Fenland in Winter — Monochrome Landscape Photography

At this time of year, the Fenland landscape becomes a place of mystery and intrigue. A journey into the Fens in the depths of winter is a journey into the unknown. Visual cues are limited and restricted to the upright of a telegraph pole, or the truncated path of a dyke or road. Myopia and guesswork replace the certainties of distance and location; on days when fog envelops the land, an otherworldly silence dominates the senses.

Fenland River, Cambridgeshire

Monochrome and the Essential Landscape

Low-lying Fenland mists leave us with the essential elements of the landscape. Colour already drained from the scene marks the final step towards this Fenland shorthand. Light and dark absorb extraneous detail, focusing attention on the intersection between them.

The images were taken with a Lumix G9 and Olympus 12–40 f2.8 lens. Post-processing was carried out in RawTherapee, with black-and-white conversion and tonal adjustments applied.

Fenland Road, Cambridgeshire

Eye Mask — Denise Levertov

In this dark, I rest, unready for the light that dawns day after day, eager to be shared. Black silk, shelter me. I need more of the night before I open my eyes and heart to illumination. I must still grow in the dark like a root not ready, not ready at all.

— Denise Levertov

Fenland Haystack, Cambridgeshire