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Tim Parkin
Tim Parkin is a British landscape photographer, writer, and editor best known as the co-founder of On Landscape magazine, where he explores the art and practice of photographing the natural world. His work is thoughtful and carefully crafted, often focusing on subtle details and quiet moments in the landscape rather than dramatic vistas. Alongside his photography and writing, he co-founded the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, serves as a judge for other international competitions. Through all these projects, Parkin has become a respected and influential voice in contemporary landscape photography.
February’s 365 challenge has sometimes needed a bit more effort to get out and about. The weather hasn’t been as ‘interesting’ for most of the month and it was very tempting just to stay inside. I did miss a couple of days and moved a couple of pictures around to fill the gaps. I think it’s important to be self-forgiving when you set yourself a challenge like this. It’s better to do most of it than give it up over a weak moment! It’s been fun getting out in the woods near our house and seeing how the potential for images changes as the weather and light move around. I also (re)discovered that heavy rain can look like mist if you take a one-second exposure! The most important thing I needed to tell myself was that, despite the conditions not being ‘photogenic’, once I get out and start taking photos, I lose myself in the process and start to have fun, even if the results aren’t quite what I wanted.
1st February
This remarkable carpet of lichen and moss was on the side of an erratic boulder below Sgòrr Dhonuill in Ballachulish. I wanted to capture it in a little context, but also make it look like the side of a hill with bushes and rolling grasses. I used a bit of tilt on my Mirex adapter Sigma 24-35 f/2 lens (quite the chunk of glass), which allowed most of the surface to be captured in focus. I had to play a bit funky with my tripod, as the Mirex tripod foot is locked to the camera's tilt plane. A bit of faff got the job done, though. I loved the British Soldiers cup lichen with its vibrant scarlet fruiting bodies. I’m not a lichen expert, but I think I’ve spotted British soldier cup lichen (Cladonia diversa), red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi), marsh hair moss (Polytrichum commune), hair cap moss (Polytrichum juniperinum), dusky fork-moss (Dicranum fuscescens). There are too many lichens in the Highlands to be sure, though!
