High Moorland Lynda Maudie-Small ARPS

GILLIAN MORGAN ARPS AWARD

I have lived adjacent to Bodmin Moor for almost thirty years and have taken hundreds of photographs of all aspects of the moorland. However recently someone asked me what do the moors mean to me? What represents the character and unique atmosphere of the high moors? I am a minimalist person and to answer this I wanted to take a photograph that encompassed the essence of the moors as simply as possible. To me, the high moorlands mean the vast open and often barren spaces, just occasionally punctuated by the ruins of the Victorian mine buildings with the only signs of life being the sheep, there in all seasons and all weathers.

Having found the photograph I wanted in my folders, I gave it the high key treatment to create the sense of barren space and suggest a day when the moors are enveloped in mist – a common event. A few gorse bushes were removed and I had a picture that I feel epitomises the bleakness of the high moorlands.

This delightful little image caught my eye early on in the selection process. It is simplicity itself but beautifully composed and printed. It conveys the feeling of isolation and bleakness, with the ruined building and sheep perfectly positioned within the frame. There is just enough detail in the grass to set the scene and give a very pleasing result.