Nice one.
Nice one.
The early morning lunar eclipse yesterday found us engulfed in cloud and mist, so nothing doing there. But earlier in the week I caught a glimpse of the moon rising through the trees behind the house and dashed out with my camera for a few not very technically good shots. But it made me happy.
Boy
Excellent capture.
Certosa di Pavia
Impressive indeed! Is that terra cotta decoration as in some of those scenes you have shown us un the past?
Three Days of Heather
At the top of the gorge the river does a little dog leg to the left and then right into another steep sided valley. Someone walking up the river reaches this tree just before that point. Just beyond here, there's a place you can cross the river to reach Black Coppice.
Interesting comparisons. Yes, I prefer the GFX100S shots, but much of that may possibly be the light quality. Shadows seem less harsh.
The Oly shots in overcast conditions are different and equally attractive - to me anyway! The moving water makes a big change in mood.
Three Days of Heather
Heather season has arrived. That five minute window when the moorland heather is at its most colourful that I always seem to just catch the tail end of. But not this year as I've still got plenty of free time on my hands, I've been determined to get out and catch it at its best. Of course, free time is not the only requirement for making the most of this brief window, you also need the right sort of weather and sufficient energy to reach the best spots.
I thought I knew what the right sort of weather was for heather. Bright sunny days with broken cloud, or a vivid sunset to draw out the reddish hue, but after this week, I'm not so sure.
Near the end of the walk, I'm stood above the Black Coppice quarries looking towards Healey Nab. For anyone who's seen Healey Nab from the M61, this view is from the opposite side. The reddish patch in the middle of the distant hill is the abandoned quarry where the murky depths of Blue Water may be found.
One final point. At the top, I mentioned that I thought I knew what the best weather conditions were to photograph heather, namely bright and sunny. But in some way, I think I prefer the look of the last set taken on the overcast day, they've got a moody and slightly brooding quality the other shots lack. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts?
I actually like the first set better for some reason. I like this one because it shows a sea of heather, even if it is an informative rather than artistic shot.
Looks like heather is like the Blueberry Autumn red in the Apennines, in that it needs to be shot right on the right day to catch it at its best.
Moonrise
The early morning lunar eclipse yesterday found us engulfed in cloud and mist, so nothing doing there. But earlier in the week I caught a glimpse of the moon rising through the trees behind the house and dashed out with my camera for a few not very technically good shots. But it made me happy.
Well, they look good to me. I like the first spooky frame best.
Rain drops
Attractive plant.
Three Days of Heather
Heather season has arrived. That five minute window when the moorland heather is at its most colourful that I always seem to just catch the tail end of. But not this year as I've still got plenty of free time on my hands, I've been determined to get out and catch it at its best. Of course, free time is not the only requirement for making the most of this brief window, you also need the right sort of weather and sufficient energy to reach the best spots.
I thought I knew what the right sort of weather was for heather. Bright sunny days with broken cloud, or a vivid sunset to draw out the reddish hue, but after this week, I'm not so sure.
Monday - X-T50
Monday had promise. As I left the White Coppice car park around 9:30, the skies were clear and the temperatures had dropped to what I'd describe as pleasant. There was even a gentle breeze in the air. I'd planned to follow Black Brook up onto the moors. This stream winds across the moors before plunging into a rocky gorge that is often lined with heather.
My energy levels were pretty low, so to mitigate this I packed very light, just taking the little X-T50 and a handful of lenses, which all neatly fit into a small Billingham shoulder bag. I didn't fancy carrying the hefty Fujinon 16-55 f/2.8, a large lens for a small camera, so I substituted the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 instead. This is tiny and light, but it lacks an aperture ring, zooms the wrong way and has significant optical issues (serious distortion and fringing to name but too). I also packed the Fujinon 10-24 f/4, another lens that's always disappointed me, being a bit fuzzy at the corners so it doesn't get a lot of use, although the centre of the frame is pretty sharp. Finally, because there was space and it's not too heavy, I threw in the Fujinon 55-200 in case I needed a longer reach. I used this a handful of times, although non of the images are in this set. I also had my trusty old 77m B+W CPL which did double duty on both the 18-50 and 55-200 via a cascade of step up rings.
Initially, considering myself a bit out of practice at rock hopping, I ignored the river and instead scrambled up through the quarry onto the moors. Above the quarry, there's a path that follows the river, running along the top of the gorge, this is easier and safer than trying to navigate the edges of the river itself. I followed this for about 1/3rd of a mile and then found a path overgrown with ferns that leads down the steep bank of the gorge to the river.
From the bottom of the path, it's a short walk back downstream to reach this spot.
Wow, the heather really puts a different slant on some of these familiar scenes.
@Wormsmeat has written:Weird, why would somebody carry a tent down to the waters edge?
To keep the sun off I guess.
Moonrise
The early morning lunar eclipse yesterday found us engulfed in cloud and mist, so nothing doing there. But earlier in the week I caught a glimpse of the moon rising through the trees behind the house and dashed out with my camera for a few not very technically good shots. But it made me happy.
Wow, both so atmospheric.