The Dark Hedges - An amazing story
Monday, May 24, 2010Well I hope everyone had a brilliant weekend. We were blessed with gorgeous sunshine and high temperatures so it was just lovely.
I thought I would share the most amazing story about me and the Dark Hedges (N.I.) that happened to me recently. I have posted about them before here, but I'll tell you the background about them again.
Back in 2007 I went to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in the Natural History Museum in London and out of all the photos one really took me back. My first reaction was "where in the world is that?". After closer inspection I actually laughed out loud when I discovered that this eerie scene was actually a place in Northern Ireland! So ever since then I have always wanted to take the trip to find the "Dark Hedges"
Original shot taken by Bob McCallion (source)
I must have been driving my friends nuts talking about this picture, as for my birthday last year I was treated to a photograph of the Dark Hedges taken by a friend who lives near them:
AND Sir bought me a framed print of the original shot taken by Bob McCallion:
So that weekend after my birthday we decided to take a day trip up to find these elusive hedges so that I could see them for myself. I tell you, they certainly are elusive...we had to ask several people for directions to find them. But it was worth it, and here is MY version:
This is a little country road that you would never even know about if you weren't looking for them. Ironically, even though it was 'in the middle of nowhere', there was another guy there at the same time as us taking his own pics...and I thought to myself "oh dear, I bet he's really annoyed at us because we are getting in the way of his shot".
Here's the AMAZING part of this story: earlier on this year I got a comment on my blog, followed by an e-mail...from the photographer Bob McCallion, who took the original version! I was honoured that he had found my blog and found my version on the dark hedges. But to make things even MORE amazing, he had a picture in his possesion which he thought I was IN!!!! In his e-mail he attached this:
And there I am, with Sir....IN BOB McCALLIONS PHOTO!!!!!!! Aparently he has been 'searching' for the girl in the pink ski jacket for ages, tormenting his wife trying to find the couple in his photo...and lo and behold...he found us! I just couldn't believe it. And last week I recieved a signed print of the very photo to have as my own. I love it - it is just gorgeous, and I love it even more than the original shot - the lighting is so fresh and vivid. Who would have thought that back in 2007 when I first saw that photo I would have ended up with my own personal version taken by the very same photographer!
xxx
P.S. Sorry for all the 'sample's on the last pic, but it'd not mine to share so I thought I'd better do something to 'protect' it!
3 comments
What a marvellous story! I bet you were thrilled. I must say the last photo is spectacular, you must be very proud to be in it!
ReplyDeleteI really am delighted to be in the last photo!!!! Thanks for your comment Sara, always nice to hear from you :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome story.
ReplyDeleteI love The Dark hedges too. I just though you would like to know that another photograph of The Hedges taken by Bob McCallion has made it to one of the final pictures in Countryfile's photographic competition. There will be a calendar published with the picture in it.
Here is a link
http://www.countryfile.com/countryside/countryfile-photographic-competition-finalists-2011
Anne Kelly