One Week per Season
One location
One hour
One lens

Preceding a week-long trip to Italy in June 2016 I set myself a mini-project where for one hour per day for seven days I would enter the same wood and photograph whatever caught my attention.

Situated on the edge of the North Downs in north Kent, it is neither substantial nor small. It is sufficiently large to harbour a multitude of plant and animal species, yet small enough to wander around in an hour or two. Although sweet chestnut predominates, there is a healthy mix of hornbeam, ash, hazel and oak standards. Common spotted and early purple orchids can be found along the dappled sunlit paths as can gatekeeper and even white admiral butterflies. Away from prying eyes (and clumsy feet), herb paris, solomon's seal and pyramidal orchids thrive and badgers, owls, dormice and glow worms have made this wood their home.

I wanted to get back to basics; so with just a 50mm lens, I would leave the camera bag full of equipment and tripod at home, travel light and simply sling a camera over my shoulder. 

My intention was to only do the seven days in summer, but such was my enjoyment of carrying out this mini-project that I decided to continue and cover the remaining three seasons. It would give a welcome relief from administration tasks and an opportunity to re-connect with a place that holds so many heartfelt memories.