The COVID lockdowns of 2020 brought their own frustrations, but for us, they also provided an opportunity. We had never really explored the woods and fields around where we live in the Scottish Borders before. Taking advantage of the constraints on movement, we started to walk from our back door. Crossing the sheep field we would step into the Heron Wood, and further on, along the Mill Lane towards Ednam.
Following the seasons
We started in late winter, going out most days and so we were able to follow the changes the seasons brought. In particular, we could see how the light changed from low directional light in winter to bright, aggressive overhead sunshine in the height of summer. In the woods though, the strong summer light changed to a more dappled filtered luminance. And so I found myself seeking out those floods of light beneath and behind the greenery.
The pictures I took, all monochrome, reflected to some extent the increasing complexity of the situation. As the rumours from the East turned into the second lockdown in the autumn, the pictures started becoming more convoluted. Then later on, as the reality hit home and the seasons changed, they became sparser.
Here are some of the photographs I took in our wanderings:
The Heron Wood – the latest book by Nick Prior
The Heron Wood is the latest collection of images from an uncertain year by photographer Nick Prior. A time to explore our local neighbourhood, to follow the changes over the months and to appreciate what we have, just outside our back door.
It is now available on Blurb Books as a 48 page softcover book at a price of £30 + p&p.
Other Projects
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Leader Water – a finished project
The Leader Water is the third in a series of three books featuring woodland in the Scottish Borders. A finished project? Well, maybe for the time being.
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Woodland
Woodland, the second of three books about the woods and trees in the Scottish Borders. It follows on from The Heron Wood. Here are some of the images you’ll find in it. Watch this space soon for an update on Volume 3 – Leader Water.
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The Light in the Shadows
Creating a book from a website feels like it should be easy. But it turned out not to be like that at all.
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Fiddlers Ferry Panorama 2011
This image was part of a panorama project I undertook for a client in Oldham in the UK. You can clearly see, from 40 miles away the Fiddler’s Ferry power station on the Manchester Ship Canal.
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Kelso Town Hall and Square 2016
In 2016 I developed a series of images to create a panoramic view of the Square in Kelso. I felt it would be both interesting and useful to record the current state of the Square.
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The Tweed Crossings Project 2016 –
Maps identify over 30 river crossings on the Tweed between Kelso and Berwick in the borderland joining England and Scotland. Many, especially the fords and ferries, have now vanished. But each of them has a story to tell in the turbulent history of the region.
