Whenever I see a Land Rover, especially an older one parked in a cool location, which they often are… I feel compelled to photograph it.

For me it’s something to do with seeing them in a remote or beautiful location, perhaps by a mountain or by the coast, and their association to outdoor activities be it mountaineering or surfing. It also has something to do with the Land Rover brand, the history, the nostalgia, the build quality and the ruggedness, and all that it represents. It’s pretty much been a timeless icon of British design since its launch in 1948.

I have photographed a number of different examples, and variants over the last few years and will definitely look to collate these into a wider project in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. But for now I want to share the short time I had capturing this awesome 2003 example on a recent trip away.

Although not a dramatic coastal location, this one was only a stones throw from an iconic surfing beach and with the car park relatively empty it allowed me to photograph it from a number of different angles, without too much distraction from other parked vehicles or people. I liked the framing provided by the worn white parking lines, which gave some natural framing and composition to some of the shots.

With its classic design and industrial heritage, I bet this Defender can tell a few stories from its many miles travelled. Having an imense toughness and reliabiility, they will keep on going and going, subject to a decent level of maintenance of course. This is backed up by being the vehicle of choice over many decades by the British military, farmers up and down the country, as well as modified off-roader vehicles and perhaps more recently by being converted into campers. Whatever the model, the different variety of colours, ride heights, accesories and wheelbase lengths, ensures that everytime you spot one it’s going to be a little bit different from the last. This is what I think I love about them… their familiarity, but also their potential to be individual at the same time.

I photographed these on my Canon R6 coupled with the RF 50mm 1.8 L STM lens. As I had been out for a long daytime walk and covered over 10K on the coast, it was perfect to carry due to its lightness as well as providing awesome optical quaility. I also wanted to experiment with some slightly different edits for this set, which I feel provide a slightly ethereal, yet nostalgic look, reminiscent of film and times past.

If you enjoy Land Rovers, look out for more photographs that I’ll be sharing with you soon, that have been taken on my travels.