Every day since lockdown, Pradeep has taken an early morning walk around Abington Park, camera in hand.
What started as a well-being walk, camera in hand, quickly became a deeper way of seeing and documenting the ever-changing light, sounds and scenes of nature. He started noticing sunrise skies, cleaner air and birdsong so loud it persuaded him to ditch his headphones altogether.
“I call this park my well-being centre. You can smell the wonderful oxygen the trees are producing. Its so energising.
“I used to walk around listening to podcasts with my headphones, but the birdsong was so loud, and the sounds of nature so captivating, I ditched them and thought this is much better. The air is so fresh and the ever-changing light so captivating, I thought this is magic; this is what the world should be.”
After retiring from the NHS, Pradeep taught himself photography, from the ‘University of YouTube’, and later went on to study Fine Art. He graduated this year.
A black headed gull caught diving in the boating lake at Abington Park.
The gulls dive all the time but you have to be in the right place at the right time to capture a great photo – that’s the difficulty. I waited about 30 minutes for that photo in the freezing cold.
There are glorious colours at sunrise in Abington Park. The more closely I look, the more aware I become of nature – the world just feels a better place.
I don’t use AI manipulation in my photographs – only natural light, colour and focus.
Drawn by the changing light, I return to the park at different times of day, but early morning at sunrise is my favourite.
The skies are clear, the light is at its best, the A45 traffic noise has faded, and birdsong fills the park. I am obsessed by the changing light and how differently it plays on nature.
Last year, a pair of swans raised eight cygnets, all of whom survived to adulthood. I documented their lives every day for a year — from their early growth to first flights and inevitable sibling skirmishes.
Community
As Pradeep takes his daily walk, he greets many people he passes by name. Joggers, dog walkers and people out enjoying Abington Park are all greeted with a friendly hello. The park attracts many regulars, some like Pradeep live close by and its part of their daily routine.
“After the beauty of the park, it’s the community I love,” he says.
Talk a walk with us as we walk around the park and listen to the sounds of nature.
When the cygnets were just a month old, their father was attacked by a dog and taken to a swan sanctuary after I contacted Animals In Need. Suddenly, the brood lost their male parent. The mother swan continued alone, working relentlessly to protect, feed and raise her young.
Pradeep sells his work in the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and via his website. He also posts regularly on facebook. To see more of his work visit:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artgurucouk
Website: http://artguru.co.uk