New Forest Videos. In addition to still photography, I also dabble with video from time to time using a Sony Camcorder and editing with Adobe Premiere. In addition I use a DJI Mavic drone sparingly and away from any animals. The cost of good quality consumer video equipment has come down in recent years while the output quality has increased in leaps and bounds. The same goes for digital editing programs, of which there are many. I previously used the full Adobe Premiere suite but I now find that the Premiere Elements app is quite sufficient to produce professional looking videos. These days, the video cameras on smart phones also give good results especially for short clips – I occasionally use my iPhoneX and am always surprised at the image quality for such a small piece of kit.  Below are a few examples of my New Forest videos: –

A YEAR IN THE NEW FOREST

This was a project I started in 2013 and filmed throughout that year. I use Vimeo for video hosting to avoid annoying adverts, but this video is also available to view on YouTube where it has received over 20,500 views to date – the power of the internet and social media!

 

HORSE LOGGING

As a founding trustee of a small New Forest conservation charity, we aim to use traditional methods in our woodland restoration programme. One of these traditional methods is to employ horses rather than heavy machinery to move timber. The two lovely ladies in the video, Fleur and Celine, are Comptois horses, a French breed that have been developed over many years for sensitive woodland work. They are gentle by nature but very powerful and love their work.

 

CHARCOAL MAKING

Another part of our woodland restoration project is charcoal making during the spring and summer, the sales from which make us self funding. In fact we have re-introduced this centuries old industry back into the New Forest and have become its largest producer! When not out with my camera, I can often be found enjoying a glass of cider on a sunny day while making charcoal.

If you would like more information on Pondhead Conservation Trust’s community woodland project, check out their website