Mike Bartholomew Photography

Saddle Tor Sunset, Dartmoor

Mike — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:15:45 +0000

A lovely warm summers evening up on Saddle Tor, Dartmoor.

Lynmouth, North Devon – Long Exposure

Mike — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:59:37 +0000

A somewhat dull and overcast day at Lynmouth, Devon so I thought i’d try a minimalist composition and a long exposure to try and capture an interesting image.

Brentor Church

Mike — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:35:43 +0000

A couple of photos from a recent visit to Brentor Church on the western edge of Dartmoor. It was pouring with rain on the walk up to the church but I had a feeling that the clouds would break.

To the west the clouds just broke apart revealing a wonderful show of light that lasted just a couple of minutes.

Devon Poppies

Mike — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:42:33 +0000

We don’t seem to get the vast fields of Poppies in Devon like they do in Wiltshire and Hampshire, which makes finding them always a struggle.
This field was found in Kingswear near Dartmouth, Devon.

Dartmoor Into The Wilderness – Now Available

Mike — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:51:46 +0000

After a bit of a delay in release, the postman just delivered the book that I’ve been involved with since last summer. It’s great to see it finished and Michelle has done a great job on it.
The book is packed with facts and mysterious tales of Dartmoor and I’m really looking forward to reading it and brushing up on the history of Dartmoor.

Aswell as the cover photos, the book contains a further thirty or so of my images. The book also contains some stunning photography from my friend Miles Wolstenholme.

About the book:

“Shrouded in mysterious legend and steeped in history, Dartmoor with its stunning scenery, pretty villages and abundant wildlife is a source of inspiration to anyone who spends time there. From its curious stone circles and rows to its hard rocky tors, from its rich, moss-covered ancient woodlands and rushing rivers to its sparse high moor land and bleak prison, Dartmoor has inspired artists, poets and musicians for centuries. This book contains a fascinating mixture of informative facts and mysterious tales. Here you will discover the wildlife, the history, the geography, the legends, the industry, the harshness and the inspiring wonder of one of England’s most popular National Parks. This book illustrates why people are pulled back time and again to the wilderness of Dartmoor.”

About the author:

“Michelle Dibb is a marketing consultant who spends most weekends exploring Dartmoor with her daughter. She has a degree in modern languages and used to enjoy travel before settling on the edge of the National Park, in Christow, Devon. She is an active member of her local community, and a good public speaker. In the course of compiling the book she has already been asked to give a talk to the Round Table and a local radio interview.”

Brixham Breakwater Sunset

Mike — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:05:32 +0000

Town centres are usually places I like to avoid, more often opting for a bit of peace and quiet at the coast or on Dartmoor.
My good friend and fellow photographer Martyn Hasluck invited me along to Brixham for a photowalk. After a day of dull overcast skies we were treated to a lovely sunset at Brixham harbour.

Wembury, Devon

Mike — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:59:13 +0000

A quick trip down to Wembury as it’s somewhere i’ve been meaning to check out for some time.

As usual it completely clouded over and there was no decent light so I had to drag out the 10 stop ND filter (Lee Big Stopper) to add interest.
A lovely location that will definately get a re-visit in better conditions.

Dartmoor Bluebells

Mike — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:45:29 +0000

A fantastic show of bluebells on Dartmoor this year. This was taken at Holwell Lawn looking towards Haytor.

Devon Rape Field Scene

Mike — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:58:48 +0000

A shot I’ve had in my mind for about 3 years now is a yellow field of Rape and a blue sky with white fluffy clouds. A few days ago I got close to what I have pre-visualised for so long.

I had seen a few other photographers photos from this location but I had no idea this was literally a few miles from my home. Just by chance I was returning from a coastal shoot in the pouring rain and passed these fields in the middle of no-where. Using an iPhone app I made a recording of the sun position and planned a re-shoot on a day with better weather.

The day I took this photo it was windy with patchy cloud and mid morning so the sun was quite high in the sky. The clouds passed so fast overhead that the shadows cast by the high sun really brought the fields to life. It was just a question of waiting until the shadow from the clouds put enough dimension onto the field while still keeping the derelict barn in full sunlight.

On may 9th 2011 I uploaded this photo to the online photo sharing community Flickr. I’m really pleased that out of all the hundreds of thousands of photos that get uploaded everyday this was the most popular photo (according to the flickr interestingness algorithm).

Thankyou to everyone who enjoyed the photo enough to add to favourites and make a comment.

Meldon Reservoir, Dartmoor

Mike — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:27:12 +0000

I was originally heading to Meldon Woods to check out the bluebells but arrived in Meldon later than I wanted so instead went to the reservoir to catch the sunset.

The light and clouds were lovely. The curves of the reservoir were drawing my eye so I set up for a long exposure to put a sheen on the water and capture some of that blue sky reflecting on the water.

The next shot I had in mind was a panorama with the sun setting behind the hills on the right.