David Miller

19/06/2026

Behind the Photo #2 - Winter Spine

I keep coming back to this photograph. At first, I nearly edited out the ground at the bottom of the frame. It felt messy. Distracting. I wanted the image to be cleaner - But over time I’ve realised the photograph works best untouched. The rough ground, the darkness, the chaos of the snow blowing in every direction - it’s all part of the story.

This image was taken outside Hut 2 on the Pennine Way during the Montane Winter Spine Race.

That small light near the bottom of the frame is a runner’s head torch. Everything else is the storm. My own head torch was shining upwards into the night sky and the Leica Q3 captured the snow being hurled through the beam. What looks almost abstract is completely real.

It remains one of the most honest photographs I made during the entire week.

Hut 2 is the final refuge before the finish. The last place runners can find shelter before heading back out into the darkness. The conditions that night were brutal. I could only step outside for two or three minutes at a time before retreating back into the hut. Even wearing full cold-weather gear, I could feel my hands beginning to freeze. The cold worked its way through everything. It’s every bit as cold as it looks!

What I love about this image is that it doesn’t show a face, a winner or a finish line. Instead, it shows the environment. The thing every runner was fighting against.

For me, that’s what the Spine Race is really about.

Not just the people, but the landscape, the weather and the relentless conditions that strip everything back to its essentials.

This remains one of my favourite photographs in SPINE.

If you’d like to see more photographs like this, the SPINE Kickstarter is still active. Every pledge helps make the book a success and supports future projects like this one.

If you’re interested in owning a copy, I’d be hugely grateful for your support.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/v-publishing/spine-0

— David

Montane Spine Race Vertebrate Publishing Leica Camera UK Montane SportsShoes.com

16/06/2026

14/06/2026

Unfortunately I’m not at the Summer Spine Race this year, but while the race is underway I thought I’d share 20 photographs from the Winter Spine that I haven’t shared before.

These images will all feature in SPINE — my new book documenting a week spent on the Pennine Way during the Winter Spine Race. There are still 15 days left to back the project and help bring the book to life!

Thanks guys! Link ⬇️

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/v-publishing/spine-0

Montane Spine Race Vertebrate Publishing Leica Camera UK Montane SportsShoes.com

10/06/2026

SPINE RACE | Support the new photo book!

We have teamed up with award-winning photographer David Miller and Vertebrate Publishing to bring you a large-format, premium hardback photography book documenting the Montane Winter Spine Race like never before.

Introducing…

Spine - The story of the Montane Winter Spine Race.

Through the lens of David Miller, SPINE tells the story of the race in its rawest form: the cold, the darkness, the isolation - and the extraordinary people who take it on.

We need your help to make it happen.

The project is now live on Kickstarter where you can pledge to receive a number of rewards, including limited edition hardback books, signed editions with a slipcase, limited edition prints and the inclusion of your name in the backers list in the book.

Head over to the Kickstarter page to find out more or hit the link in our bio: https://bit.ly/4eeFSqd

08/06/2026

SPINE FUNDED.

In just five days, SPINE has reached its funding target 🎯

If I’m honest, part of me wondered whether DO NOT BLOCK GATE succeeded because of one photograph rather than the work as a whole. The response to SPINE has given me confidence that people connect with the stories, the photographs and the way I see these events.

For that reason, reaching this target feels incredibly personal!

Thank you to everyone who has pledged, shared and supported the project. What started as a week documenting runners, volunteers and life around Britain’s most brutal race will now become a book!

There are still 22 days to go, but today feels like a milestone worth celebrating 🥳

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/v-publishing/spine-0

06/06/2026

SPINE

One of the themes running through the book is Sycamore Gap. Not just the place, but what it came to represent.

The second photo was taken at sunrise one morning during the Winter Spine. I was driving between locations when my headlights lit up this tree. Something about it immediately reminded me of Sycamore Gap.

The idea of something standing through storms, weather and time. Even after loss, the roots remain.

That reminded me of the runners I met on the Pennine Way. Knocked down, exhausted, broken at times - But still moving forward.

That spirit runs right through SPINE.

Pledge your support here ⬇️

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/v-publishing/spine-0

03/06/2026

SPINE.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has already backed the project. We’ve reached 50% of the Kickstarter target in the first 24 hours, which is absolutely incredible.

We’re halfway there!

If this book is going to become a reality, we need to keep pushing. Projects like this only happen when people get behind them. If you’d like to see SPINE out in the world, please consider backing the Kickstarter or sharing it with others.

Every pledge. Every share. Every bit of support helps.

Thank you.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/v-publishing/spine-0

🎥

03/06/2026