I am working on my degree project. My aim is to subvert the common notion of what is beautiful in the landscape. For the most part many of us see municipal planting schemes and the relative mundane and anodyne planting schemes proffered by architects, highways engineers and town and country planners. Often, just a stones throw away from designated landscape areas there are pockets of sublime and symbiotic representations of man’s impact in creating the landscape we think of as natural.

Following on from degree project tutorials last week I took succour from the high sitting over us today and shot both Portra 160 and HP5+ on the Toyo and Portra 400 on the Bronica SQAi. It was also the first time I have used the Manfrotto 161Mk2. I am in a different league now. This really is a tripod but the weight demands getting close to the setting up area with a vehicle.

I can process the B&W quite easily at home so here is a piece of homework that wouild normally be done on a Monday but tomorrow, the weather forecast is not good for lumping a large format camera and tripod around a soggy Shotley peninsula.