It was a little hard to tell, late in March on Great Staple Tor, when the partial eclipse had ended. At the time of maximum eclipse the light levels had fallen a little. but not much, because it wasn’t a total eclipse in the South West of England. But the light quality was very different for the half hour prior to maximum eclipse until the half hour after.
I’m finding it very difficult to describe the change in the quality of this light. It was almost like a second dawn, but more subtle. There was a kind of dreamlike haze all around – not a fog or mist, but perhaps a shimmer. Colours were all pastel yellow-blue, the air felt cool, and everything was silent.
About twenty minutes after the point of maximum eclipse I looked over to one of my favourite views of Great Mis Tor, its details gently emerging. It was quite intoxicating, and I spent as much time absorbing and experiencing as I did, finally, trying to capture this experience in a photograph.
Terry Hurt Photography 