I live in the south of the UK, and I have the wonderful benefit of having the New Forest about a mile away from my home. I often go to the forest to walk my dog, or take photos. On this particular occasion though, I had gone to the forest very early on a summers’ morning in August 2013. It was probably about 5:30 or 6am in the morning, and we have free roaming ponies, cows, donkeys, and in the autumn months pigs all over the forest. I saw these ponies, and a lone cow as I was walking through the heather, and being a photographer, it was a natural instinct to take their photo, especially as the cow made me giggle with the way she was peering from behind the tree.

I live on the southern coast of Hampshire in the UK, about a mile away from the New Forest, and my nearest beach is also a mile away. Here you are in the countryside, the forest, and the seaside, and they all meet together in a very intriguing, and rather unique way. Half an hour’s drive in one direction there is the large seaside town of Bournemouth, and half an hour’s drive in the other direction there is the large port city of Southampton.

My perfect day would have to be in one of two places, and that is either the forest, or down by the sea. After a day of hard gardening, I like to escape with my camera, and my dog and we spend our time exploring, and relaxing at either of those.

It’s my family home, and I have to say that my ancestors picked a good spot. I like to be outdoors, and having the countryside around me, and the forest and beaches just a half hour walk away is perfect. I am an advocate for supporting locally sourced produce, and I can highly recommend the fish from  The Fish Stall at Mudeford Quay.

We have a lot of holiday makers that visit Bournemouth, and the New Forest, so in the spring, summer and autumn months it can get very crowded. The beaches in particular get swamped, but for the business owners it’s a vital source of income, so really we have to be grateful as not many seaside towns have survived the recession.

I think outsiders are still genuinely surprised to see ponies, cows and donkeys on the roads in the New Forest.

Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants.

• Photographer: Clayton Bastiani
• Musician: Prince
• Filmmaker: Danny Boyle