Craig Payne Photography

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Craig Payne Photography

Craig is a wedding photographer based in Sussex who has self published a book on Ashdown Forest

20/05/2026

If heaven is on Earth, then for me it is found in the gardens at Gravetye Manor.

These photos are from my visit on 24th April, back when the tulips, rhododendron and azaleas were putting on a show.

Every Thursday the Garden is open to ten guests who purchase a ticket in advance for £10 on the William Robinson Gravetye website. The money raised goes to charity and guests can explore all the gardens including the inspiring Walled Kitchen Garden.

04/05/2026

Happy Anniversary Hayley & Neema!
Every wedding is very special to document, but photographing Hayley's wedding after documenting all three of her sisters weddings meant an awful lot. It felt like the end of an era, but in the most wonderful and joyous of ways!
I'm delighted to have booked my first wedding for 2028 this weekend, and have space for weddings this Summer and next year, if anyone is looking for a photographer. I'll hold my hands up that I've been terrible at social media recently, not sharing much at all (moving home and 'life'), but my drive and creative eye is still very there.

22/04/2026

Monday evening saw me give a two hour long talk to Mid Sussex Camera Club ☺️ It was a pleasure to do a deep dive chatting about the heathland and my photographs, approach and next big project.
‘Thank you once again for taking the time to come and talk to us about the Ashdown Forest and how you go about photographing it. I, for one, now have a much better idea about how to capture the unique scenery and I hope it will encourage our members to visit it over the coming months.’, from the Programme Secretary ☺️
This image was one I took last autumn, showing dramatic light highlighting this clump of and golden leaves with dramatic clouds above. With minutes I got very wet as the clouds opened up, but I was very pleased with this shot. These Pines are some of the most visually interesting on the Forest as many are leaning and the area got burnt during a wildfire a few years ago. They don’t have an official name but are found near Isle of Thorns at ☺️

16/02/2026

January’s Full Moon at sunrise, with the last remaining snow hugging the pathway through the heather and leading the eye to Friends Clump
The second photo shows the same scene in the Summer as the sun sets, showing how the heathland roars into colour and vibrancy during the height of Summer.

12/01/2026

The highlight from the recent cold weather was this incredible morning last Friday, 2nd January, when a layer of snow covered Ashdown Forest. I was lucky enough to witness the clouds breaking and capture this scene, with the first sunlight of the day hitting Millbrook East Valley with Camp Hill Clump, Friends Clump and Nutley Windmill on the horizon.

01/01/2026

I left 2025 with a trip to Ashdown Forest to photograph The Plough Constellation above Gill's Lap, aka Winnie the Pooh's Enchanted Place, a few days after his 100th Birthday!

There is a full moon Friday night and -3 is forecast, so the Forest is going to become an incredible frost bitten heathland under bright moonlight. It really will be magical so I highly recommend heading out, if you can brace the temperatures. Last night was very special, and topped off with a Magnum!

As I step into the New Year, the plan is to carry on capturing the special heathland of Ashdown Forest. I also have a small amount of availability for weddings and would love to photograph more special days for couples. If you know of anyone looking for a photographer then I’d be so grateful if you could suggest me. I’ll be sharing some of my favourite wedding pictures in the coming weeks, from the last 15 odd years of wedding photography!

12/11/2025

A flock of pigeon fly past a golden silver birch as the dapple light falls on Ashdown Forest.

13/10/2025

Dawn, golden first light and daylight. 35 minutes from purple hues filling the sky to full sunshine, the natural world is magical! This series is taken near Isle of Thorns on Ashdown Forest.

03/09/2025

A beautiful morning on Ashdown Forest last Thursday, with the heather is full bloom. If you enjoy a good hike then check out The Clump Challenge on Saturday 27th September! You'll join a guide and walk 32km to the 12 Clumps of trees that are icons of the heathland landscape. I've done the walk on my own before and its a brilliant way to spend a day. Details are on the official Ashdown Forest page, and I will likely be there volunteering.

22/08/2025

A calf and its mother rest among the heather with Friends Clump in the distance on Ashdown Forest .
The heather is looking fantastic at the moment, and with the current late sunsets the is the perfect place for a post work walk ☺️ The cows are especially relaxed are humans, making unusual moments like this all too common.

Address

Haywards Heath
RH177HS

Website

http://www.craigpayne.co.uk/

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