Dramatic clouds over Wainstalls and Luddenden.

I took this one on a cold afternoon in January this year. We'd just walked up the moor from Wainstalls, passing the reservoirs (Cold Edge Dams) in the picture on the way.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 24mm, hand held.

Sunlight and reflections on the Rochdale canal.

This is a section of the Rochdale canal between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, photographed around tea time in June last year.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/8, 1/400s, 36mm, hand held.

Looking down the Calder valley from above Mytholmroyd.

I took this one on an April afternoon last year, whilst walking back along the valley top from Hebden Bridge to Luddenden. The valley sides are actually quite steep, but from this angle they seem much more gently sloped.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/160s, 55mm, hand held.

Rain clouds on Grisedale Pike, viewed from Whinlatter Forest.

This is from last August in Keswick. We'd been climbing steadily higher in Whinlatter Forest and I was getting quite frustrated at the lack of opportunities to see the view, so I was thrilled when the trees opened up at this point and I saw the approaching rain clouds. They only stayed this vivid for a few moments, getting thicker and less defined as they got closer to us.

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

Tethered boats on Trentham Lake.

I took this on our walk round Trentham Lake, after we'd visited the Monkey Forest a few weeks ago. The weather was really varied at that point - throwing it down one minute; hot sun the next. That created a real mixture of clouds - the black heavy ones hanging over the white, fluffy ones on the horizon.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/320s, 35mm, hand held.

Snow on the moors around the ruins of Top Withens Farm (2).

Here's another view of Top Withens, the ruined building that supposedly inspired Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I took the photo after walking over the moor from Widdop in January this year. I was lucky to have the moor to myself for most of the time I was there (perching on a rock on the hill overlooking the ruins to eat my sandwiches); another couple of people arrived just as I was leaving.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/100s, 40mm, hand held.

Reservoir outlet on wintry moorland.

This is one of the water outlets from Walshaw Dean reservoirs at Widdop. I took the photo in January this year at the start of a walk over to Top Withens. This is another good example of man-made structures meeting nature; I think the pink/brown colours of the drain walls and its curves really complement the rolling hills around it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/125s, 24mm, hand held.

Bluebells in the woods at Hardcastle Crags.

I took this in early May 2 years ago - a good reminder that I should be heading back to the Crags soon to photograph this year's crop of bluebells.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/16, 1/20s, 34mm, hand held.

Fishing boats silhouetted against the setting sun at Morecambe.

Another one from my afternoon in Morecambe in September last year. The lens was fully zoomed in and then the image further cropped to best frame these little fishing boats silhouetted against the setting sun.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/18, 1/10s, 55mm, tripod.

Water pouring over Booth Dean dam wall.

This is Booth Dean Dam between Rishworth and the M62 motorway. I've driven along the road that links the two so many times but never walked around the area, so today I decided to explore on foot. Booth Wood reservoir lies at the bottom of the valley, between the road and the motorway (the highest part of the M62). The upper parts of the valley hold smaller dams and eventually the streams that feed them. I think it'll be a great place to visit in different weather conditions to see how the volumes of falling water change (today was dry and sunny).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/250s, 35mm, hand held.

Boats on a wooded track at Nichol End Marine, Derwentwater.

I took this on holiday in Portinscale, Keswick, last year. This is the track that runs down through the woods to the water's edge at the marina. I like the juxtaposition of the woodland greenery with the blues and whites of the boats - they look out of place together yet still complement each other.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 800, f/11, 1/160s, 18mm, hand held.

Ladybird and its reflection on a windowpane

This ladybird was walking up one of our windows this weekend, so I grabbed my macro lens and took a few photos of it. I soon realised how difficult it was to get the right bits of it (its eyes) in focus whilst using a wide aperture, so switched to a higher f-stop and used flash instead.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200s, 90mm, hand held.

Peacock feather (2)

A different angle on the peacock feather that I photographed at home in December last year (see 10th Dec's blog post). I bought 3 of these lovely feathers from a farm shop near Carnforth for a £1 each (the peacock was strutting around in the yard!).

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/3.5, 1s, 90mm, tripod

Little waterfall at Maple Dean Clough, Norland (3)

Today my eldest son and I walked up through the (very muddy!) woods above Copley to Maple Dean Clough. I took my little beanbag, knowing there would be opportunities for long exposure shots in the stream. The low camera angle and the fact that the water was quite fast flowing today, make this little waterfall look much bigger than it actually is.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/22, 1.3s, 35mm, bean bag & remote release.

Crepuscular rays highlighting a copse of trees.

I took this one on a late afternoon in October last year, close to where I live. I saw the crepuscular rays start to form, grabbed my camera and drove to a place where I'd have a good view across the valley. The copse that's being highlighted by the sun is on Great Edge in Warley - you can also see the Vandals rugby clubhouse in the bottom left of the picture.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/200s, 35mm, hand held.

Waterfall around rocks at Jumble Hole Clough.

Another one from yesterday's walk down Jumble Hole Clough. I spent quite some time by this waterfall and took a number of close-up, long exposure shots. I didn't have a tripod with me and couldn't use my bean bag as that put the camera at too low an angle, so was just trying to hold my breath and stand still! There's still a bit of camera shake in these shots, but it's only obvious on the rocks, which are in shadow.

I'm already planning my next trip back, though, with a tripod!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/14, 1/6s, 35mm, hand held.

Overgrown mill ruins at Jumble Hole Clough

I did another new walk today - from Great Rock above Todmorden, down through Jumble Hole Clough, along the canal bank in the valley bottom, then back up the hillside from Eastwood. The fast-flowing stream down Jumble Hole Clough is stunning, but I'm not sure I've got any photos that really do it justice - I always felt like I needed to be on the other side of the stream. I did look for ways across at various points but (for once!) was sensible and didn't risk slipping off the mossy rocks and breaking bones or camera.

There are ruins of old textile mills at various points in the Clough - this is one of the smaller ones towards the bottom. It has a huge tree growing on top of it and a little waterfall in its side - hardly recognisable as a building any more.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/3.2, 1/125s, 35mm, hand held.

After sunset on Whitby's west pier.

Another view of Whitby's very photogenic pier, photographed just after sunset in late January this year. The unusual angle is partly by choice and partly by necessity - I needed to get a long exposure due to the low light but only had a beanbag with me, rather than a tripod. I positioned it at the top of a few steps so that I could sit on a lower step to compose the picture, rather than having to lie flat on the boards!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 30s, 18mm, bean bag & remote release.

Woodland in Autumn.

Today's photo is from Hardcastle Crags on a slightly misty morning early in November last year. The light and colours were beautiful.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/50s, 34mm, hand held.

Seagull perched on the barrier on Blackpool seafront.

I took this one about an hour before sunset at the end of December last year, close to Blackpool's north pier. The whole seafront in Blackpool was redesigned a few years ago and the new barriers, lights and steps all have great curves that complement rather than clash with the sea and beach.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 55mm, hand held.

Giant dandelion sculpture catching the sunlight at Trentham Gardens.

This lovely sculpture, which I photographed last week, is one of 12 at Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire. Each one is 5m tall with a seed head over a metre wide. They fit in beautifully with their surroundings between the lake and meadows.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 35mm, hand held.

Little tree under heavy snow.

I took this one just over a month ago on Roils Head moor, Halifax. The snow was falling really heavily at the time, whiting out the whole background.

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

Beneath Whitby's west pier.

On our second morning in Whitby (in January this year), we walked down to the pier before it got busy so that I could get some photos. I was planning the usual pier-top-looking-out-to-sea photos, which I did get, but had no idea there were also opportunities beneath the pier. There's a metal stepladder at the end that takes you down to this area, where you can walk back a short way under the boards. Between the pillars on the left you can see the Abbey ruins and the church on the hilltop, as well as the west lighthouse.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4, 1/80s, 24mm, hand held.

Looking across Derwentwater towards Blencathra on a cloudy day.

This one's from our holiday to Keswick in August last year. I love dramatic skies like this one - particularly in the Lake District with the mountains and lakes beneath them. On the far horizon in the centre is one of my favourite mountains - Blencathra; to the left of it is the little wooded hill, Latrigg; behind and to the left of Latrigg is Skiddaw.

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

Late September afternoon on Morecambe Bay.

Another one from my afternoon in Morecambe last year - we called there after I'd had a helicopter flight from nearby Carnforth up to Ambleside and back. I got just as many photos at Morecambe as I did on the helicopter - the beach has a lovely mixture of textures and on that day the clouds were great too.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/250s, 20mm, hand held.

Swan on its nest among reeds on Trentham Lake.

Yesterday we visited the Trentham Estate in Staffordshire. We walked through the Monkey Forest (the woodland home of 140 free-roaming Barbary Macaques), then walked around the lake and gardens. This swan was nesting at the side of the lake.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/800s, 35mm, hand held.

Snow-laden branches.

One from the heavy snow in January last year. I took this on our local moor. I love how snow transforms the ordinary and makes it beautiful.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/60s, 46mm, hand held.

Trees on the Widdop skyline in winter.

This is one of the last photos I took on a walk from Widdop to Top Withens and back in January this year. This path leads off the main one from Walshaw Dean reservoirs as you walk back down to the road. There was just a touch of snow on the ground at this level, but it was totally covered a bit further up on the moors.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/80s, 24mm, hand held.

Yellow digger in moorland with little clouds hovering overhead.

I took this on a walk around the moorland above Kebs Road in February. A digger is not a sight you expect to see right in the middle of the moor, made even more unusual by the little clouds hovering above it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/1600s, 35mm, hand held.