Foggy sunrise over Halifax.

I took this one early morning in January this year on the way back from dropping my son at school. You can see Wainhouse Tower on the left, and can just make out the hills and valleys in the glow of the sun rising above the fog.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/160s, 40mm, hand held.

Sweets refracted in water droplets (2)

I've been looking through my macro photos and realised it's quite a while since I did any indoor experimenting. Here's one from last year. I posted a version of this on the 20th Feb last year - that one had a much greater depth of field, so that the sweets in the background could be clearly made out. In this one, you have to look into the water droplets to clearly see the sweets.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/200s, 90mm, LED ring light, tripod, cable release.

Colourful section of the sea wall at Whitby.

I took this in January this year whilst walking along the beach at Whitby. I was drawn to the bright colours and the patterns and textures. Now, however, whilst posting this tonight, I have started wondering what has been pouring out of those little holes, making the dark stains, and thinking it might be best viewed from a distance!!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/60s, 22mm, hand held

Pillar-lined passage at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich (2)

This is the same passage as the one in the photo I posted on the 16th Nov last year (although looking down it from the opposite direction). We stayed in Greenwich again this year and I made a detour this particular evening, just as it was going dark, to see what the passage would be like with the lighting on. Glad I did, because it gives it a totally different effect.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/2.2, 1/25s, 35mm, hand held.

Little waterfall at the top of Jumble Hole Clough.

I took this one in April this year. This is near the top of the stream, above the old mill. I love the detail and colours in the bit where the water first passes over the top stones - I think it looks like a parting in smooth, golden-streaked hair.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/8s, 35mm, hand held (I think I balanced the camera on the side of the little wooden bridge I was standing on)

Evening sunshine on the Rochdale canal.

I took this one in June last year, between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd. I love the curve of the trees, the reflections, the greens and the light on the stone wall.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/10, 1/80s, 26mm, hand held.

Barbary Macaque perched on a log in woodland.

This one's from our visit to the Monkey Forest on the Trentham Estate in April this year. It's a small woodland area inhabited by around 140 Barbary Macaques - you walk amongst them on the open pathways, watching them play, feed, groom and, like this one, watch you back!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/200s, 35mm, hand held.

Little yellow flowers and rocks beside Malham Tarn.

I took this a few weeks ago in May. The kids and dogs were paddling on the edge of the tarn after we'd had our picnic, whilst I took photos. A lovely afternoon!

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

Tree-tops at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

I took this one today whilst walking around the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I've been a couple of times before - I'm not a massive fan of the majority of the sculptures, but the park is lovely. There are woods, waterways and open fields to explore and photograph.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/5, 1/40s, 35mm, hand held.

Old textile mill and chimney on Boys Lane, Halifax.

I posted a photo of this mill (Shaw Lodge Mill) and chimney soon after taking it, on 20th April last year; this is an alternative view, looking straight upwards whilst walking up the cobbled lane between them.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/14, 1/80s, 18mm, hand held.

Sparrow chick just fallen from its nest.

We were walking around London Zoo, from one enclosure to another, when this baby bird fell out of a little tree next to us. It landed on top of this wooden fence, just avoiding the much longer and harder fall to the concrete path below. We stopped a passing member of the zoo staff to tell him about the bird, as we were worried that someone would try to pick it up. He told us that it wasn't the first time that a chick had fallen out of this tree and was confident its mum would turn up to collect it soon. In the mean time, he asked a nearby staff member to keep an eye on it from a distance. When we walked past again 20 minutes later, it had gone, so hopefully mum managed to rescue it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/30s, 35mm, hand held.

Fallen tree, surface algae and sunlight on Stanley Park lake.

We've walked round Stanley Park almost every time we've been to Blackpool to visit my husband's family, but, for some reason, never taken the path round the lake - until last night. This was also the first time I'd taken my camera. Now I want to go back and spend some time there, with a longer lens, to photograph some of the many birds/ducks/swans etc, in these lovely surroundings. This photo shows the top corner of the lake, which is sectioned off from the fishermen and boats and at its most natural. The lowering sun was just catching the surface of the water, setting off a few sparkles amongst the greens and oranges of the algae.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/4, 1/100s, -0.7step exp bias, 35mm, hand held.

Silver-grey tree trunks on the shores of Buttermere.

I took this at Buttermere in August last year during a walk around the lake. A very different photo to yesterday's post, but the same colours - silver and green.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/200s, 55mm, hand held.

Moss-covered tree roots and rocks.

This is high up in the woods at Hardcastle Crags in February this year. I love the silver/green colours of the roots and the moss.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/250s, 35mm, hand held.

Pelican at London Zoo.

Another one from our recent trip to London. We spent a good few hours at the zoo - I never get bored with seeing the different animals. These pelicans were such a bunch of posers! They were standing in a group really close to the path, hardly moving. Their beaks are a beautiful mixture of colours when you look closely.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/400s, 35mm, hand held.

Little blue and yellow flower.

I only bought this plant recently, but I lost the name-card that came with it, so have no idea what variety it is (I'm guessing some kind of daisy??). There are lots of little flowers on long stems above a thick, green mound of leaves - it's a lovely, cheerful plant!

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

Low clouds surrounding the summit of Harter Fell.

We were back in the Lake District this weekend for another fell race - this time in the Duddon valley, an area I've never visited before. The race was up the Walna Scar track above Seathwaite - I was standing near the under 14s age-group finish line waiting for them to arrive when I took this photo. We were lucky with the weather - it was throwing it down as we drove up the valley, but it dried up before we parked and just left some atmospheric low clouds on the mountain tops.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/500s, 35mm, hand held.

Boats on Morecambe beach (2).

Here's a different view of the scene I posted on 7th March (and in colour this time, instead of black and white). Beyond the boats, you can see right across Morecambe Bay to the beaches and hills on the other side.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/400s, 30mm, hand held.

Dusty glass light fitting at London Zoo.

These little glass bulbs (and many more of them) are suspended over the staircase down to the nocturnal animals section of London Zoo, where we visited last week. I didn't have time to get a really sharp picture as we were keen to move on and see the animals, but I think this photo still represents how lovely they all looked. It was only when zooming in to check sharpness that I realised how dirty the bulbs are (there's a brown layer of dust clinging to each one). I wonder if anyone considered what a nightmare they'd be to clean before installing them!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/15s, 35mm, hand held.

Fairy sculpture on Trentham Lake.

This is one of the many stainless steel wire fairies hidden around the lake and gardens at Trentham. They were created by local artist Robin Wight and I think they fit beautifully with their surroundings. I took this photo on a visit to the gardens and Monkey Forest in April this year.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/1600s, hand held.

Looking up Warnscale Beck towards Haystacks, at Buttermere.

This is the beck that flows into Lake Buttermere at Gatesgarth. I was standing on the little bridge where the path around the lake crosses it when I took the photo in August last year. There were a few other people on the bridge at the time, all photographing the view towards the lake, but I preferred this one. The ridge up to the right of the beck is Haystacks - I've climbed it before, but in thick cloud. I'm considering giving it another go on our holiday this year, hoping to actually see the view from the top this time!

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

Colourful, textured, winter branches in Eaves Wood.

This one's from my Hebden Bridge-Heptonstall-Mytholm walk in March this year. I love the colours and textures in the branches - every bit as lovely as summer leaves, but in a totally different way.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/2, 1/400s, 35mm, hand held.

Spiral staircase at Elephant & Castle tube station.

Just back from a few days in London with another collection of photographic souvenirs. The weather was a bit grim this time (flat, grey skies and finger-numbing temperatures) so I think the best pictures will be the indoor ones. This was one of the last ones I took, on the way down the steps into Elephant & Castle tube station. I could take a lot more photos in the underground stations, but it's usually either too busy or too dangerous. This one was nice and quiet because everyone else was using the lift!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/2.2, 1/15s, 35mm, hand held.

Upper Gorple reservoir viewed from Gorple Stones.

It was the first warm day of last year when I took this photo (at the end of April). I walked a route around both Gorple reservoirs and Widdop reservoir, climbing many of the rocks en route. It wasn't an easy day for photography as it was so bright - I had to make quite a few Lightroom adjustments to the raw file.

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