Amber on the Heath

Sometimes the most compelling compositions reveal themselves gradually. I was photographing the heather fields at Ambersham Common when I noticed how this particular clump of birch trees, framed by the surrounding woodland, created a natural focal point in the middle of all that purple. The way the trees were positioned—not too close, not too far—felt like the landscape had arranged itself just for this moment.

The sun was rising beautifully, flooding everything with warm golden light that made the scene glow. The sky was showing off with those soft blues and pastel yellows that only happen at sunrise, and the heather—in full August bloom—was creating this endless purple sea. But it was the trees that anchored it all, their presence giving the composition structure and drawing your eye right into the heart of the heath.

Ambersham Common is a special place during heather season. The purple blooms, the birch trees scattered throughout, the open sky—it all comes together to create these quintessentially English heathland scenes. This particular morning, with the amber sunrise light and the perfect bloom, everything aligned to capture what makes this place so photogenic.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that golden warmth—the amber light of sunrise spilling over Ambersham Common, illuminating the blooming heather and those beautifully framed birch trees in the heart of a West Sussex summer morning.