Our 2026 Partner Walks programme began this week with an inspiring photography walk with local photographer, Paul Harris. Attendees had the chance to polish their skills at photographing people in nature, making the most of props, scenery and natural light. We walked up to the disused quarry near Haytor and made excellent use of the water and dramatic rocks as backdrops to photos. Paul helped to create a really relaxed, creative atmosphere where people could ask specific questions about their own cameras, as well as get advice on composition and distance.
Photography, even using a phone camera, is an excellent way to add additional purpose to a walk and create motivation to get outdoors. Slowing down to look at the landscape, consider points of interest, and get up and close to the fractal patterns in plants and rocks is a mindful activity that can promote a feeling of well being. As with all our Partner Walks, we wanted to offer this photography walk for free so that anyone who wanted to learn more could take part. Focusing on portrait photography also offered a different angle that wasn’t solely about capturing landscapes, although Paul did share some great tips about using blur and focus to bring small natural details to the forefront of an image.
Paul said: ‘I had great fun today around Haytor, taking a Dartmoor Preservation Association Partner Walk – Helen Bruce was brilliant as our model for the morning … thanks so much to the lovely people who took the time to come and listen to me talk about natural light portrait photography … hopefully people learnt a little bit and will go out and shoot some more people photos!’
The group was shown how to work with a model and help them to feel comfortable in front of the camera. As well as capturing images of the model, everyone was encouraged to take photos of each other. On the walk up the quarry, Paul tasked everyone with taking the worst photo of someone else in the group that they possibly could, that way they would begin to learn what not to do right away. He explained that photography should feel fun and creative, without constant pressure to follow set rules or replicate images that had come before. It was wonderful to see people relaxing into taking the kind of photos they were interested in. Huge thanks to Paul for sharing his knowledge such a gentle, accessible way.
Our upcoming Partner Walks include a Nature Writing Walk, a Dartmoor Sounds walk and an Introduction to Navigation walk. Full details of all our upcoming events can be found in our online calendar.
Model images: Paul Harris, Glavind Strachan Photography