A Lancashire photographer loves Pendle Hill so much he moved to a house nearby. Now, he has produced a book of pictures from every angle and in all seasons
PHOTOGRAPHY, says Alastair Lee, is the modern form of hunting. It's all about the thrill of the chase - when a serene landscape is plunged into chaos by a sudden change in weather conditions.
It's a time when Alastair can be spotted ditching his car, grabbing his camera and running to a part of the countryside where he knows he'll get the best shot. It's being in the right place at the right time, waiting for that defining moment when lightning licks across the skyline illuminating the hilltops.
His enthusiasm for photographing the Lancashire landscape -one of it part in particular - leaps off the pages of his latest book, simply titled 'Pendle.' It does what it says on the cover - our most famous hill pictures, arguably England's most characterful hill, from every conceivable angle, in every season and in just about every weather condition.
His panoramic shots are particularly striking and he has enlisted the help of writers to put the hill in its historic context. Alastair, who became a photographer through his love of rock climbing, was perfectly placed for the job.
He lives in Blacko, just to the east of Pendle Hill, and he can see it from his office window. 'I always wanted to live somewhere I could see the hill and some of the pictures in the book were actually taken from my window,' said Alastair who has half a dozen books to his name.
'I've been working on this one, on and off, for about three years. I wanted to put together a book about this area because I love it so much. Because I live here I don't have to panic when I see some amazing weather conditions because I'm on the doorstep, although there have been times when I've ditched the car and dashed to get a shot.'
Alastair was born in Burnley and educated at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Blackburn. He describes himself as a working class lad - his dad was a baker for many years.
In recent times he has diversified into lecturing and he has run sessions on photography in schools. More recently, he has started film-making. But he still finds time to walk up Pendle Hill most weeks.
'It's hard to say why I have so much enthusiasm for Pendle Hill,' he writes in the book. 'Whether to climb it for the physical exhilaration of feeling alive or to capture the mist rolling over it or the summer's evening light scorching its western slopes. I can always get excited about Pendle Hill.'
Alastair, who is 35 with a wife and a three-year-old son, has travelled the world photographing China, the USA, Australia and South America. But home is always Lancashire and the view of Pendle Hill.
Pendle by Alastair Lee is published by Frances Lincoln Limited, �14.99
