The river at Hardcastle Crags in Spring

I took this at what I think is one of the most picturesque spots on the river at Hardcastle Crags in May this year. I love how the trees lean in over the river and how bright green their new leaves are. The light reflects off the surface of the water, too, highlighting its line of flow along the valley bottom.

I cropped the image to a panoramic view and increased contrast very slightly.

Barrow Beck, above Ashness Bridge, Cumbria

This is the view upstream from the point where Barrow Beck runs under Ashness Bridge, just above Derwentwater, Cumbria. I love the shape of the little barn, the textures of the rocks and the splashes of green from the grass and ferns and white from the falling water.

I just made small tweaks to exposure and contrast in Lightroom.

Boats in the harbour at low tide, Holy Island

This is the view from Holy Island (Lindisfarne) across the harbour to the mainland. I took it on our holiday to Northumberland in August 2013 as we were walking around the island.

I cropped the original to a more panoramic shape to emphasise the line of the mainland, harbour wall and boats. I also played with exposure and contrast in the sky to get the best out of the clouds. I originally converted it to black and white...it did look good that way, but when I switched back to colour for a final decision, I noticed how it was largely made up of blues and earthy tones. Those colours appear in the boats, the land, the sand and the clouds and, I think, are worth keeping in.

On the moors at dusk

Today's photo is a moody one from the moors above Todmorden, my home town on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. It shows the track along the top of Stoodley Pike, the mountain that overlooks the town - one of my favourite places in the world! I'd walked up there from Hebden Bridge, the next town along the valley, with my friend, Hattie. We'd set off in bright sunshine but just as we neared the top of Stoodley, the black clouds came over, the sun dipped below the horizon, the wind whipped up and it started raining - perfect moors weather!

I had to use a higher ISO to get this photo, then increase exposure again in Lightroom afterwards.

Bluebells, ferns and grass in the woods, Hardcastle Crags

I took this one in May 2013 at Hardcastle Crags, Hebden Bridge. I find bluebells quite difficult to photograph - they look so lovely blanketing the ground under the trees but don't always have the same impact in photographs. So I just take LOADS of pictures of them from as many angles as I have time for, and hope some of them work! I like this one because it highlights individual flowers, includes a fern (which I also love) and includes the woodland background as context.

In Lightroom, I increased contrast and added a slight dark vignette to help the flowers and grasses stand out from the background.

Wooden fence and open gate in snowy fields

I took this one a few years ago when I only had a compact camera. As a project, I carried my camera to and from my son's school for a year to photograph our route through the seasons. We're lucky to live somewhere where our route to school takes us through such lovely scenery.

Thought I'd post this today as it's as close to a Christmassy scene as I've got in landscape photographs - haven't had any decent snow here for 3 years now - fingers crossed for January and February!

I'm giving myself Christmas Day and Boxing Day off the blog, so...MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!

Sheep, barn and dry stone wall at Malham

Another one from our walk around Malham, North Yorkshire in August this year. This is halfway between the Cove and Gordale Scar. I thought the barn, wall and gates were lovely anyway, but the sheep were perfectly positioned to make an even better composition - I had to be quick before they moved!

In Lightroom, I used a grad filter to bring exposure down in the sky.