Dawn shoot in the Cotswolds

Whilst on a family weekend away a few weeks ago, I crept out of our hotel at something like 4.30 am to take advantage of the soft dawn light. Driving away, mist was rising from the fields, which would have made a great shot in itself, had I been able to stop – unfortunately, I was on a main road and couldn’t. Either way, it was great to be out at that time of day.

My first stop was Tetbury, a lovely little market town boasting some fine Georgian architecture:

Other highlights include its church with a tall spire and a very unusual Market Hall on stilts:

Not a soul was stirring, so I had no problem with stray people in my shots. In fact, you could argue that it was too empty: people going about their business do bring towns to life.

Just nearby is Highgrove House, country seat of HRH the Prince of Wales. High walls and security meant that I couldn’t get a view of the house from the road, so I continued on my way. A few minutes later, I drove past a herd of cows in a field and, with the sun just having risen, spotted a lovely pastoral scene:

I didn’t hang around too much for fear that their mooing would bring out an angry farmer out with a shotgun!

On to my intended destination, Frocester Hill Nature Reserve which offered a commanding view of the upper Severn Estuary from the escarpment. Mist was rising from the river in the distance as I captured a panorama of the scene:

A sharp bend in the road lower down the hill lent visual interest to another view towards distant Gloucester:

My actual final stop was the long barrow on Selsey Common, overlooking the Stroud valley:

By this time, the sun was well and truly up and starting to lift temperatures on would prove to be the hottest day of the year to date.

Getting up early at this time of year isn’t too difficult; I certainly recommend it as a time to take memorable landscape photos.

 

Have you taken photos at dawn? If so, where did you take them. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.