We had seen the last significant snowfall of the winter on Dartmoor and the roads had started to be reopened, yet on the walk up onto Down Tor there were still seven foot snow drifts at the sides of the roads and small snowfields on the Tors themselves. Winter hadn’t quite yet released us from its grip I thought. I found myself a small snowfield which remarkably had remained completely untouched by any of the animals that live on the Moors. There were no footprints to be seen and so I carefully picked my way around it to find my position to set up and photograph this and the lovely Hawthorn tree. At the time I couldn’t see anything of Leather Tor beyond as it was completely covered in fog, so what happened next was an absolute treat! I think Mother Nature had decided to reward the efforts made to get here, and just as I’d got my equipment in place the fog started to roll back to reveal the Tor, but not too much so it was still kissing the top of it, the clouds began to move out but still retained their wonderfully sulky moodiness, and then out came the evening sunshine. It was so rich and golden, it’s warm tones caressing the land and the side of the tree like it was giving it a hug. It seemed like right at that very moment Winter’s spell had at last been broken.

Artist: Phil Starkey
Series: Living Landscapes
Archival pigment print

Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm

Edition 1 of 25