Ilkley Moor: 'People are interested in seeing the landscape transition through the seasons'
Adam Kingston can often be found walking atop Ilkley Moor, a camera in his hand. Over a year-long period, he has captured scenes of the wild natural landscapes – and now his images will be exhibited at a grassroots festival celebrating photography’s power to connect, question, and see the world anew.
One Year on Ilkley Moor is Adam’s ongoing study of a changing landscape and the relationship between human intervention and the natural world.
The work follows peatland restoration efforts that are designed to improve the moor’s resilience to flooding, wildfire and environmental change, whilst protecting diverse habitats.
Adam, who lives in Guiseley, Leeds, says: “As part of Ilkley Moor work, fixed-point photography posts have been installed to enable members of the public to document areas of moorland where restoration and re-wetting work has taken place, creating a visual record of the terrain's gradual transformation within the wider landscape.
“I assumed most people would rest their phones on them rather than use a proper camera, often in less than ideal weather or light conditions.
"Given how much time I spend on the moor, I felt I could contribute higher quality files that more accurately reflect the character of the landscape, rather than the heavily processed, AI or HDR-enhanced images generated by phones.”
The 43-year-old, who runs a digital marketing agency from Rawdon, studied photography at Leeds Arts University four years ago, and pursues photographic projects in his spare time.
He shared his images of the moor with those involved in a project to improve the resilience of the area to climate change – a collaboration between Bradford Council, Rebel Restoration, Friends of Ilkley Moor and the Moors for the Future Partnership.
Adam also shared them on social media, alongside timelapse videos bringing together images taken monthly at the same fixed-point photography posts over a year-long period.
“It demonstrates the changes in the landscape over time,” he says. “You can see that the habitat is changing up there.
"The peatland is recovering because of the installation of heather dams and timber dams, that kind of thing. So basically this documents that restoration process. And people are very interested in actually seeing the landscape transition through the seasons as well.”
Adam’s images will now be shown as part of the second edition of the photoILKLEY festival, taking place from July 3 to 19 with a theme this year of ‘human:nature’.
His One Year on Ilkley Moor exhibition reflects on how landscapes are shaped by natural processes as well as human care and management and explores how photography can help people notice gradual transformations.
For the full festival line-up, visit www.photoilkley.com. For details of the Ilkley Moor resilience project, visit www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk