Snap decisions (From Living Northeast)

Snap decisions

1:28pm Tuesday 20th July 2010 in

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The beautiful scenery of the North-East is the focal point of an exhibition by three photographers at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle. Ruth Addicott asks them what it takes to get that perfect shot.

THE heart of our North-East countryside has been captured in a stunning photographic exhibition at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle. SceNE in Northumberland National Park features some of the North East’s most beautiful and iconic scenes by three of the region’s top photographers – Roger Clegg, Simon Fraser and Allan Potts. All three have spent hours trawling the countryside, in sunshine and storms, capturing the atmosphere, the impressive backdrops and some rare close-ups of wildlife in the area.

The Northumberland National Park covers 400 square miles from Hadrian’s Wall to the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland. And apart from the resident wildlife, a few tourists, and the occasional hill farmer, the region is very remote. Roger, who came up with the initial idea, hopes the exhibition will not only move people, but inspire them to visit the region for themselves.

SceNE in Northumberland National Park is at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle until August 29. Entrance is free. The Biscuit Factory, Stoddart Street, Newcastle, NE2 1AN. For further information, call 0191-261-1103 or visit the biscuitfactory.co.uk

ALLAN POTTS

AS a farmer and wildlife photographer, Allan Potts has spent most of his life at one with nature. He has been a photographer for 40 years and often braved temperatures of minus five on the bleak moors of Cheviot and Coquetdale waiting for the perfect shot.

One of his favourite pictures in the exhibition is of a sparrowhawk. “I was photographing hedgerow birds at the time then suddenly a sparrowhawk dived down and took hold of the bird,” he says. “I had something like two and a half seconds to get the picture before it saw me and flew off.”

One of the most challenging pieces of work was a sequence of barn owl shots, which took four years to complete from the time the eggs were laid until they hatched and involved endless nights sitting in a barn from 9.30pm to 4am. “I had a five or six-hour sit just waiting for that precise moment for the bird to come and feed the chicks,” he says. “It can be quite infuriating, especially if you don’t get anything.”

Long nights and freezing temperatures pale into insignificance compared to the tight spot he found himself in during a photo expedition to Spain.

“I was photographing magpies in a tree at 4am when the farmer turned some real fighting bulls into the field,” he says. “They approached the hide where I was sitting, and I had these bulls peering down at me with huge horns. I was too afraid to make a dash for it. I was trapped for six hours.”

Allan’s book Natural North, documents the diverse natural history of the North East of England.

allanpottsphotography.co.uk

SIMON FRASER

SPECIALISING in science, nature and the environment, Simon Fraser has been a professional photographer since 1986.

Simon lives in the heart of Northumberland National Park, with his wife and young family, and the park has been the inspiration for much of his work. One photograph that stands out for him is Grasslees Valley at summer dawn. He had been on his way to take some pictures of Alnwick Garden at the time and had got up early to get there before the public. “It was 5am and the most beautiful summer’s morning so I stopped the car, got out and took the picture,” he says.

Another of his favourites is a shot of the sunset over Coquet Valley, which he puts down to timing. “If I’d been ten minutes earlier or ten minutes later, I’d have missed it,” he says.

Simon began taking photos as a record of climbs and travels around the world, especially the Himalayas.

He spent two years in Antarctica in the Eighties, his work is represented by Science Photo Library and the National Trust Photo Library, and his images have been published worldwide. In his spare time, he enjoys mountaineering, beekeeping and organic gardening.

“I love the sense of space and distance, the far horizons, the wide sweep of sky, and all the intricate details of the surrounding fells, valleys and woodlands through the changing seasons of the year,” he says.

simonfraserphoto.com

ROGER CLEGG

ROGER Clegg lives in Hexham, just 20 minutes from Hadrian’s Wall – the inspiration for many of his photos. He took up professional photography nine years ago after a career in business and has built a reputation for capturing the stunning landscape around the Wall from coast to coast.

He is also responsible for the iconic scenes on the side of Northern Rail trains.

One of his favourite pictures is the one of Walltown Craggs, purely because it is so dramatic. “For a long time I thought there has got to be a good picture here, but I couldn’t seem to be there at the right time,” he says.

“It took me five years before I had what I wanted. Sometimes I’d hang around for a couple of hours, take a little gas stove and make some tea and soup. I used to whiz around all over the place when I worked in business and couldn’t settle down at all, but now I’m extremely good at idling away time in beautiful parts of the world. I just let my mind wander.”

His award-winning shot of Sycamore Gap, was also a challenge.

Roger wanted to capture the sun setting behind the tree, but because he was facing north it was difficult. “There were a few days in the middle of summer when the conditions were right. There were two small figures in the distance when I took the picture which some people don’t like, but I like them because they bring the picture to life.”

hadrianswallcountry.com