Seagull silhouetted against the sunset at Liverpool Docks

We spent last weekend in Liverpool, exploring and shopping, and loved it. On our first evening wandering along the waterfront we were lucky enough to get a gorgeous sunset, with plenty of great shapes to silhouette against it. 

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/100s, 35mm, hand held.

Early Autumn on the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey

Here's another picture from my visit to Bolton Abbey last week - a much wider stretch of the river this time. The leaves are just starting to change colour - I'd love to go back in a few weeks to get the full Autumn palette.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125s, 35mm, hand held.

Bubble trail along the River Wharfe downstream from the Strid at Bolton Abbey

Yesterday I visited lovely Bolton Abbey for the first time in many years. The Strid is a section of the river Wharfe where the huge volume of water rushes through a narrow, rocky gap. Although the Strid is dramatic and definitely worthy of photos, I was actually more drawn to this section, just downstream from it, where the river gradually widens again. The frothy bubbles produced by the force of the water above form a white trail down the centre of the river.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/100s, 17mm, hand held

Weeping willow overhanging the lake at Harewood House

I visited Harewood House in Leeds for the first time in August this year. The lake, house and gardens are lovely and I'll definitely go back (especially for the afternoon tea overlooking the terrace!). The bright sunlight was just breaking through these thick weeping willow branches on the edge of the lake creating shadows, reflections and shimmering colours on the water.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/125s, 35mm, hand held.

Storm clouds over moorland above Walshaw Dean reservoirs.

I took this one this afternoon on a walk around Walshaw Dean and Gorple reservoirs at Widdop, above Hebden Bridge. Just before I took this photo, there was a flash of lightning through the black clouds above the moor - typically, when I got my camera in position, it stopped!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/640s, 62mm, hand held.

View towards Manhattan from Brooklyn Promenade just before sunset

I returned from a 10-day family holiday to New York about a week ago, having taken hundreds of new photos. It was a wonderful experience and I'm going to really enjoy re-living it as I gradually process them all.

I took this first one from Brooklyn Promenade. I knew there was a good photo opportunity to be had looking across the East River to Manhattan at sunset, but it was a nice surprise to also find the silhouetted basketball courts on the pier below us. The sail-boat passing through the sun-lit patch of water just before the sun dipped behind the buildings was another bonus.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/200s, 65mm, hand held.

Track through Whinlatter Forest.

This is one of the tracks leading uphill through Whinlatter Forest in Keswick. I took the photo in August 2015. This is somewhere I would happily return to every time I visit the Lake District - I'd never run out of photographic inspiration there.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 1/30s, 18mm, hand held.

Tiny spiky pink flower covered in raindrops

This is a weed growing amongst the plants in my flower beds - I've no idea what it is. I'll be pulling it out with the dandelions etc when it finally stops raining, but in the mean time it looks brilliant covered in tiny raindrops!

I've posted 2 versions of the photo here for you to decide which you like best - the only difference is the depth of field.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200; 1/10s at f/16 / 1/80s at f/6.3; 90mm; tripod & cable release.

Raindrop on a Sedum leaf

I took this one today in my garden. It had been raining all morning and the Sedum plant is great at catching and holding onto raindrops.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/100s, 35mm, hand held.

Wilting gerbera

One of my favourite things to photograph - a wilting flower. I'd cut this stem from a plant on my window sill and was about to throw it away when I noticed how lovely the curling petals were, particularly when viewed from beneath.

I reduced clarity and vibrance in Lightroom to give the image a softer feel.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5, 1/40s, 35mm, hand held.

Tree framed by shadows on Great Whernside

I took this one towards the start of a walk up Great Whernside from Kettlewell in April this year. It was a windy day, with the clouds being blown across the sun, creating shadows across the hillside. I liked how, at this moment, they seemed to frame the tree against the sunlit background.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/250s, 35mm, hand held.

Red peony bud covered in raindrops

I took this photo in my garden just after a heavy rain shower about a week ago. There were also lots of flowers in full bloom which, due to their size, ended up weighed down to the ground by raindrops. I cut all the flowers and put them in vases inside, just leaving the new buds behind.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 1/80s, 90mm, hand held.

Lone sailboat on Derwentwater

I took this from one of the Derwentwater launches, as we crossed the lake in August last year. I love how the lake looks on dark, cloudy days. The mountain in the background is Skiddaw, usually standing out in bright green and purples at that time of year, but dark and shadowy on this particular afternoon.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/320s, -1step exp bias, 20mm, hand held.

Reflections at Canary Wharf

This one's from our few days in London in June last year - taken at Canary Wharf, just below the DLR bridge.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/80s, 35mm, hand held.

Little flower in woodland

A little purple flower standing out against a backdrop of green leaves beneath the trees at Hardcastle Crags.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/400s, -1 step exp bias, 90mm, hand held.

Harbour reflections

This one's from a few weeks ago at Whitby, cropped in from a much wider (more 'postcardy') photo of the harbour. I was trying to decide what was the best composition and ended up cutting out everything except these colourful reflections.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/200s, 35mm, hand held.

Evening clouds over Haworth

I was at Haworth last night to watch my son in another fell race. After a lovely, warm weekend, it was back to winter layers for all the spectators, but the clouds and sky around sunset were stunning!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/250s, 20mm, hand held.

Big Ben / Elizabeth Tower against a grey sky.

I googled Big Ben before writing this post, as I knew that was really the name of the bell rather than the tower itself. What I didn't know, was that the tower (previously just referred to as The Clock Tower) was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012, for the Queen's diamond jubilee.

I took the photo in June last year - I love how the gold seems to glow against the backdrop of grey clouds.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/200s, 35mm, hand held.

Sunlight highlighting a bare tree at Ogden Water

This one's from my second visit to Ogden Water this week. I went back with my tripod to get some macro shots, then had another wander round the woods. It was an overcast afternoon, but windy, so every now and then the clouds blew away and the sun broke through for a few seconds. I spotted that this tree was getting singled out whenever that happened, so I stood and waited for the next gap in the clouds and got the shot.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/2, 1/160s, 35mm, hand held.

Muddy woodland at Ogden Water.

This weekend I visited one of our local reservoirs - Ogden Water. My son went for a long muddy run across the surrounding moors, whilst I wandered around the woods with my camera. This is the last photo I took on the day - it's a muddy, but very colourful, ditch over a wall beside the car park.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/100s, 35mm, hand held.

Winter woodland at Hebers Ghyll

We visited Hebers Ghyll, Ilkley, for the first time just over a week ago. I'd seen it mentioned in my favourite photography magazine and, coincidentally, my son had a fell race coming up in Ilkley. It turned out the walk was only a few minutes away from the race, so we combined the two. Hebers Ghyll is a really lovely stream falling down through rocky, mossy woodland on the lower slopes of Ilkley Moor. There are many little waterfalls and a path winding along beside and criss-crossing it via little footbridges. Plenty more photos to follow from that day!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/80s, 35mm, hand held.

Blackpool seafront

Welcome to my first post of 2017! I took this one at Christmas - I love the light, lines and curves on the Blackpool seafront. The view here is beneath Central Pier, looking towards North Pier.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4, 1/500s, 35mm, hand held.