Changing Horizons
The Sound of Silence
My last blog and all that meltwater seems a lifetime ago…… has it really been that long since I last published a new one!! I might have been silent over the last 4 months but so much has happened and so much is about to change. Where on earth do I start?
April, May and June saw me end my long association with SAR Academy and High School in Riverdale, three final months of bittersweet moments. Profound sadness that I’m moving on and will no longer be there to photograph the first day of school, color war or sting night etc - I’m going to miss roaming those corridors looking for the spirit that makes the school one very special institution, but am also very grateful for all the opportunities those 12 years gave me - so many memories and so many friends.
At the same time April, May and June marked my last three months on Charles Colman Boulevard in Pawling as I closed down LAND Gallery with a huge retirement sale. Looking back now it just warms my heart at the number of people who came in to see me and to purchase some of my photography. Hugs all round, and I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support and all the love.
As well as closing my business we’ve also sold our house, packed up our lives and said our goodbyes to friends. In fact as I write this we are homeless waiting out our last 2 weeks in the USA in an Airbnb near to Windham Mountain in the Catskills!
So on the 18th August I turn the page, roll the dice and start a new adventure in England, but before I leave there’s one last blog to write and a parting gift for those of you that have been asking for a coffee table book of my work.
Journeys: Chasing Light in the Catskill Mountains
With my time in the USA drawing to a close, it felt important that my time exploring the Catskills should find a fitting conclusion - something that is tangible and lasting. So, as a parting gift to everyone who has followed this journey, I'm thrilled to introduce my new self published book - Journeys: Chasing Light in the Catskills. There are over 140 photographs spread over 152 pages. It is organized seasonally with a section at the end of each season dedicated to a body of water that I’ve predominantly photographed in that season.
My aim was to create a high quality coffee table book that would be accessible to everyone who follows my work and loves the Catskill landscape - essentially five years of hiking, backpacking, and extraordinary light, distilled into 152 pages. I couldn't be more proud of it.
Hardcover
8.5" x 11"
152 glossy pages
$60
Unexpected Journeys
The book is a personal record of my journey of exploration in the “blue mountains” as well as being an unrelenting pursuit of good hiking and good light. The images move through every season, tracing the emotional arc of a place that rewards those who look closely and stay late.
One of the most unexpected aspects of the whole project, though, has been the change in how I approach my landscape photography. I initially thought that all I had to do was turn up with my gear, wait for the beautiful light then my experience and expertise would take care of the rest. How wrong I was, the more I had to work on a narrow ledge with limited sight lines the more I began to appreciate the nuances and subtlety of daylight. Consequently I’ve learnt to become more flexible in my approach, I might not always have the perfect viewpoint but if there are clouds and the atmosphere is right something momentous can happen, even if only for a few fleeting seconds.
This was taken from a narrow ledge on Slide Mountain, it is a north eastward view and one that I would never have considered for sunset at the start of our journey. Yet in September 2025 it worked a treat, sunset hues hidden in the trees to my left were fading fast as blue hour approached. It was a humid atmosphere, in the sky orange turned to pink, temperatures began to drop, all in all perfect conditions for a bit of radiation inversion as the mountain started to create its own clouds which ebbed and flowed around the valley in front of my camera.
You’ll find Earth’s Eye on page 68 it was taken shortly after sunrise at Alder Lake in mid-summer 2025. We were in the middle of a heatwave, the sky was cloudless, and even at this early hour the sun was too strong to shoot towards it. So I had to chase the light and look for nuance. It worked a treat and I ended up with one of my favorite images in the whole book.
I Hate Firetowers
Well maybe hate is too strong a word, but climbing them is definitely THE most uncomfortable experience. I think it goes back to when I was a kid and a department store in the town where I grew up had an open staircase leading up to the first floor. Being dragged along behind my mum and looking through the empty risers down onto the floor we had just left was simply terrifying!
Fire towers are the same but on steroids! They are completely open, they sway in the most gentle of breezes and they just don’t seem safe …… but … wow once you can climb yourself up above the tree line the views are so worth it!
Overlook Mountain was my first Catskills fire tower and since then I’ve dragged myself up Tremper Mtn, Balsam Lake Mtn and Hunter Mtn with each one proving to be a great location for golden hour photography.
I’m proud to say that I can climb the steps now with my eyes open and without hanging onto the metal staircase for dear life. Looking back I think that habit cured itself in December 2024 when I climbed Balsam Lake Mtn tower - it was so cold, there was a humungous windchill and I seriously feared that I’d end up glued to the icy metal.
What a learning experience though! My normal approach is all about patience, looking, assessing and evaluating a view, but that afternoon taught me that winter photography is a whole other level. In such conditions working quickly is important, staying warm is vital and understanding when to stop can be a life saver.
You’ll find this image and one other on pages 118 /119 in the Winter section of the book