Poynings Sunset

I'd been driving through the Sussex countryside on this July evening when I spotted the light doing something special across the farmland near Poynings. The sun was getting lower, and the way it was catching the crops in the foreground—those golden summer tones—against the backdrop of Devil's Dyke in the distance, I knew I had to stop.

Setting up at the edge of the field, I watched the scene unfold as the evening progressed. The warm sunset hues were contrasting beautifully with the rolling hills of the South Downs, creating these layers of colour and texture. The farmland itself was vibrant—that late summer green punctuated by the harvested crops catching the golden light. Devil's Dyke, one of Sussex's most iconic landmarks, provided the perfect backdrop, its distinctive valley and ridges clearly visible in the distance.

What I love about this composition is how it captures the agricultural character of the South Downs alongside its natural beauty. This isn't wilderness—it's working farmland that's been cultivated for centuries—yet it's every bit as picturesque as any untouched landscape. The combination of the crops in the foreground, the rolling hills, and that beautiful evening light created this peaceful, quintessentially Sussex scene.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that sense of summer evening tranquility—standing at the edge of a Poynings field as the sun sets, watching the warm light paint the farmland and Devil's Dyke in shades of gold and green, experiencing the timeless beauty of the South Downs countryside.