The Landscape

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For more than 30 years, whenever he has had the time, he has walked up the hill and stood there with his camera waiting for the right moment to take a photograph. The images carry a dramatic feel and a preference for stormy skies that reveal an intimacy with conflict and destruction. This driving force to connect and reflect on sacred locations and diverse communities continues further afield across to India and Indonesia, where McCullin has documented local rituals, festivals and architecture. He is adamant, however, that he is only a ‘trespasser’ in the art world, and would rather be known simply as a photographer.

The veteran war photographer has turned his lens to more peaceful scenes in recent years and for his latest book, The Landscape. Regarded as one of the most accomplished war photographers of recent times, McCullin explains, ‘I’ve been to hundreds of places in the world, all over the globe, and it all comes back to here. Not far from here is the probable site of the Battle of Edington, where King Alfred repelled an army of Vikings.

The darkroom that sits in a barn behind McCullin’s house is where as much of the photographer’s energy goes as in the field. The 84-year-old British photographer, who is famed for his haunting images, is best known for his salient photographs of war and conflict, taken around the world. His photography engages the energy of the land—its history, character and expression—documenting it on film and paper. I never had a bath in months up there, and they used to lock me out at night in the winter, because they wouldn’t have us in the house until 10 o’clock, when we’d sleep on the floor on a mattress. Beginning in the early 2000s, McCullin began documenting physical remains of the colossal Roman Empire in North African and Levantine landscapes, including the ancient site of Palmyra.

His pictures were ‘mostly about beauty’, but McCullin says they taught him about ‘the dignity of photography’. I’ve cleared all the crap out of there and I’ve set the dishes up to go in there on Monday morning next week. And although the majority of the images featured are from Great Britain, it also includes stunning scenes from Syria, Iraq, France, Morocco, Sudan, India and Indonesia.He has documented Roman ruins in North Africa and the Levant, including the recent deliberate destruction of the ancient site of Palmyra in Syria by ISIS. Batcombe Vale 1992-93Having been evacuated to the safety of Somerset during the blitz, McCullin has had a lifelong connection with the open farmland and hill country of the south-west, feeling at peace within the solitude of the expansive landscape. It’s a reminder that this, too, is a land shaped by conflict and suffering, over hundreds or even thousands of years. The finest British photojournalist of his generation, he has received many honours and awards including a CBE.