I’ve been working with Helen and the staff at Puzzlewood for over a decade. A lot has changed there in that time as it has become ever more famous for its starring roles in blockbuster movies and TV shows.
What hasn’t changed though is the character of the woodland. It is still the calming, peaceful haven it has always been. Its cool in the summer and sheltered in the winter, fresh and clean scented in the spring and reviving and heart warming in the autumn. The other good thing I see about this Forest of Dean geological celebrity is that it is also one of the few places that I go to where I see young kids covered in mud! It is reminiscent of my own childhood where getting covered in mud was what play meant. I’m sadly old enough to remember childhoods that didn’t involve screens and devices or too much indoor play even if it was raining.
For several years Puzzlewood have done a lovely thing and surprised their visitors on Mother’s and Father’s Days with a free photoshoot and complimentary copy of their favourite image. It has been truly uplifting to see people’s reaction to this little surprise to make a special family day. And so, we have been there to capture those family groups that occur all too infrequently in these times when time pressure seemingly needs constant juggling.
This Mother’s Day just gone was a case in point. With families from all over the country taking advantage of creating a professionally shot addition to their family album. Puzzlewood is ideally located for a day out for anyone from the Midlands, South Wales and the south west. Don’t forget that if you are coming from Bristol direction there is now no toll to pay on the Severn Bridge – Yay!! And the great news is, we’ll be doing the same thing for Father’s Day on 16th June this year. A great chance for the dads to get a free picture with the kids.
If you haven’t claimed your free Mother’s Day image yet, check out the gallery HERE.
If you weren’t lucky enough to be there for Mother’s Day or can’t make Father’s Day or you would just prefer a bespoke session, we can now also offer Puzzlewood as a magical backdrop to your more formal family portraits and photoshoots. With personalised hour-long sessions of funky and dynamic portraiture to hang on the wall, post to your “gram” and other social media or send to Aunty Flo in Australia, Puzzlewood is the ideal location. You get to choose, formal and organised or let us capture your true personality and individual “look” in people shots with a difference. In these sessions we have more time to have fun with changes of outfits and backdrops to give you a more varied set of pictures from your day. These packages include entrance fee for all (so you are free to enjoy a family day out at Puzzlewood after your shoot) as well as copies of all pictures shot in your session. If you wish, we can print the showstopper image for you at any size and in any of a multitude of available print finishes from traditional canvas to bonding on aluminium. Costs for the hour photo shoot start from £125 (print costs not included).
The water-carved limestone ravines of Puzzlewood are the result of millennia of weathering and erosion of old subterranean cave systems and/or mineral workings going back to Roman times. Read the science HERE. Known locally as a “scowle” these sites are dotted around the Forest of Dean but by far the most impressive and accessible is Puzzlewood.
The sheer diversity of things to photograph in this hobgoblin environment, from weird rock formations to the most delicate of tiny mushrooms, has seen my own Forest of Dean & Wye Valley School of Photography go from strength to strength here, running several courses throughout the year (both small group and one to one bespoke sessions).
Gift certificates are available for the photoshoots and the photo courses - just ask for details.
All photography by David Broadbent.
