Monsal Dale
Had the good fortune and good weather to visit Monsal Dale early in the week. I had been wanting to visit this location to shoot some pictures for a while. Lucky for me I timed the visit very well, as the weather in Ashbourne today is quite vile.
Monsal Dale is a spectacular place to visit. The River Wye cuts through the limestone valley below you as you look at its beauty from above. Clearly visible is the great brick Headstone Viaduct which carried the Midland railway over the river. When it was built it enraged quite a few folk and even leading John Ruskin to write
'There was a rocky valley between Buxton and Bakewell, once upon a time, divine as the Vale of Tempe... You Enterprised a Railroad through the valley - you blasted its rocks away, heaped thousands of tons of shale into its lovely stream. The valley is gone, and the Gods with it; and now, every fool in Buxton can be in Bakewell in half an hour, and every fool in Bakewell at Buxton; which you think a lucrative process of exchange – you Fools everywhere'.
I find it rather elegant and another fine piece of civil engineering
So the trip down to the river below, is quite steep but not arduous. I was headed down the valley to the weir, where the river tumbles about 20 feet making a spectacular picture.
Landscape Workshop Day
Saturday 27th September was my first 1-1 landscape workshop. A fine autumn day lay ahead, with visits to Padley Gorge, Higger Tor and finally ending at Mam Tor in the Peak district. Had a cracking day, enjoyed shooting long exposures of the River Burbage at Padley. Another few weeks and the leaves will be starting to turn, so the woodland will look fantastic. Stopped off en route to Higger Tor at the Scotsman pack Inn Hathersage, sampled a pint and some lunch. The weather was a little too perfect for Landscape work, with the distant hills softened by haze. I like my skies a little moodier, could have been worse though. Finished off a long day at Mam Tor, with some great late afternoon sun. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable day, with pleasant company. I hope Nick will have learned a few things today.
Always have a plan
So the forecast was looking good for some autumn landscapes. The plan was to visit Dovedale early around 6.30am.Shoot some atmospheric hill images. Forecast had said early morning mist that would burn off with the morning sun. Perfect for me.
However the morning just got worse, with low cloud and drizzle. Revert to plan b, so did some long exposures of the River Dove, actually the weather for this was perfect, nothing worse when doing long exposure shots than the sun shining and creating specular highlights. My exposures were showing 4 mins at times, which is quite a long time considering your balancing precariously on bits of rock in the middle of a fast flowing Derbyshire river. All images taken with the X pro 1 14mm, 18mm, and the 55-200 zoom. Tripod mounted with attached 10 stop filter. Its great for shooting moving water.
Shooting in monochrome
A recent outing to capture some of the rolling hillsides around our village. Clouds were scudding across the sky, giving fleeting bursts of sunlight . The light was fantastic, a real joy to be out in the first month of Autumn. The last remaining straw bales lay like discarded toys in some giants play area.
Such a morning to be out, rain had fallen overnight and the fields were a little soggy. Boots caked in mud, as I wandered over looking for the best angles and light. All the images taken with the Fuji X pro 1, with the 18,14 and the big zoom, combined with a couple of nd grads to calm the bright sky down. I love making monochrome images, they remind me of a time pre digital. Working in a darkroom with strange chemicals and seeing the images appear on the paper for the first time. Anyone new to photography should do this, you learn so much, and its a great experience. Some images from the fields around Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire.
First signs of Autumn
Woke up to find a blanket of fog covering the valley this morning, and a garden covered in dew laden cobwebs. The spiders are so busy I am always amazed to see just how much work goes into a cobweb. The faintest breath of wind and the webs sway, making focus difficult. I shot these pictures this morning using the Fuji 55-200 which offers me better control over background detail as well as precise subject framing. The sun was breaking through but the light was still nice and diffused, I like shooting cobwebs contre jour as you get a nice rimlight on the dew. Heres some images
Looks like a snow capped mountain, the building of these smaller webs are a joy to look at. Fuji X pro 1 55-200mm
Iron gate makes for a perfect frame for the web. Fuji Xpro 1 55-200 mm
I love the colours in this shot Fuji Xpro1 55-200
Pleasing background bokah from the 55-200 just have to love this lens
Talk about overcrowding in spider land. Colours are lovely and muted. Fuji Xpro1 55-200mm