I am so SO excited, I finally created an image of Penshaw Monument that I love. I’ve been trying for years and something always went wrong or the results were disappointing. Yet I kept going back, determined to get a shot I loved and the reason is Puff the Magic Dragon. Let me explain.
I grew up about 10-15 miles south of this imposing monument and as a child it was always exciting to go with my family to Newcastle, taking us up past Penshaw Monument. We didn’t go very often and it tended to be a whole family affair. So naturally I wanted to ride on my granddad’s lap. I was very young and my grandfather was my favourite person in the whole world. As we would travel like this he would spend his time entertaining me and engaging with me through what we could see out of the window. In the case of Penshaw Monument, being full of childish curiosity I wanted to know what it was. Now I don’t know if my Granddad knew it was a monument built for the Earl of Durham or not, but he told me it was Puffs the Magic Dragons House.
Puff the Magic Dragon was one of my favourite songs when I was little. I mean it had a dragon in it, he was magical and liked to play games with children what’s not to love! Add in a catchy tune and I loved it. So my Granddad told me that this was where Puff the Dragon now lived. This would lead to me craning my neck to see if I could see the mighty dragon. When I couldn’t spot him Granddad would say he must be out visiting girls and boys. However if it was misty and the monument was difficult to see, well that meant he was home and the misty was really the smoke from his mighty roar.
So that’s why I kept going back and trying to figure out how to get a shot that summed up that feeling I used to get as a child. My efforts always fell short until I visited with my drone to shoot from the sky. I mean how else would you shoot the home of a dragon perched on top of a hill?
I was delighted to be able to visit on a beautiful frosty morning and catch the early morning light from high up. In some ways, mist would have been nice but I really wanted to capture how Penshaw Hill rises over the surrounding land and can be seen for miles around. Finally, I have an image which I can put on the wall and remember those car rides where I looked for Puff the Magic Dragon with my granddad.
If you’re not familiar with the song here’s a link to a live performance on YouTube by Peter, Paul and Mary. Oh, and there was even a film made, here’s a link to the IMDb.
If you love this print you can own your own copy as it’s now for sale on our webshop.
Take care Mara xXx