To Be Shot at Dawn
Originally posted on 25th October 2026 I’m a night person. I like the dark. Or to be more exact, I like the night. It’s quiet and peaceful, especially out in the country. But the dawn is better, because if you want to have the place to yourself, in England at least, this is the only time you’re likely to be able to achieve it. When I was younger, particularly in that period in the late 1970s between leaving Parkside Mental Hospital and being prescribed the diazepam which would allow me to go out socially, I used to go out late at night a lot. It meant that I would be able to enjoy solitude in areas which would later in the day be crowded with walkers and tourists. Furthermore, after sunrise, which in summer could be very early indeed, I would be able to take photographs of what I saw. Sunlight at dawn illuminating the mist over the fields; the view from Mutlow, Chesire, June 1979. Quite apart from the landscapes being unblemished by unnecessary humans, who spoil the view, you di...