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Jane Goodall

Jane is a Cambridge University Lecturer and research scientist. Photography has been a passion for the last 12 years. Armed with pink wellingtons and electric handwarmers, she enjoys exploring the British landscape and coastlines with a huge tripod and brick of a camera.. Jane is a photographic judge for the East Anglian Federation and itinerant lecturer on landscape photography. The Fens have recently been featured in my Open Studios exhibition in July in the Fenland village of Swaffham Prior.

thebeautifullight.blogspot.co.uk

The Fens

The windswept spaces of the Fenlands are bleak and sparsely populated but the harsh geometry of the landscape betrays man's presence. It has been a difficult terrain to embrace as it does not offer up grand vistas in the classical style. I have been working to capture the essence of the fens and to appreciate the photographic opportunities provided by this stark landscape that has been shaped by the farming industry. This selection of images are from Great Fen, Burnt Fen and White Fen.

In particular, I was drawn to the shelterbelts of tall poplars that provide embellishment to the field edges, the lodes and drains and the patterns of planting in the farmed fields. The use of a longer lens predominates in these images and has the advantage that it isolates the subjects and imparts simplicity. I think the monochrome interpretation also helps in this regard and produces the best realisation of the landscape. Most of all I think seeing the prints on a matt art paper (I’m a bit of a Museum Heritage fan at the moment) brings out the subtle detail and tones. This is very much a project in progress and I hope to be adding a greater variety of subjects to my portfolio of the Fens next winter. May the challenge continue!