Looking across the Duddon valley from the Walna Scar track.

Another photo taken on a fell running trip - this one's from June this year at the Duddon Valley. I love the windy dry stone wall in this shot.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/80s, 35mm, hand held.

Sunlight catching a bridge in Whinlatter Forest.

This is from our holiday to Keswick in August this year. I liked the way the sun was catching the bridge and creating shadows on the lit-up patch of ground beneath it.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/60s, -0.7step exp bias, 35mm, hand held.

Rushing water at Jumble Hole Clough.

This one's from April this year. I didn't have a tripod so was balancing the camera on a nearby rock - there's a bit of camera shake in the picture but it goes well with the movement of the water.

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

Woodland scene at Jumble Hole Clough.

It was the blue door that made me take this photo (in April this year), although it's a lovely little woodland scene anyway. I like the way the blue painted wood stands out from all the greens.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/80s, 35mm, hand held.

Sheep perched on the lower slopes of Blencathra.

Here's another one from last week, on our way down the mountain Blencathra. This photo shows the lower slopes of Doddick and Scales Fells and Scaley Beck, which runs between them. It was a dramatic but knee-shaking descent!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/160s, 35mm, hand held.

Water flowing across stones on a Lake District fell path.

This is an upper section of the Wasdale valley path, featured in my photo posted on 24th May this year. At this point, the narrow, steep path was doubling as a little stream (not the easiest to walk down!). The light and colours in the water and stones really caught my attention.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200s, 42mm, 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)

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.

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.

Stream water splashing around mossy rocks, twigs and leaves.

I took this in March last year at Hardcastle Crags. I love the detail of fast flowing water - the shapes it makes and the way it captures the light. Processing this picture has reminded me that I should take my tripod and get some more detailed water shots soon - there's certainly enough of it around at the moment!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/640s, 34mm, hand held.

Little stream running through sunlit winter woodland.

This is the Caty Well Brook, just below the pub at Lower Saltonstall. I took the photo in February last year on a walk around the Luddenden valley. The sun was just about breaking through, lighting up sections of the mossy branches and water.

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/60s, 30mm, 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.

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.

Lumb Hole waterfalls

These lovely waterfalls are at Crimsworth Dean, near Hebden Bridge, photographed on a walk along the valley in June this year. I've been trying different ways of photographing fast water - long and short exposures - and I think I prefer short. I like capturing the motion and being able to distinguish the separate droplets of water. This one isn't a particularly short exposure (1/80s), but still does the job.

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

Stream, tree and walls at Widdop

Today, in the best weather we've had so far this year, I did a circular walk around Widdop, on the moors above Hebden Bridge. The walk took me past 3 reservoirs and some great rock formations (plenty of photos of them to follow!). The photo I've chosen for tonight, though, is the last one I took, just before I got back to the car. This lovely little stream runs under the road next to a lone house. I think the house owns the greener walled area - I love how different it is in colour to the scorched-looking moor grass.

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

Shaft of sunlight on stones on a stream bed

I spotted this shaft of sunlight hitting the stream when I was on my way back on the path through the woods at Ogden a few weeks ago. It made it look as though there were nuggets of gold on the stream bed and I was determined to photograph it. This involved clambering down over some wet rocks to stand right by the stream. Unfortunately I was a bit too keen and lost my footing on the first rock. My camera (on a strap round my neck) flew up in the air, my arms and legs went everywhere and I had one of those slow motion moments where I was convinced I was about to break a bone or my camera and get very wet!! Amazingly, I landed on my feet, right by the water with everything intact. I think I laughed out loud to myself, then took the picture!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 200, f/8, 1/50s, 55mm, hand held.

Gordale Beck and path disappearing into woodland

This is another one of Gordale Beck at Malham, North Yorkshire. When you turn away from Janet's Foss and look downstream, this is the view that meets you - I found it way more stunning than the waterfall itself (which was, admittedly, quite weak when we visited due to the dry weather). Both the path and the beck totally disappear into the thick foliage, drawing you in!

Camera/lens settings: ISO 100, f/10, 1/15s, 18mm, hand held.

Foliage, fallen tree trunks and rocks at Gordale Beck

I took this photo of a section of Gordale Beck between Janet's Foss (a waterfall) and Malham in August last year. I was drawn in by the lovely shades of green, textures and shapes provided by the foliage and fallen tree trunks. I wish I'd had my tripod to get a sharper image with more depth of field, though. It was quite dark under the shade of the trees and I ended up using a wider aperture and as long an exposure as I could get away with hand-held (didn't think to increase ISO at the time!). Even with the settings I used the image was really dark and I've had to correct that in Lightroom. Still like the photo, though!

Camera/lens settings: ISO100, f/7.1, 1/20s, 26mm, hand held.

Barrow Beck, above Ashness Bridge, Cumbria

This is the view upstream from the point where Barrow Beck runs under Ashness Bridge, just above Derwentwater, Cumbria. I love the shape of the little barn, the textures of the rocks and the splashes of green from the grass and ferns and white from the falling water.

I just made small tweaks to exposure and contrast in Lightroom.

Beck running under Ashness Bridge, Cumbria

This is Barrow Beck, the stream that runs under Ashness Bridge, just above Derwentwater, Cumbria. I went for a close-up crop from my original photo because there was so much glare in the grey sky, even after tampering with it in Lightroom. I really like the composition of the crop, but I still made a lot of changes to contrast, exposure and grey tones to get a pleasing balance of tones and textures.