A TEESDALE photographer’s decade-long study of High Force has culminated in the publication of a book about the landmark waterfall.
Martin Rogers’s new work, High Force – A Portrait in 35 Pictures, captures the feature throughout the seasons, from a variety of angles, in varying weather and with different water levels.
Remarkably, it also features rare photographs when it is in full sun, which only happens for short periods of time at a certain time of year.
Mr Rogers said he became fascinated with the idea of capturing High Force without any shade obscuring it about seven years ago and used an app to track the sun’s movement. He said: “What happens is the sun is normally too high and what you need is the sun to be low, like earlier in the year. But earlier in the year it is too low and it is obscured by the hill. So, it is a question of getting the timing right.
“I realised it has to be at its highest, sort of mid-summer, and you just have to be there when it first comes over the hill. It is actually a bit after sunrise because it has got to clear the hill.”
He discovered the optimal period is about a week either side of the summer solstice between 5.30am and 6.30am.
Mr Rogers added: “It is like a big spotlight as it travels across the waterfall. It lasts about half-an-hour.”
His images show the waterfall in full-spate, as well as when the river has been extremely low. To achieve his study he has been out in all weathers, including during Storm Ciara as well as in the dead of winter through mounds of snow. Mr Rogers said: “I said in the book, I get up early and in foul weather so you don’t have to. I am pleased with it. It is all High Force, but that was the idea.”
