Where the Ponies Run Free
By Miles ·
A herd of Dartmoor ponies gallops down Bellever Tor beneath dramatic winter skies, as shafts of sunlight illuminate the distant treetops of Bellever Forest.
On the northern flank of Bellever Tor, a herd of Dartmoor ponies gallop across the open moorland, their movement bringing life to a wild and windswept landscape.
Above them, heavy winter clouds gather, broken by shafts of sunlight streaming towards the distant treetops of Bellever Forest. These crepuscular rays, sometimes known as sunbeams or God's rays, create a striking contrast between the dark sky and the rugged landscape below.
Photographed in December 2009, this was one of those fleeting moments when the weather, light and ponies came together. The black-and-white treatment emphasises the drama of the sky, the texture of the moorland and the movement of the ponies as they make their way down the hillside.
For me, the photograph captures something of Dartmoor's enduring character: its unpredictable weather, wide open spaces and the freedom of the ponies that roam its hills.
Publication
This photograph was published in Michelle Dibb's Dartmoor: Into the Wilderness, published by The History Press in 2011.