alan frost photography

Transition

Photography is painting with light – and that light can be very transient in the landscape. The weather and consequently the light can change in an instant, so to capture these fleeting moments there has to be an element of good fortune.

This image was taken a couple of weeks ago in the beautiful county of Dorset. We were experiencing all types of weather that week; in fact it could be said we had all four seasons in just one day. Bright sunshine followed by clouds and then hail showers, turning the ground white if only for a short time. Hopefully the last blast of winter before the summer truly arrives. At this time of year we also see fields turn yellow as the vibrant colour of the oil seed rape crops burst into life. Combining these two key ingredients is potentially a recipe for some good landscape photography which can only be enjoyed in colour.

When I took this shot I was standing in sunshine, looking back across the rolling hills to the north of the county town of Dorchester. As we returned to our cottage I could see dark shower clouds moving in quickly from the west and as the rain fell on parts of the countryside it was lit by the sun. I quickly parked the car, got out, and walked very briskly to find a suitable position to take a handful of shots. Within a few minutes the special light had gone, but I knew I had captured the transient light and colour of the scene before me.