Photography with no plan.Sometimes things may just work out!

I’ve done it again. Dragged myself out of bed, a morning of photography with no plan.

Well, not entirely true. At around 11pm last night I decided where I was heading today. Nothing like meticulous preparation, seven hours in advance.

The day started with promise, skirted with disaster, and then clawed its way back to something vaguely respectable. Or so I thought, until I got home and saw the photos on the big screen. You’ll see what I mean soon enough. Let’s just say, one of the very last shots I took may have salvaged the morning—possibly even creeping into my top ten of all time. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In the true spirit of storytelling, you will see from the below video I took some obligatory footage of me travelling and arriving at this spot for another New Forest photography shoot. Jumping straight to the photos would feel a bit… narcissistic.

The Video

More videos over on my YouTube channel.

I was hoping for the sun to light up the trees on the left side of the pond. Patience, of course, isn’t my strong suit. Which is awkward, because patience is exactly what you need if you’re going to stand around waiting for “ideal conditions.” Over my shoulder, the commotion of horses galloping through the forest caught my attention as I waited.

After about an hour, things started to look up. I caught a photo with some nice light and reflections. The mist kindly hung around too, which helped. A couple more shots followed, but my ongoing battle with the light pushed me into black and white. The results? Average, at best.

There were also the throwaway shots—the ones you know are destined for the recycle bin before you even press the shutter. Digital photography is great like that: endless wasted clicks at zero cost. If film were still involved, I’d have saved myself the embarrassment.

Inspiration

At one point, inspiration struck. Well, when I say struck, it was more of a gentle nudge—like being tapped on the shoulder by an indecisive pigeon. A single acorn lit by a shaft of sunlight sparked the idea to chase little spotlights through the forest. It was a noble experiment that produced absolutely nothing. I consoled myself with Jaffa Cakes, which was, honestly, the most decisive move I made all day.

Back past the pond, deeper into the trees, I found lilies, shafts of light, and a growing realisation that not everything looks good just because the sun bothers to illuminate it. Still, I fired away, because that’s what you do when you’re desperate. Some worked, some didn’t, some will never be mentioned again.

Photography with no plan…sometimes it works out

And then, right near the end, I stumbled across the shot. The one that made trying photography with no plan worth it. The light hit the trunk just so, moss adding colour, shadows and contrast pulling everything together. For once, nature and my fumbling with the camera conspired to give me something that actually looked intentional.

I didn’t realise it at the time—mostly because I was too busy swerving donkeys on the drive home—but I’d taken one of my favourite photos in ages. Which is shocking, considering I had no plan, no vision, and all the composure of a tripod in high wind. By sheer accident rather than skill, I ended up with something I’m genuinely proud of. Although I wouldn’t recommend heading out on a photography shoot with no plan, this is proof, I suppose, that sometimes you just never know.