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.

Inside the ruins of Heptonstall's original 13th Century church.

I took this on my Hebden Bridge - Heptonstall - Mytholm walk 2 weeks ago. This was the first time I'd visited Heptonstall's churches and graveyard and I was really impressed with their age, architecture, atmosphere and history. The old church in the photo was damaged by a gale in 1847 and a new church was built next to it in the same graveyard. The American poet Sylvia Plath (once married to locally born poet Ted Hughes) is buried in the newer part of the graveyard.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/400s, 35mm, hand held.

Lower Laithe reservoir viewed from Penistone Country Park.

I took this one in October last year, whilst my son was taking part in a fell run around the disused quarries in the park. This view is looking towards Stanbury - Top Withens farmhouse (the supposed inspiration for Wuthering Heights) is somewhere on the distant moor to the left; Haworth (the home of the Brontes) is off the right of the picture.

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

Line of snowy trees in early morning sunshine.

I took this on our local moor early one morning in January last year. I love how the low sun creates strong shadows in the snow and gives a yellowy glow to the branches.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/10, 1/80s, 46mm, hand held.

The North Sea, viewed from St Aidan's dunes, Seahouses.

This is one of the few photos I've got left to process from Seahouses in August 2013. I remember having climbed up the dunes whilst my sons and husband played cricket on the beach. I found a quiet place and just sat and watched the waves for a while. There's nothing visually exciting about this photo (other than a large ship on the horizon if you zoom right in!) but I think it stirs the other senses - I can smell the sea, hear the waves and feel the warmth of the sun when I look at it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/100s, 29mm, hand held.

Whitby viewed across the harbour from the East Pier.

Another photo from my weekend in Whitby in January this year. I was standing at the beginning of the East Pier when I took this one, looking back across the outer harbour towards the town. It was a mostly grey afternoon, but the water was still reflecting the glimpse of sunlight on the horizon.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/60s, 20mm, hand held.

Moss-covered rocks beneath trees above Mytholmroyd.

I took this one a couple of days before Christmas last year, right at the end of a walk from Cragg Vale, around Broadhead Clough and back down to Mytholmroyd. At this point I was actually a bit lost! I'd been trying to connect 2 different walks which I had guides for, but couldn't relate the sketchy maps provided to what I was actually seeing. The kids were getting fed up and we'd already walked a long way, so we decided to abort and find our way straight down the hill to the valley bottom again.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/80s, 24mm, hand held.

Winter moorland reflected in Walshaw Dean middle reservoir, Widdop.

I took this one on the outward leg of my walk from Widdop over to Top Withens and back in January this year. The ruined cottage on the left of the moor is the one I photographed close-up on a previous walk (see my blog post from 12th Sept last year).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 52mm, hand held.

Contrasting tree lines in autumn woodland.

I love the mixture of colours in this photo from November last year. The main reason I took it, though, was to show the contrast between the crooked, horizontal foreground branches and the straight, vertical trunks in the background - they almost look like they're trying to hide them.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/30s, 55mm, hand held.

Low clouds hanging over Sowerby, viewed across the Calder valley.

I'd been on a walk around Wainstalls last October and was driving the short distance home when I noticed how low clouds and a mist were forming over the opposite hills. I decided to divert slightly and park up to see if I could capture it with my camera. The clouds you see on this photo were the 'leading edge' of the weather front - they seemed to draw a veil of mist over the valley behind them. I have other photos which capture that effect - my lens wasn't wide enough to get it all in one photo unfortunately.

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

Sunlight touching the water and shores of Lake Buttermere.

Here's another from our holiday to the Lake District last August. This was a lovely day of cloudy skies with shafts of sunlight breaking through like spotlights on the lake and mountain slopes. It really brought out the colours in the water and made the surface sparkle.

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

Sunset over Bridestones rocks above Todmorden.

I took this one earlier this evening. My husband and sons were climbing the rocks whilst I wandered around with my tripod looking for a good perch for a sunset shot. It was a lovely evening, although my hands were totally numb by the time we left.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/10s, 35mm, tripod, ND grad filter.

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.

The ruins of Whitby Abbey.

I love old, ruined buildings and this one is really stunning. It's a Gothic-style 13th century Benedictine Abbey, perched on the cliff-top overlooking Whitby. The site is owned by English Heritage but you can pay a small amount to look around. Luckily, it was fairly quiet when we visited in January this year, so I was able to get a few photos without people on them!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/60s, 18mm, hand held.

Yellow rose in low light.

This rose was one of the flowers my husband gave me for Valentine's day this year. It was a bit past its best when I photographed it, so I decided to give it a low key, soft focus effect.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/2s, 90mm, tripod, natural light & a reflector.

Colourful mixture of autumn branches and foliage.

I took this one at the top of Maple Dean Clough, Norland, in late November last year. I love how many colours are packed into this frame - particular the tiny splash of orange in the centre - and how well they complement each other.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/5, 1/80s, 32mm, hand held.

Looking up the Calder valley from Heptonstall.

Today I walked from Hebden Bridge up to Heptonstall, then around Eaves Wood and back down to Mytholm. It was a lovely walk, even though the day was cold and grey. This is the view from the edge of Heptonstall on the rocks at the top of the wood. Usually you'd be able to see Stoodley Pike from there, but the cloud was covering it today.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/500s, 35mm, hand held.

Water droplets on a CD surface (3)

Another composition from my macro session with a CD and water droplets in June last year. This one's a more unusual crop as I really liked the form and colours in the droplets themselves, but also liked the abstract effect of the colours and light on the CD surface next to them. All these shots were taken on the patio table in my garden, so used natural light.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/800s, 90mm, tripod.

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.

Dramatic sky over the Calder valley.

I was bringing my son home from school one afternoon in October last year when the sun's rays started peeking out from beneath the clouds on the horizon. I decided to grab my camera and rush to this nearby viewpoint to see if I could capture it. The view is from Warley across the Calder valley towards Sowerby.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125s, 18mm, hand held.

Birds on a wire.

I took this photo whilst walking around Hollingworth Lake in July last year. I was photographing the lake and surrounding foliage and just happened to look straight up and see these birds, perched very still on a phone wire, silhouetted against the cloudy sky.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/250s, 50mm, hand held.

Tyre swing on a snowy playground.

Here's another one from last Friday morning on Roils Head moor. Nobody had been on the playground that morning (unsurprisingly!) so I got a few photos of the deserted equipment piled up with snow before my kids knocked it all off.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/1000s, 35mm, hand held.

Little waterfall at Maple Dean Clough, Norland (2)

Here's another one from my walk from Sowerby Bridge to Norland in November last year. Instead of a tripod, I used a bean bag to rest the camera on to get the long exposure.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 2.5s, 22mm, bean bag & remote release.

Looking down Crimsworth Dean towards Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike.

One from a lovely, bright summer's day in June last year. I had walked up the opposite side of the valley to Lumb Hole waterfalls and was returning to Midgehole car park at Hardcastle Crags when I took this photo. On the far horizon you can see the ridge and monument of Stoodley Pike at Todmorden; in front of it and to the left is the tower of the church at Heptonstall.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 32mm, hand held.

Boats on Morecambe beach.

I took this on a late afternoon in September last year. I love the mixted angles of the lines in the sand and the boats and their masts. I also love how the mast of the boat in the centre looks like it's trying to pop the little cloud!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/800s, 34mm, hand held.

Autumn leaves drifting along the canal.

This abstract shot is a long exposure of leaves drifting along on the surface of the canal, mixed in with the more static reflections of the trees and sky above. I took it in October last year in Sowerby Bridge.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 8s, 24mm, ND filters, tripod.

Lake District peaks viewed across Sail from Grisedale Pike.

This is another view from Grisedale Pike in the Lake District, from a bright, sunny day in August last year. It's looking in the same direction as the photo in my post on 7th Sept last year, but taken from nearer the summit. That means you can see much more of the other distant, hazy peaks beyond Sail.

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

2 little trees in heavy snow.

I took this one this morning on Roils Head moor, near my home. Finally, we have some heavy snow - or rather, we had - it's already turned to slush! The schools were shut for the day so I took the kids up to the moor to play in the deep snow, making the most of it. It was falling heavily the whole time we were there, so a good chance to test out my camera's waterproof cover (it worked brilliantly). I was also dying to use my new prime lens up there - I got some great photos there a year ago, but was interested to see how much sharper they'd be with this lens (and they are - I love it!!).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/500s, 35mm, hand held.

Sunset over the Calder valley (4)

One from an April evening last year, photographed from just outside Warley, looking up the Calder valley above Luddenden Foot. I think I was using a grad filter, hence the exaggerated sun rays. There's a lot about this photo that, technically, I don't like - I'm still struggling to balance exposure and manage noise and flare in sunset shots. At least practising is a lovely experience and, despite the technicalities, this one still represents the beauty of the scene.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/32, 1/15s, 32mm, tripod & graduated ND filter.

Bare winter branches silhouetted against a grey sky.

This lovely big tree is half way down Stock Lane, Warley, close to where I live. I took the photo in January this year, having looked up to watch some birds and noticed what a delicate pattern the twigs made against the sky.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 40mm, hand held.

Abstract shot of a bridge structure and lighting on the Thames south bank.

I can't remember which bridge this is, but I'm sure many Londoners will recognise it! I took the photo on an evening walk along the South Bank in March last year. Not having my tripod, I had to use a high ISO and wide aperture. I leaned on some railings for balance as I took the shot, which was directly above me.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60s, 22mm, hand held.