scale before so I want to make the most of these conditions while I can.

Flooded Meadows from regular storms and excessive rainfall

Continuing the theme of capturing scenes from my local area, or as I have written before; ‘Close to my back door’, an opportunity arose this week to photograph the water meadows adjoining the River Piddle in Dorset.

Whilst flooding is a regular occurrence at this time of year I have never seen the water levels reach this height before. With the ground well and truly saturated, more rainfall in the coming days and weeks will only bring about further flooding to the area.

I was particularly pleased to capture the last image in this set – a photograph of the church and its reflection. I am grateful to the farmer who allowed me access to his land to make these photographs possible.

Oh and by the way welly boots are an essential item for this type of photography!

Flooded meadows – just too much rain

As my fingers move around the keyboard and these very words appear on the screen, I glance up to look out of the window. Has the rain stopped? No it hasn’t, and the overcast sky doesn’t make me believe it will do so anytime soon. It is forecast to brighten up this afternoon so I live in hope.

Yesterday I cycled up and down the lane where I live. The meadows which border the river Piddle in Dorset often flood but rarely this side of Christmas. February and March yes, but not usually in the middle of December.

The ground is so saturated that in some parts of the lane the water is spilling out of the fields and onto the road. Traffic can still pass but for how long?

These images will be added to my growing portfolio of photographs which document the rural nature of the place I now call home. At some point in the not too distant future I intend creating a separate gallery page for this collection, which I have named – ‘Close to my back door’.