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

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.

River flowing around mossy rocks and autumn leaves.

This is at Hardcastle Crags, photographed about this time last year. I took 3 different exposures - one fast, one very long and this one, which I think captures the best of both - the darker water is smoothed out to simplify the scene, but there's still an element of movement in the white water.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 5s, 38mm, tripod & cable release.

Heron in the river at Hardcastle Crags.

I've seen the heron at Hardcastle Crags many times but never managed to photograph it. A few weeks ago, I followed it quite a long way upstream, seeing it in numerous places each time it stopped to fish, but I only had a wide lens on my camera and couldn't get close enough. So, today, I deliberately took my long lens in the hope that I'd see it. I couldn't believe my luck when I reached the river beside Gibson Mill and found it posing perfectly for me in the waterfall. Then it flew further upstream and I managed another shot of it perched on the river bank. I'd love to know if there's more than one heron - I've only ever seen one on its own.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4.8, 1/125s, -1 step exp bias, 210mm, hand held

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5, 1/200s, -1 step exp bias, 120mm, hand held

River Greta with Blencathra in the background (2)

I last posted a photo of this view not long after starting my blog on 15th Nov 2014. In that photo you could clearly see the mountain Blencathra in the background - this photo shows it hidden under low clouds. In the bottom of the valley, beside the river, is the holiday village where we stay in Keswick - a perfect location (although it suffered greatly in the floods last Christmas, when the River Greta broke its banks and washed several caravans away).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 1/200s, 24mm, hand held.

Malham Cove.

This one's from early August last year, at the start of a circular walk from the Cove to the Tarn.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 22mm, hand held.

Path winding down the Coledale valley beneath Grisedale Pike.

This one's from August last year, photographed from Coledale Hause. We'd just climbed Grisedale Pike (on the left) and were about to walk back down the valley along the path in the photo. You can also see the Beck winding its way off into the distance at the point the path straightens out.

The mountains in the background are Skiddaw and Blencathra.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/200s, 18mm, hand held.

Roots entwining a fallen log on a river bank.

Another one from Hardcastle Crags, a local National Trust propery and one of my favourite haunts. I took this one in June last year - the River Hebden is sparkling in the background.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 34mm, hand held.

Summer foliage over the River Hebden at Hardcastle Crags.

This one's from June last year, photographed on a lower section of the river between the mill and Midgehole car park. There's some blurring of the branches and leaves due to a breeze and the long exposure, but I don't think it matters as there's an obvious sense of motion to the picture anyway in the water.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 13s, 18mm, tripod, ND filters.

Southwark Bridge in early evening Spring sunshine.

I took this almost exactly a year ago on a short break to London. I love this bridge and everything around it - the cranes (which seem to be a fixture!), the towers, the mixture of new & old buildings lining the Thames... They all look even better in golden hour light too.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/9, 1/80s, 44mm, hand held.

Abstract reflections on the River Hebden.

Another one from Hardcastle Crags, this time from March last year. It's a crop from a much wider shot. The effect on the rippled surface of the water is a mixture of reflections from the sky and trees and the sunlight hitting the stones on the river bed.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/200s, 55mm, hand held.

Rich colours and vegetation at a junction of valleys at Blake Dean.

This is at the top of Hardcastle Crags where the valley splits - in the background of this photo you can see the Graining Water valley; to the right of the image (out of sight) is Alcomden Water. The 2 rivers merge to form Hebden Beck, which runs down through the Crags (just visible in the bottom left of this photo). This is a lovely spot in any season and is a great place to picnic and paddle when it's warm enough!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/13, 1/100s, 42mm, hand held.

Web-like tangle of white branches over the River Hebden

This is from March last year at Hardcastle Crags. Don't know if this tree was dead or just in its leafless winter state, but it contrasted beautifully against the surrounding earth tones.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/9, 1/60s, 22mm, hand held.

River Hebden flowing around leaves and rocks

I took this at the beginning of November at Hardcastle Crags. I had my tripod and was experimenting with different lengths of exposure to see what worked best. I have lots of different versions now and keep changing my mind about which I prefer - smoothed out or rough textured. I definitely like this one, though - at the rougher textured end of the scale.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/4s, 55mm, tripod.

River Hebden flowing beneath autumnal trees.

I took this one this morning at Hardcastle Crags - with my tripod, my son and I balanced on a rock in the middle of the river. It's absolutely lovely at the moment - the colours are so vivid and varied. There was a heavy mist when we arrived, but it lifted and the sun got through for a while. I wish I could have stayed all day!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 1/2s, 18mm, tripod.

Looking up the sunny Coledale valley

Here's another photo of the lovely Coledale valley (from August this year). It's taken from the path beneath Grisedale Pike, looking up towards Coledale Hause at the head of the valley.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200s, 18mm, hand held.

London's Houses of Parliament at night

Obviously this is a much-photographed scene, but I couldn't resist during my trip to London in March this year. There were quite a few other photographers along the Thames path, between this point and our hotel near Southwark Bridge, all with tripods! The sensible choice at that time of night, but I hadn't taken mine so had to up the ISO and apply lots of noise reduction in Lightroom. I also rested my camera on the top of the wall to help with sharpness.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/50s,  18mm, hand held.

Vividly coloured reflections and sunlight in a shallow river

This is the River Hebden at Hardcastle Crags. The golden coloured areas are sunlight hitting the rocks and pebbles on the river bed; the rest of the colours are reflections of trees and blue skies above.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 48mm, hand held.