From beautiful beaches to enchanting misty hills, these photos of the ‘perfect county’ of Devon, taken by a former meteorologist, will leave you in heaven
A former one Meteorological Office Scientist now uses his weather forecasting skills to become a travel photographer.
And the images in his new book, Devon Moods: landscape photography inspired by Devon is proof that the tactics are effective – because they are amazing.
Gary Holpinfrom the town of Honiton in Devon, was able to determine the best times and places in his home country to capture perfect sunrises, sunsets, cloud formations, clear skies, nebulae, rainbows and the Milky Way.
The photos are accompanied by words from the award-winning travel writer Simon Heptinstall, which revealed, for example, that one image was based on weeks of research into the best dates and times to observe the Milky Way over Devon. He went on to explain, “Gary then figured out the best spot to photograph – and even in what direction. The weather had to be clear, but without disturbing moonlight. Finally, after five months of waiting, everything fell into place one evening at 2am. The result was a stunning shot of Sidmouth, with the Milky Way as a sparkling backdrop.’
It is a heavenly image, taken in a province that Simon believes is unbeatable. He added: ‘Devon is the perfect county for a book of landscape photographs. It is not only vast, our third largest province, but also unique. It has far more variety than any other province: cities, high wilderness, national parks, World Heritage Sites, surfing beaches, beautiful bays, rolling farmland, steep wooded estuaries, rocky headlands, long sandy beaches, forests and soft, grassy coasts. There’s everything from mining operations to a biosphere of sand dunes, from villages of thatched cottages to rocky peaks that could be classified as mountains. Which province can compete with that?’ Scroll down for a sneak peek selection of images from the tome…
Devon Moods is a new book by former Meteorological Office scientist Gary Holpin, who now puts his weather forecasting skills to use as a travel photographer. The images are accompanied by words by travel writer Simon Heptinstall. He told MailOnline Travel that this hypnotic image was ‘based on weeks of research into the best dates and times to observe the Milky Way over Devon’. The result was ‘a stunning image taken over Sidmouth, with the Milky Way as a sparkling backdrop’
An incredible photo from Gary of one of the most striking sights on the English Riviera: Paignton Pier
This beautiful photo shows the River Otter, which runs past Honiton and eventually flows to the Jurassic Coast at Budleigh Salterton
Sunbeams burst through the clouds over three miles of Woolacombe Beach in this captivating shot
A snowy Dartmoor. The national park is about the same size as Greater London and is known for its ‘tors’, striking chunks of ancient granite
A stunning photo taken by Gary from the Great Hangman in North Devon, which at 318 meters is England’s highest sea cliff
An enchanting photo that Gary took along the South Devon coastline, near the village of Branscombe
A double rainbow captured by Gary over the moors of Dartmoor National Park
Sidmouth’s Connaught Gardens covered in snow. The white zigzag stairs were built in the 19th century and are known as Jacob’s Ladder
Above is an evocative photo Gary took of the fishing village of Brixham, home to one of Britain’s largest fishing fleets
A beautiful photo of a wintry County Gate, where Devon and West Somerset meet. Simon described Devon as ‘having more variety than any other county’
A mist-shrouded landscape captured in an alluring photo by Gary from Hartridge Hill in Otter Valley, East Devon
Here, Gary has captured a haunting graffiti-painted shipwreck near Instow in North Devon
In this enchanting photo, the market town of Honiton is surrounded by a swath of mist
The landmark Dumpdon Hill, which rises 250 meters above the River Otter Valley and is home to the remains of an impressive Iron Age hillfort. The beech trees at the top give the hill a striking ‘crown’
Teignmouth’s 19th century cast-iron Grand Pier, captured under a bruised sky
Moody skies over Croyde beach in North Devon. Simon described his homeland as ‘vast and unique’
A beautiful shot taken in the quaint market town of Topsham in South Devon, just south of Exeter
Nun’s Cross Farm in Dartmoor National Park, built in 1870 and today run by a local school as a bunkhouse
This striking image shows the remote Warren House Inn on Dartmoor, which at 434 meters above sea level claims to be the highest pub in southern England
Simon says: ‘Devon is the perfect county for a book of landscape photographs. It is not only vast, our third largest province, but also unique.’ Pictured is the Belvedere Tower on the Haldon Hills
Photographer Gary Holpin, left, lives in the Devon town of Honiton. Pictured on the right is travel writer Simon Heptinstall
Devon Moods: Landscape Photography Inspired by Devon, with photographs by Gary Holpin and text by Simon Heptinstall, is now available from Amazonpriced £15.99