Peak District MTB

I've been shooting photos on and off over the last 2-3 months for the second edition of our first guidebook, Dark Peak Mountain Biking. The original was very good - it arguably redefined mountain biking guidebooks - and I think this full second edition will be even better. We're also adding in OS maps - now industry standard, extra ride information, and generally just checking and tweaking stuff.

I think MTB photography shot for a guidebook has quite specific goals. It's not about showing off new or flash bikes, nor is it necessarily about the people riding the bikes. It's about showing riders who pick up the book what an area is like and, more specifically, what it's like to ride a bike in that area. Having shot photos for a Cotswolds MTB guidebook immediately before the new Peak guide has crystalised this view, the two areas being quite different.

Here's a shot of Tom Fenton dropping into the Stanage Plantation. This is the Peak District people - the Dark Peak in fact - and it's an incredible place to ride a mountain bike. Peak District Mountain Biking: Dark Peak Trails will be published Spring 2010.