Welcome to Landscape Lens, a fixed-point photography project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to encourage residents and visitors to connect with the landscape. We hope to encourage you to discover new areas, revisit old ones and enjoy exploring all that the area has to offer.
In 2020, both the Dedham Vale National Landscape and the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape celebrated 50 years of being designated an Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB), now known as National Landscapes.
To mark this milestone, we are coordinating a series of projects, with the help of a National Lottery Heritage Fund who awarded £129,000 across both National Landscapes.
What is Fixed-point photography?
Fixed-point photography is an effective and easy method of capturing and monitoring visual changes within the landscape. It involves taking a photograph from the same position, in this instance a metal cradle located on a fixed post, over a period of time.
What do I need to do?
To get involved all you need to do is:
- Visit one of the locations
- Place your smart phone in the metal cradle on top of the wooden post
- Take a picture.
There will be an interpretation panel on each post, detailing the location #, instructions and a QR code. Following the instructions, you will then be able to share your images by tagging with a specific # on Instagram or uploading to our website
This project is for you, the visitors, and residents of the area. Through your interaction, we hope to highlight the importance of being able to access the countryside and how valuable it is for our health and well-being.
Which areas of the National Landscape will be included?
To ensure we showcase the varied environments on offer, the fixed-point photography views will be focused around three main themes:
Cultural and historical heritage: This will provide an opportunity to tell the story of the landscape through photography.
Natural heritage: This will focus on different habitats including salt marsh, heathland, hedgerows and riverside. By raising awareness of the different habitats within our landscapes we can highlight the different species that thrive within them.
Heritage change: This will capture different types of landscape change, such as the impact of agricultural change and the results of projects aimed to enhance the landscape. Landscape change can help generate debate and engagement with different audiences.
These destinations showcase just how amazing the National Landscape is and how lucky we are to be surrounded by such amazing landscapes. This project is for you the visitors, and residents to the area. Through your interaction, we hope to highlight the importance of being able to access the countryside and how valuable it is for our health and wellbeing.
What is the National Landscape?
A National Landscape is an area that is recognised by the United Kingdom government as having national importance. This importance is reflected in its designation under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949).
Find out more about the Dedham Vale National Landscape at www.dedhamvale-NL.org.uk.
What does the National Landscape do?
- Conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the UK’s National Landscapes, ensuring they can meet the challenges of the future.
- Support the economic and social well-being of local communities in ways which contribute to the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty.
- Promote public understanding and enjoyment of the nature and culture of National Landscape and encourage people to take action for their conservation.
- Value, sustain and promote the benefits that the UK’s National Landscapes provide for society, including clean air and water, food, carbon storage and other services vital to the nation’s health and wellbeing.