
Orchard beneath Glastonbury Tor
click pic to enlarge.
I was thrilled to learn this morning that my image of Glastonbury Tor is to be included in the National Trust’s 2011 calendar.
The funny thing is, it wasn’t the town’s iconic landmark that inspired me to pull over on my way home from a shoot in Yeovil, but the orchard nestled at the foot of the hillside.
Several years ago, while browsing one of Glastonbury’s many spiritual shops, I picked up a postcard depicting a beautiful watercolour painting of ‘my’ orchard in full blossom. I was certain that if I could find the artist’s vantage point, during the spring when the light falls gently, I knew I would have a great photograph. Fortunately, my work often takes me to Somerset, so I was able to take a little time out every now and then and circle the Tor looking for the exact spot. Sadly, over the years, my search proved fruitless and I decided the painter must have used a little artistic license in their work.
However, this was a scene I couldn’t forget. On a cold, windy Tuesday in the middle of winter, I stopped the car again – drawn, this time, by the naked orchard sitting under some pretty spectacular clouds – to take a few more frames. Though, my photo differs in many ways to the image I initially set out to capture, I’m incredibly satisfied with its composition and sense of drama, so it will do for now.
One day, the postcard’s illusive landscape might reveal itself.
Neil
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Tagged Apple, Apples, blossom, Cider, clouds, Glastonbury Tor, Neil Phillips Photography, Orchard, Orchards, Scrumping, Somerset, spiritual, Winter