Setting sun reflected on buildings beside the Thames

A London photo tonight - from March this year. There's nothing particularly special about the buildings in the shot (other than the fact that you can see the dome of St Paul's in the background) - the focus of this picture is really the colour of the reflected light on the walls and the line of sunlight reflected onto the river.

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

Squirrel in the treetops

I was walking along the road towards Midgley, above the Calder valley, one afternoon in April this year, when I spotted this squirrel jumping from branch to branch above me. Luckily, my camera was already set up and ready to use, so I managed to grab a quick shot of it before it leapt out of sight.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/125s, 40mm, hand held.

Walled line of trees in a snowy field at dusk

I took this one in January this year on Roils Head Moor, Halifax, on a snowy walk with the kids. The sun was on its way down and the dark trees really stood out against the bright sky. The silhouetted trees and snow-dappled field remind me of the pattern of black lace - a gothic feel.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/50s, 20mm, hand held.

View from the top of Dicken Rocks towards Upper Gorple reservoir

This one is from a walk around Widdop at the end of April this year. This group of rocks stand on the moor between Lower and Upper Gorple reservoirs. In this photo, Upper Gorple is hidden behind the shadowy plantation of trees in the distance.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

Skeletal tree on a rocky, grassy slope

Another tree today. This one is on a steep rock and grass covered slope just above Ogden Water, Halifax. I took the photo on a sunny day in March this year. The sky was clear blue, with just the occasional whisp of cloud, like the one to the left of the tree.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 55mm, hand held.

Weather-worn beach rocks (4)

Another image of the lovely patterns and contours in the rocks on Seahouses beach, Northumberland, from our holiday back in August 2013.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/60s, 22mm, hand held.

Colourful tree by the River Hebden at Blake Dean

This tree is near the bridge and scout hostel at Blake Dean, at the top end of Hardcastle Crags. I took the photo on a family walk at the end of March this year. I liked the colour of the leaves (Autumnal, even though it was Spring!) and the way the sunlight was catching the moss up the side of the trunk.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/60s, 26mm, hand held.

Cloud reflections on Hollingworth Lake

I took this one yesterday, on a walk round Hollingworth Lake. The kids rode their bikes round (spurred on by promises of ice cream at the café half way round, chips 3/4 of the way round etc...!) whilst I walked round, taking photos. On the first lap, the sky was thick grey, so I didn't get many photos. By the time the boys were eating their chips there were bits of blue sky appearing, so I told them if they cycled back round the long way they could get a drink back at the café (and I could get lots of better photos!).

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

Derwentwater viewed from the slopes of Latrigg

Another from our holiday to Keswick in August last year. I thought this little tree perched on the edge of Latrigg added a bit of foreground interest to this sweeping panoramic view of Keswick, Derwentwater and the surrounding fells.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 26mm, hand held.

Little cloud part covering the low sun above Blackstone Edge reservoir

I took this one evening at the end of April this year. I liked the reflection of the sun on the water, but it wouldn't have been a great photo without the little cloud covering up some of the brightness from the sun and revealing its rays.

If you zoom in, you can also see a windfarm on the far horizon.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/400s, 22mm, hand held.

Office blocks on London's South Bank near Tower Bridge

I took this in March this year on an evening walk along the South Bank. I don't know what these office blocks are, but their lights make great patterns.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f4.5, 1/80s, 18mm, hand held.

Summer evening across the Luddenden valley

I went to this spot a week ago for 2 reasons - 1) to see what the valley was like in early evening light; 2) to try out my new Manfrotto tripod. Annoyingly, I forgot to pack my remote release, so probably didn't get the full benefit of my much more stable new tripod! The lighting was interesting, but the position of the sun (high left) wasn't great for taking shots towards the end of the valley (lots of flare and strong shadows). When I get opportunity and the right weather, I'm going to go back and see whether early morning light is any better.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 1/30s, 18mm, tripod.

Blue sky between treetops in Autumn

Another one from my favourite place - Hardcastle Crags, taken in November 2013. I had taken my tripod that day, specifically to photograph a waterfall (those photos are already on my blog). After bending down to look through the viewfinder for such a long time, my neck was aching, so I did some stretches to ease it. One of those stretches involved looking straight up to the treetops, at which point I spotted this lovely colourful pattern of leaves and blue sky!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 1/13s, 18mm, hand held.

Sunlight creating reflections under a bridge on the Rochdale Canal

I took this one on a walk along the canal between Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge one evening a few weeks ago. I love the patterns made by the water reflecting on the stones.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/10, 1/125s, 18mm, hand held.

Young wood pigeon on a garden wall

This is from my first attempt at photographing birds in my garden a few weeks ago. We have some lovely big chubby wood pigeons that visit the garden - this is one of their 'babies'.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/200s, 90mm, hand held (resting camera on knees!).

Self portrait in the door of a moving London bus

I took this one as an experiment in London in March this year. We were waiting to cross the road to Hyde Park. I had my camera round my neck and when I saw the bus coming I quickly lifted it and took a quick snap - very pleased and surprised with the result!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/20s, 18mm, hand held.

Beams of sunlight falling on fields in the Luddenden valley

This one's from late February this year. I wanted to capture the effect of some of the fields being lit up by the sun but didn't realise I'd also picked up the rays of sun falling across the more shadowy areas.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/100s, 35mm, hand held.

Cloud reflections on Warland Reservoir

Another one from Blackstone Edge today - this time from a sunny day in March earlier this year. I took lots of photos that day and just love processing them - it makes me feel like I'm there again seeing the scene for the first time!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

Lovely sky after the sunset on the moor at Blackstone Edge

My son and I went for a late evening walk over the moors one evening last week to try out my new tripod. It had been a lovely afternoon and I was hoping for a great sunset. The sunset actually wasn't that impressive, but the sky and clouds before and after it were really lovely. I actually took this one on the way back to the car after looking back over my shoulder and deciding it was worth getting all the gear set up again!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f/11, 1/125s, 18mm, tripod.

Moonlight in the garden

I took this one on the 1st July this year - the first time I've tried photographing the moon. It was the hottest day we've had in ages, so still warm enough to be sitting in the garden taking experimental photos at 10.30pm! There were some really fine, hazy, little clouds passing in front of the moon, giving it a bit of an eerie effect.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 3s, 90mm, tripod.

Waterfall at Hardcastle Crags in Autumn

This one's from November 2013 - an alternative view of a previously posted shot of this waterfall (see post on 23rd Sept 2014).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 13s, 40mm, ND filters, tripod.

The top of the dunes at Seahouses

Here's another one from Northumberland, August 2013. A bit a of a clichéd subject, but I just wanted to take a version of my own!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/125s, 32mm, hand held.

Infrared woodland in dappled sunlight

This one's from my first time using my infrared filter at Hardcastle Crags a few weeks ago. It's a bit tricky because you can't see through the viewfinder to focus once the filter is on, and a long exposure is needed, so any movement in the subject is blurred. In this series of images, some of the leaves on the trees are blurred from the wind blowing through them, even though it was quite a still day.

I really like the infrared effect on the greens though, particularly on this detailed high contrast scene, which would otherwise be too 'busy' for monochrome.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/11, 5s, 20mm, infrared filter, tripod.

Interestingly shaped rocks on Widdop Moor

I took this one in April this year, between Upper Gorple and Widdop reservoirs - there are lots of rock formations up there of all shapes and sizes. In the background of this picture you can see Lower Gorple reservoir.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/14, 1/125s, 18mm, hand held.

Newlands valley and fells in late summer

This is another view of the Newlands valley, taken in August last year from the top of Catbells, Keswick. I love the contrasts between the green fields and purple heather-covered fells, although the bright, flat light of a late summer morning wasn't the best for photography.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/100s, 22mm, hand held

Shadows from clouds across the Littleborough valley

I took this from the track around the reservoirs at Blackstone Edge in March this year. You can see for miles around from up there and I like watching the ever-changing patterns made on the opposite hills by the clouds as they move across the sky.

A sharper photo would be made by stitching several portrait photos together, but having not taken my tripod, this one is just a crop from a 2:3 landscape shot.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

River Hebden at Hardcastle Crags in Autumn

A stretch of the river at Hardcastle Crags, photographed in November 2013.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/20s, 32mm, hand held (and a fair amount of exposure/highlights/shadows adjustments in Lightroom)

Unfurling Hosta leaves

I took this one a few weeks ago on my patio. I rescued this Hosta from my flower beds last summer as it was being ravaged by snails - each year it would grow up from nothing like the leaves in this picture but would be ragged and full of holes a couple of weeks later. It's now in a tall chimney pot and is flourishing - lovely to see!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/36, 1/2s, 90mm, tripod.

Dramatic sky over the sand dunes at Seahouses

This one's from our holiday to Seahouses, Northumberland in August 2013. These are St Aidan's dunes on the way up the beach towards Bamburgh. I love this stretch of beach - vast sands and vast skies, quite often with a dramatic mixture of clouds like this.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/125s, 32mm, hand held.