Looking across Derwentwater to low clouds and sunlight on Blencathra

This one's from our holiday to Keswick in August this year. We'd just cruised across the lake on one of the launches and were starting to walk along the shore towards Portinscale. The mountain lit by the sun is Blencathra, also known as Saddleback due to the shape of its main ridge (which is obscured by clouds on this photo).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/200s, 55mm, hand held.

Birds flocking over Blackpool's North Pier at dusk

Back from my Christmas break now with a new set of photos to play with! I took this a couple of days ago in Blackpool. My husband and I walked from his parents' house to the seafront with the dogs and I took my camera 'just in case'. Glad I did, because the light was beautiful as the sun went down. We also got treated to a show from these birds (starlings?) flocking around the pier, creating different patterns of dark waves against the sky.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/125s, 48mm, hand held.

Line of snowy trees on Roils Head Moor

In the absence of any snow this Christmas (it's windy and raining!), I decided to use a snowy photo from earlier in the year today. I took this one early morning in January on our local moor. Apparently they're planning to build houses all over this moor, which would be very sad for those who appreciate our green spaces.

Merry Christmas everyone - I'll probably take a couple of days off now!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/10, 1/80s, 26mm, hand held.

Twisted, mossy tree trunks in woodland.

This is a section of woodland beside the path near Broadhead Clough in Mytholmroyd. I took the photo this morning on a walk with my sons - the first time any of us has done this route (Mytholmroyd-Broadhead Clough-Erringden Moor-Mytholmroyd). It was a nice enough walk, but really boggy because of all the recent rain - lots of clothes and boots washing to be done when we got back!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4, 1/100s, 20mm, hand held.

Sunlight and shadows across North Yorkshire countryside

I took this one in Malham in August this year. We were towards the end of a walk from Malham, along the Cove, up to the Tarn and back over the hillside above Cove Road. This view looks right across the Cove (in the dip between fore- and mid-ground) towards Goredale Scar (to the left of where the sunlight is hitting).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/10, 1/160s, 46mm, hand held.

Crumbling log

Another log photo! A decaying one this time, photographed in June 2013 at Hardcastle Crags.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/5, 1/20s, 34mm, hand held.

Puddles on the moor at Penistone Hill Country Park, Oxenhope.

I took this one this morning. My son was taking part in a fell run around the quarries at Penistone Country Park - we were walking the route prior to the race when I took this photo. It was a lovely morning but, as you can see, it was quite boggy - the kids were covered in mud when they finished!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 18mm, hand held.

A summer day at Hollingworth Lake

This is from a walk/bike ride with the kids round Hollingworth Lake at the beginning of the school holidays in July this year. There was a great mixture of clouds that day, with the odd bit of blue showing through.

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

Long grass in heavy snow.

I took this one afternoon in January this year, on our local moor. The snow had only just fallen and the sky was still heavy with it. I love how snow creates such minimalist scenes - in any other weather, this line of grass would probably not get a second look.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/80s, 26mm, hand held.

Hollow log surrounded by foliage.

I found this lovely natural 'still life' arrangement in the woods at Crimsworth Dean, Hebden Bridge, on a walk in June this year. The log looks like it would make a cosy home for a little rodent!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5, 1/100s, 22mm, hand held.

Sunshine, dark clouds and ducks on Grasmere.

This one's from our holiday to the Lake District in August this year. On this day, we walked from Grasmere village, along the lake to this point, then along the length of Rydal Water. The weather was switching from heavy rain to bright sunshine, leading to some great contrasts within the sky, land and water.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

Autumn colours around a leaf-shadowed tree trunk

I spotted this tree, just above Bacup Road, Todmorden, on a long walk in October this year. The weather wasn't that great at the time, but the leaves on the tree still stood out. The following day, I returned to the spot with my tripod - this time the sun was out and the sky blue, making the colours even more dazzling and adding the lovely leaf-shadow patterns to the tree trunk.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/80s, 55mm, tripod.

Dunstanburgh Castle beyond rock pools north of Craster

We'd just been for a wander around Dunstanburgh Castle when I took this photo in August 2013. Instead of following the path back through the fields to Craster, we diverted down onto the rock pools to see what we could find. One of the things I found was a better view of the castle!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/13, 1/80s, 22mm, hand held.

Canary Wharf tube station (2)

I took this during my London trip in March this year. These escalators take you up to ground level, heading towards Heron Quays.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/50s, 18mm, hand held.

Leaves and stems of a Sedum plant surrounded by pink flowers.

I took this one in September last year. Most of my images were of the pretty, intricate flowers and the insects that landed on them. I also really like the shape and form of the leaves and stems of Sedum plants though, so decided to do some shots with them as the main focus.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/9, 1/200s, 90mm, hand held.

Old, dead tree in a foggy field.

Anyone who drives up and down the Calder valley on a regular basis will probably recognise this tree - it stands on its own in the middle of a field just outside Mytholmroyd, near the high school. I've been admiring it for years and always wanted to photograph it. It seems to change colour with the weather and seasons - sometimes looking grey, sometimes glowing white.

I finally ended up stopping the car one day in October when it was in a 'glowing' phase, standing out against the autumn colours of the trees in the background that line the edge of the field (I'll post that photo another day). Then a couple of weeks later I was on my way to Hardcastle Crags to photograph the woodland on a foggy morning, when I saw the tree like this - looking ghostly and alone, the background trees hidden in the fog. I have a feeling these won't be the last photos I take of this tree!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/125s, 55mm, hand held.

Peacock feather

I bought three of these gorgeous feathers for £1 each at a farm shop near Carnforth, Lancashire, in September (we'd just seen the peacock itself on the farm!). There used to be peacocks on Todmorden park when I was little and I remember that if you were lucky you'd sometimes find one of their feathers on the ground.

I finally got round to photographing one yesterday and they're as good a subject as I'd hoped. The individual fronds look like tinsel when magnified and the colours are spectacular.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 25s, 90mm, tripod (lit by the room's normal ceiling light bulb)

Shadows and reflections on the Rochdale canal

I took this on a late afternoon in April this year when the sun was low and the shadows long. It's somewhere between Luddenden Foot and Mytholmroyd.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/80s, 22mm, hand held.

Stile at the top of Watlowes dry valley, Malham.

One from early August this year. This wall runs right down the middle of the valley until it reaches the limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove. On this day, we'd just walked up from there and were continuing on to the Tarn.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

Dew droplets on a spider's web spun in long grass

This was a totally unexpected find in early November at Hardcastle Crags this year. It was a foggy morning and the trees were in full autumn colour so I took my tripod hoping to get some atmospheric woodland shots. Whilst walking through the trees I noticed lots of these webs in the tall grass, all glistening with the dew drops that had settled on them from the fog. Luckily, I'd also packed my macro lens, so I set up the tripod and got a few shots from different angles.

I converted to black and white to take away the distracting bright greens of the grass.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 1.6s, 90mm, tripod.

Barge moving along the Rochdale canal

I took this on a late afternoon at the end of October this year, just outside Sowerby Bridge. I had just set my tripod up to take photos of the autumn foliage when I saw this barge appearing from the tunnel in the distance. I liked the idea of getting a long exposure motion shot (making one of the slowest-moving forms of transport look super-fast!) so had to quickly attach ND filters and guess my camera settings, knowing I'd only get one chance at it. Happily, it worked!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 30s, 20mm, ND filters, tripod.

Light and shade across the Calder valley and Stoodley Pike

This one's from March this year on a walk from Blackstone Edge past the reservoirs. I was somewhere near Gaddings Dam at around midday when I took this photo, looking over Todmorden towards Stoodley Pike.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/125s, 40mm, hand held.

Low morning sunburst behind bare winter trees

I took this one on a walk from Warley down to Luddenden and back in March this year. This is about half way down the valley side, hence the angle of the photo, looking up through the treetops to the sunshine.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 1/320s, 18mm, hand held.

Little shell on a rock on Seahouses beach

I took this one in August 2013 whilst on holiday at Seahouses, \Northumberland. I liked how the smooth, white shell contrasted against both the rough, dark rock and the blue sea and sky in the background.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/5.3, 1/125s, 48mm, hand held.

Little flowers growing in a gap in Malham's limestone pavement

I took this in August whilst walking from Malham Cove to the Tarn. There are lots of different plants growing out of little holes in the rock - really lovely and very impressive how they manage to flourish somewhere so exposed.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 800, f/11, 1/125s, 44mm, hand held.

Shaft of sunlight on the lower slopes of High Stile, Buttermere.

One from our holiday to the Lake District in August this year. The clouds were great that day - fast moving and creating gaps big enough for these shafts of sunlight to get through. You could watch them moving across the fells like big spotlights.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200s, 40mm, hand held.

Muddy path between trees and mossy walls.

This is the Luddenden end of the path that runs past the church and alongside the river up the valley bottom. I took the photo at the end of a walk around the valley back in February this year. I love the different bright shades of green in the moss and leaves and the way the light catches the muddy puddles.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 20mm, hand  held.

Tangled boughs

I passed this little group of trees on the way down the hill after walking round Withens Clough reservoir, Cragg Vale, in June this year. I was drawn to the contrast of their light coloured, winding branches against the dark, shadowy background.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/9, 1/160s, 40mm, hand held.

Stone wall and snow-covered fields under a threatening sky

I took this last winter at the top corner of Roils Head moor, looking towards the Luddenden valley. The word 'bleak' comes to mind!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5, 1/800s, 18mm, hand held.

Little waterfall at Maple Dean Clough, Norland.

Yesterday I did a lovely walk from Sowerby Bridge to Norland and back, climbing up via Maple Dean Clough. I didn't want to carry my tripod as it was a long walk, so came up with the idea of using a bean-filled microwaveable neck cushion in a plastic bag as a camera rest. It worked brilliantly - I used it for this shot, along with a remote release.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 1 sec, 18mm, 'bean bag' & remote release.

Sunrise over Halifax roof- and tree-tops

I let the dogs out into the garden this morning, looked up and saw this beautiful sunrise. Luckily I already had my camera out ready for a long walk today, so I nipped back in for it and quickly took some photos. This one is a combination of 3 shots merged into a panorama in Photoshop.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/250s, 18mm, hand held.

Puddle on the road leading up to Honister Pass

Today's photo is from my holiday to Keswick in August this year. On this day we were walking around Lake Buttermere - this is the section of the walk near Gatesgarth Farm where you join the road for a short while.

It's strange to think that in the middle of such stunning scenery I would choose to photograph a puddle, but the puddle really was the main focus of this image, with the mountains playing a background role. I really liked the reflections and the way the light and water brought out the textured lines on the road surface.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 1/200s, 18mm, hand held.

Woodland path in Autumn

This path runs through the trees alongside Ryburn reservoir, leading up the hill towards Baitings reservoir, Ripponden. I took the photo on a drizzly morning in October. The sky was dark and grey but the colourful trees made up for it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/8, 1/30s, 28mm, circular polariser, hand held.

Early morning sunshine on snowy Roils Head moor

Another one from my early-morning photography trip to the local moor in January this year. Having watched the sun rise, we spent a cold but exciting hour wandering round the fields - the light changed constantly and there were endless photo opportunities.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/9, 1/250s, 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.

Reflections of trees between stones in a puddle

This is one of the first photos I took at Hardcastle Crags with my DSLR in June 2013. I'd intended photographing a little waterfall, but when I got there found that it had dried up due to a recent lack of rain. All that was left was this little puddle, so I set up my tripod above it and experimented. Close-up compositions had quite an abstract effect, made even more so by focusing on the reflections rather than the stones.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/9, 1.3s, 55mm, tripod.

Light and shade across the Luddenden valley

This is from February this year. There were lots of clouds around and the sun was popping in and out, lighting up patches of the hillside, whilst leaving other areas in deep shadows. Usually I try to avoid putting telegraph lines in an image, but I liked how they emphasised the contrast here - they're lit up in the foreground sun against the dark backdrop of trees.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/100s, 55mm, hand held.

Shadows of branches cast across a stone canal bridge

I took this one in April this year on the Rochdale canal, just outside Sowerby Bridge. It was around 5pm so the sun was quite low, casting strong shadows and bringing out the colours in the stone.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250s, 18mm, hand held.

Winter tree framed by a break in the clouds

I took this on Roils Head moor in January this year. It was getting dark and we were making our way off the moor when I noticed how the edge of the clouds seemed to be framing this tree. You can see the dark rooftops of Norton Tower in the background, where a single street lamp has switched on.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/50s, 52mm, hand held.

Pillar-lined passage at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

More of the lovely architecture at the Old Royal Naval College, photographed in March this year. This is a crop from a wider scale portrait shot that included the ceiling. Whilst the ceiling was also quite impressive, the composition worked much better when narrowed down to this cross-section of the passage. This way you get to really appreciate the different tones in the pillars and stone floor as well as the lines and light.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 32mm, hand held.

Graining Water in spring sunshine

Any regular visitors to Widdop will know this view - it's taken from the Widdop Road bridge at Blake Dean. It's always a lovely scene, just changing colours with the seasons. This photo was taken in late March this year.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 36mm, hand held.

Abstract colourful bokeh

The subject in this photo is the glass plant-pot butterfly from my earlier post on 14th October. I wanted to replicate the effect of screwing your eyes up so that you can just see blurred sparkles, so I played with the camera focus.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/1000s, 90mm, hand held.

Bare tree amidst autumn colours in foggy woodland

Hardcastle Crags again today - one from a couple of weeks ago. I'd taken my tripod aiming for some long exposures of the river. Having spent 20 minutes or so doing this, I decided to pack away and move further up the river, turned away from the water and saw this. It's usually the pictures I don't go looking for that excite me the most and, to me, are the best!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/125s, 18mm, hand held.

The Walsden valley from above Bacup Rd on a drizzly autumn afternoon

I took this on the first stretch of a walk around Sourhall, Cornholme and Lydgate a couple of weeks ago. The drizzly low light conditions seemed to make the autumn colours even more vivid - the valley and its contours look lovely.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/80s, 40mm, hand held.

A boat named 'Hopeful'

'Hopeful' of ever sailing again, maybe...?! This boat is on the edge of the promenade at Morecambe - I have no idea what its story is, but I'm intrigued. I think sunset was a good time to photograph the boat - it seems to signy its stage of life!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/16, 1/125s, 18mm, hand held.

Distant crows amongst bare trees

I'm sure this picture isn't going to be everyone's 'cup of tea' but there's something about the textures and mood that I really like. I took it in February this year, in woodland above Jerusalem Farm in the Luddenden valley. I was drawn to the silhouette of the bird perched on the post and watched it, expecting it to fly off. When it stayed still for so long I decided to try to get a picture of it and, as I did, the other one flew into the scene.

I was shooting landscapes so had a wide angle lens and was unable to zoom in any further, but I like the fact that the surroundings are there for context and that this represents my actual view from a distance.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/100s, 55mm.

Flowering thistle on the path beside Malham Tarn

Another one from my walk around Malham Tarn (which is just off the photo to the right) in August this year. I liked the splash of purple in amongst the greens and white limestone. It was a dark, cloudy evening so I had to use a high ISO as I hadn't taken my tripod (although looking at the settings I used, I could have reduced ISO somewhat and brought shutter speed down instead).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f/11, 1/250s, 24mm.

Sun rising behind snow-covered trees

This is the only sunrise I've managed to photograph so far (because I hate getting out of bed early!). I only made this one because it was in January and was therefore rising quite late. The photo is taken over a wall looking onto West End golf course at Highroad Well, Halifax. It was too high up for a tripod so I rested the camera on the snow on the top of the wall.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/40s, 55mm, hand held (resting on a wall)

Sunlight filtering through trees onto a fenced bridge

This is the old railway path between Keswick and Threlkeld, photographed on last year's summer holiday. I could (and do!) take endless photos walking along this path.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/20s, 46mm.

'Face' in Lindisfarne Castle wall

Whilst I was looking up at the castle wall, framing out a photo (on holiday in August 2013), one of my sons spotted this 'face' in the wall. There's a hat, eyes, nose and mouth and, to me, it looks just like Pinocchio, the puppet.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/13, 1/20s, 55mm, hand held.