A decent amount of my photography focuses on subjects that most would probably not find attractive – brutalist architecture, factories, modern office developments, rundown parts of town, even the odd dead pigeon and ashtray have featured.

But I like the picturesque as much as anyone else and will photograph it when it presents itself. We have an abundance of small towns, villages, hamlets and the like throughout the UK and, due to the relatively compact nature of our island, you’re never too far from one. Even the more humdrum of them will have plentiful opportunities for photograph hunting.

The National Parks, in particular, are jam packed with lovely little places to find and explore. The downside is that they can attract crowds of sightseers. While this isn’t a problem for the businesses that cater to them, it can mean that it’s difficult to get a photograph without someone standing in (or suddenly entering, just as you press the shutter!) the frame. For this reason, I prefer to visit such places mid-week if I can, or during the wintertime when tourist numbers are much reduced, but sometimes a crowded sunny weekend is the chance I get, and it’s better to make the most of it than grumble. There’s a certain charm to having tourists in a picture too, I suppose.

The scene below is in Castleton, a village in the Peak District National Park, famous for its castle and also a number of caves and caverns that have public entry and guided tours. Speedwell Cavern even features a subterranean boat ride!

Yashica Mat 124G & Fujifilm Pro 400H. Lab developed, home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 18 May 2024