North-East landscape photographer Mike Kipling had access to Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, for 12 months. Ruth Addicott talks to him about his extraordinary project.

HAVING the freedom to roam the grounds of Castle Howard at first light, with nothing but peacocks in tow, is something very few visitors get to experience.

But when North-East photographer Mike Kipling was asked to capture the beauty of the castle all year around, he largely had the place to himself.

Set in 1,000 acres of breathtaking landscape, the Baroque palace attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year and after starring in two hugely popular TV adaptations of Brideshead Revisited, is one of the most famous stately homes in the country.

Although Mike had photographed Castle Howard before, it was the first time he’d been asked to do a project spanning 12 months – the idea being to show the gardens are worth visiting at all times of the year, not just in summer.

Mike spent the best part of a year in the gardens, which are home to an extensive plant collection and 2,000 roses, turning his lens to the lakes and ponds, its serpentine pathways, five-mile Avenue and Atlas fountain – capturing the first signs of snowdrops and amazing display of daffodils and rhododendrons.

“It gave me the chance to really get to know the estate,” he says. “I’d get there at 6.30am and photograph for three hours before they opened the gates so I could concentrate without anyone getting in the shot.”

Mike grew up in Scarborough and now lives in Guisborough on the edge of the North York Moors. The early start meant he had to leave home at 5am, drive the 50-mile journey to Castle Howard, then go back again to shoot some more in the evening once the gates had closed at 5pm. “I never saw anyone except the peacocks and the gardener,” he says.

“The peacocks were friendly and would follow me around, but as soon as the visitors came in, they’d keep their distance. I once heard the Howard family out with their dogs, but I never saw them. At times, it felt like I owned the place. It was quite a unique experience. I loved it.”

Mike started working on the project in March 2008 and finished in February 2009. Apart from spring, when the gardens were lit up by the daffodils, the season he enjoyed most was autumn.

“There were such wonderful colours, especially in the evening, you only seem to get that soft warm lighting in autumn,” he says.

One of the images he is most proud of is the photo of the lake and house from the north face. “The only time you can do it is with the sun on it in June,” he says. “I wanted to get a reflection of the house in the lake and had three attempts at it, but the wind kept creating a ripple in the water.

Then all of a sudden the wind dropped, I got the reflection and a black swan swam into the picture. As a landscape photographer, you can check the weather forecast and do the groundwork, but at the end of the day, there is a big element of luck. I could never create a reflection or make a black swan swim into the picture.”

He also cites the photo of the birch tree and mausoleum, along with another image which captures the sunset over the lake with the moon and statue.

As is the case with landscape photography, there were times when the weather was so bad, he was forced to pack up empty-handed.

“Some days I’d set off from home when it was dark at five in the morning and when I’d get there it would be grey and I’d have to wait for the light,” he says. “Sometimes I’d go and sit by the fountain, I used to find it very calming because of the sound of the water. Other times, it was thick fog and I couldn’t see more than ten metres in front of me, so I wasn’t able to get any photos at all.”

A former town planner, Mike first became interested in photography 30 years ago, primarily to record environmental issues. He got his first big commission in 1988 when he photographed Wynyard before it was fully developed, then in 1995, he set up his own business. He has since won awards for his images of the Yorkshire Moors and Dales and is equally comfortable shooting landscape as he is capturing the activity in a busy factory or office.

As amazing as the photos are, Mike uses very little Photoshop to enhance the shots. “My view is to get it right with the camera,” he says.

One thing the project has taught him is that Castle Howard is often at it’s best when the crowds disappear.

“Most visitors go to Castle Howard in summer, but if I’m absolutely honest, it is far more attractive in spring and autumn,” he says. “It is such a beautiful place.”

• The Gardens at Castle Howard, Mike Kipling (Frances Lincoln, £16.99) is out now.