The Lane

Lanes are always somehow quite fascinating things, above the level of being a means of getting from A to B. They are places for thought, pondering, conversation (if one has company) and have a much closer, comforting environment than a mere pavement. A lane may take you somewhere, or away from somewhere on more than a physical level. This is a lane I used a lot in my childhood, and visiting it again recently for the first time in ages I was delighted to see that it hadn’t changed one bit. The trees are no doubt bigger, but they didn’t seem to be, because when I last saw them I too was smaller. The flint wall is typical of East Anglia, and I was struck by the way the afternoon light reflected on its uneven surface. Indeed, it was the light that made me want to capture this image. There had been heavy, heavy rain earlier, but the clouds were swept away by a strong Norfolk wind, and the air had a freshness that was uplifting and resolute. I made the tree the centre of the picture rather than the more traditional approach of shooting down the centre of the lane; this allowed me to capture the slight bend in the distance, which is at once both optimistic and renewing. Location: East Dereham, England