Luke Images

As I cycled up the track on Beechen Lane, I was taken by the long shadows cast by the low winter sun.  It would be a pretty dull shot without them!  All it takes is a bit of light and the situation is transformed.  —  Again in black and white: —  Snapped on my old iPhone 6s on Beechen Lane track, Lyndhurst, New Forest. December 2022.  —  Photo ref: 20221208-Beechen-Lane-Clay-Hill-1 / IMG_5611

It was such a glorious morning. I snapped this shot on my way back from the school run. I was across the main road and waited for a gap in the traffic.  The orange leaves seemed particularly vivid against the clear blue sky. And a lovely sun-tinged haze sat over the field.  I could have stayed there for a while just looking at it, but for the noisy traffic. Even so, for just a few moments this glorious scene stopped me in my tracks.  —  Again in black and white: Hmm, the gold is lost on this one!  Without the colour, the photo seems to be about the dark form of the tree and its fascinating tangle of branches. It looks rather untidy.  The lower tree looks neater, simpler. Perhaps it has led a sheltered life next to the other one. Sadly the vibrancy of its orange leaves are a muted mid-grey here. Yet they bring some relief and calm to the darkness.  And there, beyond the tree, you can see light on the field in the distance. It seems a smaller detail co...

A stunning Autumn afternoon. The light was irresistible. I had to stop and get off my bike to capture the silhouetted trees.  The phone camera has captured more than I wanted with its wide-angle lens. The dark canopy does offer extra interest, but it’s a bit sombre.  It’s those trees against the setting sunlight that get me – so simple, so pleasing to the eye with their lines and forms. They invite me to come closer and see what’s beyond. Come and see the light.  —  Again in black and white: —  Snapped on my old iPhone 6s on Beechen Lane track, Lyndhurst, New Forest. November 2022.  —  Photo ref: 20221124-Beechen-Lane-Parkhill-Inclosure-7 / IMG_5572

As I approached this beautiful scene, I was drawn to the luminous leaves on the left. Unfortunately the effect seems a bit lost here, but the leaves hung like bright golden pendants in the sunlight.  And then as I looked down the long opening between the trees, it seemed like the light was delighting itself in bringing life and vigour to the whole soggy and soaking space after days of rain – pervasive, gentle, nurturing.  I was the only one here. The only one to feel the potential of this moment. And it occurred to me that nature does this every day. It plays away regardless. Like a child playing happily in its own company.   —  Again in black and white: —  Snapped on my old iPhone 6s in Parkhill Inclosure, near Lyndhurst, New Forest. November 2022.  —  Photo ref: 20221117-Beechen-Lane-Parkhill-Inclosure-18 / IMG_5542

From my journal…  It felt like a magical moment as I rode past this scene. Ponies down the track watched me turn around to take it in once more. Those last remaining leaves glistened in the sun. They’re the reason I turned back.  We’ve enjoyed our fair share of days like this in recent weeks. Following plentiful showers, it’s been a joy to get out into the cool clean air. Clouds have rolled overhead swiftly and revealed a deeper shade of blue. The sun has brought relief to the dampness everywhere.  I work hard every day to create something new and worthwhile in my work. And then I get out and see something like this.  This is glory unmatched in beauty and generosity. It suggests to me that a true creation touches the heart of others – that’s where its glory lives.  —  Again in black and white: —  Snapped on my old iPhone 6s along Beechen Lane track, Lyndhurst, New Forest. November 2022.  —  Photo ref: 20221117-Beechen-Lane-Parkhill-Inclosu...

I’ve been trying to figure out why this scene captivated me!  I’d been snapping beautiful autumn shots in the forest for a few weeks. And I’d just taken another shot of the sun lighting up golden hues on the last remaining leaves amongst a crop of all-but-bare trees.  I turned round to see the sun filling this evergreen space which seemed so alive and verdant by comparison.  I think it’s this contrast that struck me. On the one side emptiness, death and decay, and on the other side life, fullness and constancy.  —  Again in black and white: —  Snapped on my old iPhone 6s along Beechen Lane track, Lyndhurst, New Forest. November 2022.  —  Photo ref: 20221117-Beechen-Lane-Parkhill-Inclosure-23 / IMG_5547