Both Ends of the Day

 The sun has been absent for the past few days so it was a bit of a pleasure that when I let the dogs out for the first bit of fresh air of the day that I saw a glow to the east. It wasn't much as we had a bit of fog lingering. However, the potential was there so I dashed inside for the camera. Even in the few short moments the colour in the sky had enhanced. I hot footed it out of the front gate and into the snow covered field to ensure the shot had a decent subject in front of the by now glowing sun. For a few brief moments I stood and fired off a number of shots. The camera was set on "manual" as it is for most of the time, and I adjusted the exposure to bracket the images. A little underexposure tends to capture the colours and not burn out the highlights.

Morning Glow.

The pastel colours were enhanced by the mist and of course the snow's blue hue complimented the sky. This just shows that a compact camera can do a pretty decent job even in difficult conditions.

 Later on in the day I took the dogs for a walk over towards Loups Hill, Cotherstone Moor. I was looking for the possibilites for future subjects, either as photographs or paintings. Sadly the light was no where near as good as this mornings but the cloud did produce a good backdrop to this desolate barn.

The Desolate Barn.

Potential for future work and luckily enough its only a short distance from home so I can pop over there at short notice.

Local wandering in the snow.

 I'm just so busy in the studio at this time thgat today I only ventured out locally with the dogs. As ever, the camera was to hand and my eye was on the lookout for anything like a decent shot. As you can see, the snow hasn't even thawed slightly, if anything we had another dusting overnight.
 Now I admit, not every trip out will result in a brilliant photograph but if you don't practise the looking for that special shot then I believe you will never improve your work.
 Here's the two shots that I came back with.

Retired for Winter.

 I pass by this old machine regularly on my walks, most times it doesn't warrant a second look but today my attention was drawn to the contrast between the white snow and thew black barn wall. The contrasting patterns of the corrugated iron and the machine added to the shot.

Roots.

 In West Plantation there is a great mixture of trees, from very old Scots Pines to wonderful mature Beech trees like this one. The blown snow gave a form to the roots and the colour of the lichen on the trunk really enhanced the frame. It was only when I got home and downloaded the shot that I noticed that fallen branch on the right. We had some discussion on my Facebook page as to whether the branch was a good or bad inclusion in the shot....the branch stays.

A Little bit Abstract

 With the bleakness of the current spell of weather I had to be a bit inventive with a subject for a reasonable photograph today. I only ventured out from the studio a short distance and I recalled the old hedgerow in a nearby field which I had passed by just a few days ago.
 The dogs were happy enough to run through the fields of fresh snow whilst I made my way to the line of trees. I had to be careful to approach the subject from a distance so that the foreground snow remained undisturbed. The object of the exercise was to produce a very stark image in black and white and todays conditions seemed to be almost perfect. Here is the result.

Treeline.

The image has had very little editing done to it. Converting to black and white was the main task which rendered the foreground completely white. The only other real work was to remove the top of a distant telegraph pole inbetween two if the trees. I'm rather pleased with the result.

More Snow

 Its late March and in recent weeks we have seen the return of birds such as Lapwings and even Curlews to their breeding grounds here in Teesdale. Well they got a real shock this morning, heavy overnight snow left us with a white world. This was possibly the heaviest single snowfall of the winter and a bit of a reversal of the seasons.
 Still, it was as ever a good chance to take the dogs out and carry the camera for any potential shots.

  The lane was pretty well covered with snow and the tractor tyres had left their usual pattern which seemed to point into the photo. Walking on I passed a field or two where the hardy Swaledale sheep were in the open. By chance there was a small neat group just on the other side of the wall. Their interest was taken by the dogs who were running in the field that I was in. All it took was for me to line up the shot with the distant farm behind and take the shot.

You can't plan this type of photograph, what it takes is having the awareness of the possibilities to turn a simple scene into a decent photo, and some luck.

Twistleton Scars

 I had the opportunity today to visit a location in the Yorkshire Dales which I had seen on other sites which had the potential for some great photos. Twistleton Scars is an area of Limestone Pavement just top the north west of Ingleton. Its only about 40 miles from home but with my time spent over in the Lake District recently means that I dont often get chance to travel elsewhere. So late on in the afternoon I took the dogs up onto the Scar to explore. It didnt look at first as if the weather would play ball, the sun had disappeared behind cloud.
 This gave me a great chance to explore this new landscape, it was wonderful, the limestone was dotted with twisted stunted trees and erratic boulders which would present superb opportunities for photographs. Luckily for me as I was admiring the scenery the sun did make the appearance I was hoping for.

Erratic Boulder.

For a short while the conditions were perfect, the low light striking the tops of the weathered rock. I used my Compact Lumix LX5 most of the time, set on manual and hand held I enjoy trying to capture the scene with this uncomplicated camera. Of course, a top quality DSLR would have had benefits but using my skills with a simpler tool has its rewards.

 I wandered around looking for the right locations to show the possibilities for future visits and the time soon passed and before I knew it the sun had set and it nwas time to make my way home. Not before capturing one or two decent shots.

 Both of these shots have had hardly any post processing, the light was just superb, the only drawback was that Ingleborough which would have made a dramatic backdrop was shrouded by cloud. Never mind, there is always a next time.

Cloudscape over Shacklesborough

It is only a short drive for me to head into a different part of Teesdale. This evening there was a bit of late sun so I took the dogs out for a quick leg stretch up past Cotherstone to Goldsborough a cap of Millstone Grit which sits neatly on the moor above Hury Reservior. The 10 minute walk from the quiet road soon brings you up to the flat top of the hill. Over to the west sits a matching outcrop of Shacklesborough about a mile or so distant.

 By chance I timed it pretty well to get a possible chance of a decent sunset photograph. The walk was the main intention but a sunset would have been a bonus. I only had the Lumix LX5 with me so it was just the opportunity to capture the scene as it was.

As it happened, I was lucky, a large black cloud which had been blocking the sun soon dispersed and there was a glimpse of the sun, nothing too strong but just a hint before it dropped behind a distant cloud layer on the horizon. I managed to get off a few shots before the whole scene changed and the light was gone.

 To me it's the clouds that make this photo, I love the drama of the sky and the hint of the sun peeping through.

 Well worth the effort of the drive to Cotherstone.

Something different.

  The past weekend saw me having the privilege of taking part in the Remembrance Day Parade at The Cenotaph in London. What a superb time it was too, meeting up with some fellow comrades, some of whom I hadn't seen for 30 years! The weather was almost perfect and I was able to take a few photos which I considered worth sharing.

November 11th Whitehall, before the parade.

Proud to serve.

The Cenotaph.