Chapman’s Pool looking out towards Kimmeridge. Picture: Jack Lodge Photography.
Published: July 26, 2020 | Updated: 26th July 2020
It’s not for the faint-hearted.
Up before even the dawn chorus has stirred.
Driving around for the ideal location, sometimes hundreds of miles.
And then staking out the best position, ready for Mother Nature to do her bit.
But when it all comes together, the results are stunning.
We’re talking landscape photography.
And Jack Lodge is one of a growing band of self-taught photographers gaining a huge social media following for their amazing pictures.
But the 26-year-old, pictured right, who by day is an Architectural Designer for BrightSpace Architects, only took up photography seriously in the last four years.
One of his first pictures captured the sunrise in Venice – and he was hooked.
Jack said: “I have become obsessed by landscape photography.
“Since picking up my first camera in 2016 it has become a big part of my life and one thing I couldn’t imagine living without.
“When the alarm sounds at 4am, and I make my way to a mysterious bluebell wood, deep in the Dorset countryside, or scramble along the Jurassic Coast to shoot some dramatic seascapes, it’s a rewarding experience that’s seriously hard to beat.
“I feel extremely fortunate to be surrounded by stunning landscapes, iconic landmarks and magical woodlands, right on my doorstep.
“Dorset really is a landscape photographer’s playground.”
Jack, who grew up in Corfe Mullen and graduated from Arts University Bournemouth with a BA First Class Honours in architecture, stakes out about four locations a week.
His preference is the start of the day and misty conditions.
He said: “I absolutely love sunrise and the birth of a new day.
“There’s something very special about it.
“Together with my girlfriend [Rianna Holliss, also aged 26] we drive around the countryside and find the best locations, such as a poppy field.
“I do the driving and Rianna is the spotter.
“Sometimes I can revisit locations several times before I get the picture I want.
“The reaction to my work is so overwhelming and I can’t thank my followers on social media enough.
“It’s so good when they tell me that a particular picture I’ve taken has made their day.”
Favourite Dorset locations include Durdle Door, Chapman’s Pool and Lulworth Cove as well as Portland Bill and, of course, Corfe Castle.
Not that Jack is alone as a landscape photographer.
“There are quite a large number of us and we tend to see each other at different places.
“You might turn up at a poppy field early in the morning and find two or three others have the same idea,” he said.
Jack’s work can be seen on his website – www.jacklodgephotography.co.uk – as well as:
He has more than 16,000 followers on social media and does live videos from his locations.
Jack has also featured on BBC Springwatch and BBC Earth while four of his images were shortlisted in this year’s Landscape Photographer of the Year contest, his first attempt at entering such a competition.
Twelve of Jack’s best pictures are included in a 2021 calendar being printed by Palm Print in Bournemouth.
Already pre-orders have surpassed three figures for the calendar, the third he’s undertaken.
For one so talented you’d expect to find Jack’s Wimborne home to be awash with his photographs.
But Jack said: “I don’t have any pictures of mine at home.
“I’m very critical work of my work and always striving for perfection.
“The people in the office couldn’t believe I’d taken ten days’ holiday just so I could get some pictures of bluebells in a wood.
“I love Dorset and I love sharing my pictures with other people.”
