In March 2016 Leeds based photographic artist Tom Marsh enlisted the help of over 60 photographers, both professional and amateur alike, to document each and every square kilometre of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in awe inspiring photographs. The Yorkshire Dales Photographic Grid Project is a mass public venture which shows off the diverse landscape, rich history and contemporary culture of this fascinating area.

Each and every participant was allocated one or more areas of the National Park, 16 kilometres square on average. Their task was to make a photograph on, or as close to as possible, the points at which the grid lines on an OS Map intersect. The result is an incredible photographic document of every kilometre of the Dales.

The project pulls together the experience of each individual contributor, their unique perspectives on the area and the distinctive landscape of the National Park. From locals to visitors, the people who have provided this archive have put their hearts and soles into showing what makes the Yorkshire Dales special to them.

When Tom first conceived the idea for the project, his aim was to produce a body of work that not only shows the Dales at its best but also shows off areas that are rarely visited. We see so many images of iconic landmarks and landscapes but to me the Yorkshire Dales is much more than those. It is a living, working landscape which, at times can be harsh. Obtaining many of the photographs has been no mean feat, as project contributors battled with unforgiving, boggy moorland and steep escarpments. In the project’s finished form, Tom feels his aims have been met and more. The Yorkshire Dales Photographic Grid Project is far more than a document of the land it is a document of the people, both visitors and locals alike, and their perceptions of this captivating area of the country.