70 DigitalSLR PhotographyJanuary 2020
The weather thathasshapedthislandscapeis
unpredictable andvolatile.The conditions
canchangein aninstantandyoushould
neverwander ontothe moorswithoutbeing
fullyprepared– wearappropriateoutdoor
clothingandcarryafullychargedphone,
mapsandsupplies.The changeable weather,
however,is wellsuitedtothistypeof
dramatic, windsweptlandscape –blueskies
andwhitefluffy cloudsdon’treallydo
Dartmoorjustice.Wildweatherhelps
photographersconveythe truedramaand
moodof theplace,andautumnandwinter
are typicallythebesttimeofyeartovisitwhen
theharshconditionssuit the terrain.
Nowjoin usas weexploreDartmoor–
travellingnorth, east,southandthenwest.
Alongthe waywewillvisithaunted
woodlands,fieldsofbluebells,ancientclapper
bridges,farreachingvistasandpicturesque
churches.Bytheendofthislocationguide,
youwillbe ready toplan your ownuniquetrip.I
NTHEHEARTOFDevonis a magical
ancientlandscape,hometowide open
spaces,ancientwoodland,fastflowing
rivers,wildponies,myths andlegends.
‘Themoors’haveinspiredwritersand
artistsforcenturies,includingAgatha
Christie,ArthurConanDoyleandmore
recentlyMichaelMorpurgo’sWarHorse.
Dartmooris thelargestandhighestupland
in southernBritainandthepark’s exposure
tostrongwindsandhigh rainfallmakesit a
harshandunforgivingenvironment– butit
is alsohugelyphotogenic.
Dartmooris approximately 368 miles 2
( 954 km 2 )in sizeandwasgrantedNational
Parkstatusin 1 9 51.It is roughlythesamesize
asLondon,yetwitha populationofjust
35, 000 people.Millionsof peoplevisitevery
year,butyoudon’t needtowalkfartolose
the crowds anddiscoveranunspoiled,
beautiful wilderness.Thelandscape is
punctuatedwithinterestinggranite rock
stacks– ortors.Thereareover 160 torson
Dartmoor– eachpossessingtheir own
individualbeauty.Mostphotographersare
quicklyenchantedbythemoors,howeverit
canbe a challengingplacetophotograph.1) Warm, morning light baths Irishman’s Wall at Belstone in
north Dartmoor. 2) Dark brooding skies frame Brat Tor and
Widgery Cross, creating the perfect backdrop to the scene.21RossHoddinottis amongtheUK’s
best-knownlandscape andnatural
historyphotographers.Heis a
multi-awardwinningphotographer
andtheauthorofseveralbestselling
photographytitles,including 52 Assignments:
LandscapePhotography(withMarkBauer). Based
inCornwall,Rossis bestknownforhisimagesof
theSouthWestof England,buthetravelsallover
theUKin searchofoutstandingviewsand
atmospheric conditions.Heis aNikonAmbassador
alumni,a ManfrottoAmbassadorandaGlobalIcon
forF-StopGear.Rossis a popularandexperienced
tutorandco-runsDawn 2 DuskPhotography,
specialisinginlandscapephotography workshops.
http://www.rosshoddinott.co.ukBIOGRAPHY