Bite-Size Blog Post #41 - Shaugh Prior - Dartmoor National Park
In my blog this week I tell you about a rare visit I made to the woodlands and river near Shaugh Prior on Dartmoor to capture this autumnal photograph.
The Autumnal Woods of South West Dartmoor
Living in Exeter I'm only a short drive away from large parts of Dartmoor National Park. However, there are some parts of Dartmoor that I haven't properly explored and photographed because they feel a bit too far to drive to. In reality, it's probably a physiological thing rather than a reality. Realistically I can get to most parts of Dartmoor in an hour, maybe 75 mins at most.
There is a wooded area near Shaugh Prior on the very south western edge of Dartmoor that I have rarely visited. It has always felt, well, too far away. In reality it's not. It takes about an hour to drive, and you can walk straight into the woods from the car park.
Late last autumn I finally decided to make some time and wander up the River Plym near Shaugh Prior. It wasn't the sole reason I drove to that corner of Dartmoor. I was meeting someone from the OWPG (Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild) for a chat and while I was in the area, and I had time, I would also head out with my camera.
The challenge was where to shoot. It would be the middle of the day and the weather was grey, flat and overcast. When I thought about it though, it was perfect conditions for woodland photography. As a bonus it was the autumn so the woodland colours would hopefully be beautiful.
I gave myself a couple of hours to explore the pathway along the River Plym. And while I did happily spend a couple of hours wandering up and down the river, it was the first place I stopped at that gave me the most pleasing photograph of the afternoon.
River Play, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, f/13, ¼ sec at ISO 500, Kase Filters CPL.
It's an area that needs further exploration by me and because in reality it's not that far from Exeter I'm sure to return there again soon.
Bite-Size Blog Post #39 - East Dartmoor Woods - Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor is more than just barren rolling hills, it also has its fair share of woodlands and lone trees. In my blog this week I take advantage of the autumn colours and head to East Dartmoor Woods to have some fun with the camera
Hands Up Who Likes Autumn!
The change of season into autumn is no more visible than it is in our woodlands. As the green foliage fades its replaced by a splendid show of browns, yellows, and oranges. It's probably the most vibrant of all the seasons and it's no surprise its often considered the landscape photographers favourite season.
Many people think that Dartmoor is a barren landscape of rolling hills, but it also has its fair share of woodlands. So, the natural thing for me as a landscape photographer at this time of year would be to head to woodlands of Dartmoor to photograph the autumnal colours. The trouble is, photographing trees and woodland is not something I do very often, and I find it a difficult subject. I very much admire the work of photographers that produce such compelling woodland images.
But there's only one way to get good at photographing woods and trees and that's to practice! With little in the way of expectations I decided to grab my camera and head to East Dartmoor woods to see if I could find my inner woodland photographer.
When I arrived though, I had the bright idea that it might be easier to photograph one tree rather than the entire woodland. While that does sound easier on paper, when it came to the execution, I'm not entirely sure it was any easier.
East Dartmoor Woods, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 42mm, f/11, 1/6 sec ISO 64
Looking at this photo I can most certainly find room for improvement in the composition, and while the light on the tree itself is pleasing, the conditions lack interest. But saying all that, it's probably the best picture I could capture that morning, and I had fun doing so. It's important to remember that not every photograph you capture has to be a "banger". Some pictures can bring you joy just because you got out there and captured it.
Just Enjoying My Landscape Photography
Sometimes it's OK to just enjoy the experience of taking landscape photographs. Not every photo needs to win awards or have a deeper meaning. Photography can also be about having fun, admiring the view, or taking joy in the simple act of pressing the shutter button.
There Goes Autumn!
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with photographing anything seasonal. This could be the beautiful pink Thrift you find along the Cornish coast during spring, or the glorious colours of a woodland at autumn. I love photographing these unique times of year, but life has this nasty habit of getting in the way and I often end up missing the (photographic) peak of a season.
Autumn is a particularly tricky one. The days are short which make it difficult for me to get out, and when I eventually do find the time it’s normally after a storm and all the autumnal colour has blow off the trees!
Should I Risk It?
Every now and again, the stars align, and I’m presented with an opportunity to shoot some autumnal colour. However, the decision to photograph East Dartmoor Woods wasn’t that straightforward. The weather conditions over East Dartmoor Woods were forecast for clear skies at sunrise. It’s also a 5 km walk, in the dark, in a woodland, to get to the viewpoint that I wanted. While I had visited the viewpoint (in winter) I had never photographed it before.
It was a risky decision to go there, and it was a fair effort to get there. My head was telling me that I would be much better off going somewhere else where the conditions would be better, and I would be shooting something I’m familiar with (i.e. not woodlands!).
My heart on the other hand was telling me this was a fantastic opportunity to photograph this woodland while the autumn colours were still there. OK, the clear skies weren’t ideal, but the sun was rising in the right direction, and it should catch the tops of the trees. If I waited for another day, that other day might not come. The weather might turn, or I just might not find another opportunity to photograph it before the end of autumn.
It’s not often I ignore my head but this time I decided to follow my heart and take a risk! I did question this decision as I followed the path through the woodland with a head torch while trying not to think about the beasts of Dartmoor that lurk in the shadows!
But was all that effort and risk worth it? Well, you can find it out in the 5 Minute Photo Adventure video below!
What do you think? Was it worth the effort? Would you have made the 5km walk in the dark for that view or photographs? Let me know in the comments below.
East Dartmoor Woods - Landscape Photographs
Here are the landscape photographs you saw me capture in the video.
East Dartmoor Woods Autumn Sunrise #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 S at 37mm, f/13, 0.4 sec at ISO64, Kase Filters CPL.
East Dartmoor Woods Autumn Sunrise #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 S at 82mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO64, Kase Filters CPL.
A Landscape Photography Project to Capture the Changing Seasons
Each season offers the landscape photographer something unique and wonderful. One of the best ways to discover those changes is to photograph the same location every season. Sounds like a great idea for a photography project, doesn't it? I thought it was, so I decided to photograph Holne Bridge on Dartmoor during summer, autumn, winter and spring. However, things didn't turn out how I expected them to.
The Value of Photography Projects
Undertaking a photography project can be a big commitment. In 2019 I began a yearlong photography project to capture a photograph every month from the same location and despite the tight brief, I still found it challenging. But a photography project should be challenging, shouldn’t it? I am also in the middle of my biggest ever photography project and despite 12 months passing by, I don’t feel like I’m making any significant progress.
Despite what I’ve said, a photography project is a wonderful thing, and every photographer should undertake one. They can be incredibly rewarding and stretch your skills as a photographer. The important thing is to make sure the project is achievable. There is no point in undertaking a 365 project when you know from the outset you won’t be able to capture an image every day.
A Failed Photography Project?
On the topic of completing photography projects, I have just completed a project that I’ve been working on for the last year. Well, I say completed, but that’s that not strictly true. Yes, it’s finished, but is it complete? I’ll explain everything in the video below.
What do you think? Is that a photography project failure? Let me know in the comments below.
Lastly, if you’re interested here is a list of gear and services, I used to create the print.
Photograph printed with the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 - my video review
Paper from Fotospeed
Picture frames from Picture Frames Express
Project Photographs - Holne Bridge on Dartmoor
Here are the final 4 photographs.
Holne Bridge, Dartmoor - Summer - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 0.6 sec at ISO 200, Kase CPL.
Holne Bridge, Dartmoor - Autumn - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/11, 1 sec at ISO 800, Kase CPL.
Holne Bridge, Dartmoor - Winter - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/11, 0.5 sec at ISO 200, Kase CPL.
Holne Bridge, Dartmoor - Spring - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/16, 1/5 sec at ISO 64, Kase CPL.
East Dartmoor - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this 5 Minute Photo Adventure I head out to east Dartmoor to capture some autumnal landscape photographs.
Discovering Dartmoor
I’ve been photographing Dartmoor for many years and yet I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to exploring this amazing national park. There are some areas that I have yet to visit and some that I have explored and photographed numerous times. One of the locations that falls into the latter category is Haytor. There are many locations around the Haytor area worth photographing including Emsworthy Tor where I undertook a project to photograph it every month for a year (click here to see how I got on).
Just a short distance from Haytor is an area known as Trendlebere Down. I discovered this area of east Dartmoor while looking for some new locations to walk my dog. On my first visit, I was instantly captivated by this beautiful location and it was made even more stunning by the vibrant autumn colours. How did I not know about this place before? I knew I would have to return with the camera.
Over the autumn period, I visited this location numerous times and I was also inspired to create one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos. While filming the overcast and windy conditions made the photography challenging but I still wanted to share a small portion of what this location has to offer.
I hope you enjoy this 5 Minute Photo Adventure video and it will inspire you to look more closely at an area you know well. You never know what you might discover.
Autumn on Dartmoor Photographs
Here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
Bridge Over the Bovey #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/8, 2.5 seconds at ISO 64.
Bridge Over the Bovey #, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/8, 0.5 seconds at ISO 400.
Autumn on Trendlebere #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/6.3, 1/4 seconds at ISO 800.
Holne Bridge - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In the blog this week I head to Holne Bridge with Panasonic Lumix S1R to capture the last of the autumnal colours on Dartmoor.
More Time with the S1R
If you a regular reader of my blog you'll know that I've had the Panasonic Lumix S1R on loan for the last few weeks. I've been putting it to good use and I've shot the autumnal colours at Fingle Bridge and produced a video called In The Footsteps of Colin Prior. With those bits of content produced I was ready to (sadly) send the camera back to Panasonic. However, the very kind folks at Panasonic Pro Services said I could keep it for a little longer.
Autumn at Holne Bridge
With the extra loan time I wanted to put the S1R to good use and make another video. As much as I'd loved to have produced another video on the scale of In The Footsteps of Colin Prior I'd have to produce something a little more close to home and within tighter time constraints. As I hadn't made one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos for a while I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do so. Though the best of the autumn colours were coming to an end I thought I might still be able to capture something interesting at Holne Bridge on Dartmoor.
Holne Bridge is one of my favourite locations to shoot autumnal colours and it was looking great when I visited there a few weeks before this trip (you can see the photos from that blog post here). I was a little unsure how the recent bad weather had impacted the leaves on the trees but fortunately for me local (and very talented) photographer Neil Porter drives through the area on a regular basis. He was kind enough to give me an update and as it was looking positive we both decided to meet up for spot of landscape photography.
A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
It was a great morning of photography and it was great to be joined by Neil. He knows a lot of good spots along the river there and he introduced me to a couple of new ones which I was very grateful for. Anyway, I don't want to spoil the video too much so here it is:
I hope you enjoyed the video and all the content I've made with the Panasonic Lumix S1R. I've really enjoyed using the camera and hope to use one again in the future. I also have to say that the folks at Panasonic Pro Services (who organised the loan) have been fantastic. Really friendly and easy to work with. Should I ever decide to purchase any of the S1 cameras it's good to know that Panasonic have the support services network in place.
I've got some exciting content coming up over the next few weeks including the return of On My Bookshelf, and some special new year videos, so stay tuned!
The Photographs
As always, here are the photographs from the video plus a couple of others that I captured after filming.
Holne Bridge at Autumn, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 28mm, f/11, 1 second at ISO 200, Kase Filters CPL.
An Autumnal River Dart at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 53mm, f/13, 1 second at ISO 200, Kase Filters CPL.
Downstream from Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 29mm, f/13, 0.8 seconds at ISO 200, Kase Filters CPL.
Upstream to Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 24mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 200, Kase Filters CPL.
Autumnal Landscape Photography with the Lumix S1R
After a last minute change of plan I decide to shoot the autumnal colours at Fingle Bridge and I take the Panasonic Lumix S1R with me.
The Panasonic Lumix S1R
A couple of weeks ago in my blog post Return to Holne Bridge, I mentioned that I had a Panasonic Lumix S1R on loan. In that blog post I was out with the S1R to try and familiarise myself with the camera before putting it to use on the project I had planned for it. Having now completed filming for that project I was ready to return the camera to Panasonic but they very kindly asked if I wanted to keep it for another couple of weeks.
Plan A Becomes Plan B
With the camera on loan for a bit longer I had a few ideas on how I could put it to good use. My initial project for the S1R was to make a landscape photography video in Scotland, but I did also have a secondary project planned as well. Unfortunately though, the weather conditions were pretty awful in Scotland in the later part of my trip and so I never got the chance to shoot the 2nd video. This loan extension would be a great time to revisit that project and shoot it on Dartmoor rather than Glencoe.
My plan A was to head up to one of my favourite Dartmoor locations, Belstone Common. Checking the weather forecast the evening before I knew it was going to be a bit of a risk to go there because of the forecasted cloud cover. However I thought it was worth a punt and made my plan for a dawn shoot.
Arriving at Belstone Common the following morning it quickly became apparent that I had been a little too optimistic about the weather forecast, specifically the cloud cover. The cloud cover had even descended into the village of Belstone and by the time I had reached the parking area for Belstone Common it was looking very cloudy indeed.
Normally I wouldn’t necessarily let this put me off and I would risk ascending up to Belstone and hopefully wait for the cloud to clear. This clearing of the cloud can often lead to spectacular scenes but at the back of my mind I thought I’d probably be better going with plan B.
Fingle Bridge
Plan B was to go and shoot at one of my favourite autumnal Dartmoor locations, Holne Bridge or Fingle Bridge. I reckon either would have been good but given Holne Bridge is on the opposite side of Dartmoor from Belstone Common and Fingle Bridge just 15 minutes away the decision was easy.
When I arrived at Fingle Bridge I could see that I had made the right decision. The autumnal colours were looking great and even though it was a bit lighter the sky was still heavily overcast so staying at Belstone probably would have been a waste of time.
Fingle Bridge #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 24mm, f/11, 10 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Three horizontal image panorama at 16:7.
Though it was tempting to just create a short vlog of my time at Fingle Bridge, I decided just to concentrate on stills photography so I grabbed the Lumix S1R but left behind my Lumix G80 (my vlogging camera). As I walked along the riverside and admired the beautiful colours on the trees I was surprised not to see any other photographers or even dog walkers. I wasn’t complaining though. It was very relaxing, just me, a camera, the gentle noise of the flowing river and the wind blowing in the trees. What a way to start the day!
Fingle Bridge #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 54mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL.
What I like About the S1R
As I said in my blog post Return to Holne Bridge, it is not my intention to review the S1R. There are lots of dedicated written and video reviews out there and they are done by people much more proficient at reviewing than I am. However, having used the camera for a few weeks I thought I would at least share some of my thoughts on this camera.
Things I liked:
47.3 megapixel sensor - no complaints with the image quality.
Dual card slots - dual xQD would have been nice though.
Good controls, knobs and dials - plenty of physical controls.
Focal length of the lens is displayed in the EVF.
Triaxle tilt LCD - you can even flip it out when the camera is in a vertical orientation…..very handy!!
Countdown down timer for long exposures (up to 60 seconds). Also very handy!
The 24-105mm f/4 lens I used. Great image quality and useful focal length.
Minor gripes:
Long exposures are limited to 60 seconds before you need to switch to bulb mode. This is better than most DSLRs and some mirrorless cameras, but not as good as cameras from FujiFilm (which can have exposures timed in minutes).
Size and weight - while some people prefer the feel of a bigger camera, the S1R is big for a full-frame mirrorless camera. It’s about the same size and weight as a Nikon D850 but bigger and heavier than a Nikon Z7. However, in some ways it has more features and controls than a Z7 so some additional bulk is probably necessary (e.g. dual card slots and great video features).
Though the S1R has one of the highest resolutions EVF on the market, I thought images looked a little low on resolution when reviewed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but not as good as other mirrorless cameras I have used. I wonder if the embedded JPG preview of the RAW file is low resolution. The images when reviewed in Lightroom look amazing. The EVF looks great when viewing live.
No wide angle zoom lens at the time of loan. (A 16-35 f/4 is due in January 2020 though).
This is by no means a comprehensive list but these are some of the things I wanted to highlight when compared to other mirrorless cameras I have used. Minor gripes aside, there is little to dislike about this camera and anyone buying one is sure to be happy.
Fingle Bridge #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 28mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL.
A note on the video features:
I know many of you don’t shoot video but for me some of the most stand out features of this camera are the video features. It can shoot up to 4k, 50 fps at 150 Mbps. The video quality is beautiful. I shoot and publish almost all of my videos in 4K but I don’t think anyone would notice much change in video quality if my bitrate jumped to 150 Mbps. On the other hand 50 fps does give me a few more creative options in post production.
As a bonus the S1R writes video to both cards which is definitely welcome. However, my one gripe is that if you have your camera set up for stills (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture) and then you switch to video mode, all the settings from your stills configuration carries over. The same applies when moving from video mode to stills mode. Given that you set the camera up very differently when shooting video and stills this seems a little annoying if you need to quickly switch between both modes.
Panasonic have also now released the Lumix S1H. This camera is a little more video centric and offers video modes such as 6K recording, 400 mbps bit rate (depending on mode), and HLG video. I can just imagine the creative options open to me with this camera if I did another series of Vignettes of Landscape Photography.
In case you are wondering, the video that I did have planned for the S1R has been filmed and is currently being edited. It should be ready in the next couple of weeks. I have also managed to shoot one of my 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos with the S1R so I hope to publish that in the next few weeks as well.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and the images I capture from Fingle Bridge. Have you been out to capture some autumnal images? Have you considered or even bought an S1R or any of the cameras in the Lumix S1 range? Let me know in the comments below.
Return to Holne Bridge
This week I return to Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to try out a new camera and to give my father-in-law a helping hand with his photography.
Almost Autumn on Dartmoor
Out of all the seasons to photograph I find autumn the most difficult. Despite the autumnal season lasting a few months, the colours are really only at their best for a few weeks. If there are a few windy days this can shorten that period even more. The result of this really short period is that I sometimes miss the best of autumn all together. Last year was one of the few years that I actually made it out when the colours were nearly at their peak. I was lucky enough to capture images from Fingle Bridge and Holne Bridge.
Encouraged by what I captured last year I was really keen to get out again this autumn. Though my primary plan was to head out when the colours were at their best, I thought it would be useful to also head out early on in the season as well. I wanted to do this for a number of reasons. Firstly, I promised to take my father-in-law out for a shoot as he was going on a Dawn2Dusk Photography workshop and wanted to refresh his skills before going. I also wanted to refresh my knowledge of Holne Bridge, which I think is a great location for shooting autumnal landscapes.
The final reason was I wanted to try out the Panasonic Lumix S1R. This camera was on loan to me and I was keen to familiarise myself with it before putting it to use on the project I had planned for it. Fortunately for me I was already used to the handling and interface thanks to my use of the Panasonic Lumix G80 (which is my primary vlogging camera). However, the S1R has a much richer set of features and configuration options compared to my G80 so there was still plenty to familiarise myself with.
Two Mirrorless Cameras
Even though I had the S1R with me, I also decided to take along my Nikon Z7. There wasn’t any special reason for this other than I had a 24-105mm for the S1R and a 14-30 mm for the Nikon Z7 and I wanted to cover a wide range of focal lengths. I’m not planning on reviewing or comparing the two cameras (that’s not really my thing) but if you do want to see how the photos compare I have included a couple of shots from each camera for you to have a look at.
From my perspective the image quality from both cameras was superb and the only differences in the actual output are as a result of post-processing and focal length.
You’ll be able to see what I got up to with the S1R in a few weeks time so stay tuned!
Vibrant Colours
Moving away from gear and back to photography, even though I was a little early for peak autumnal colours the colours I did find were wonderful. There were splashes of yellow from the leaves but there was still a lot of green about which looked wonderfully vibrant.
Holne Bridge #5, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 14 mm, f/11, 2 seconds at ISO 400. Kase Filters K9 filter holder and CPL.
Despite the high water levels and the low light levels (we arrived a little to close to sunset), we both had a great time photographing this stunning Dartmoor location. I familiarised myself with the S1R and Holne Bridge, and more importantly, my father-in-law got himself into the swing of taking photographs again. Considering we were there for probably less than an hour we both felt it was a productive session.
Do you have plans for some autumnal photography? What locations do you like to shoot in the autumn? Let me know in the comments below.
Holne Bridge
Inspired by the autumnal colours I had seen at Fingle Bridge the previous week, this week I head to Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to see how the autumn colours are along the River Dart.
Embracing Autumn on Dartmoor
I don't know if it's my imagination but the autumn colours in Devon, especially Dartmoor seem to be much more vibrant this year. The yellows, oranges, and browns are really standing out on the trees. Woodlands are looking particularly spectacular.
After seeing the wonderful colours down at Fingle Bridge the other week, I was determined to get out again and make the most of this special time of year. But where to go? Easy. My custom Google Map to the rescue again! Holne Bridge on the River Dart was another location that had been on my map for a while, and this seemed to be the perfect time to go.
Holne Bridge
Though the weather forecast for that day was for rain showers, there was going to be a break for a few hours in the morning so off I headed to Dartmoor. I parked up just on the other side of Holne Bridge and started walking along the banks of the Dart. As expected the colours were brilliant, but it also appeared that the strong wind from the previous days had removed a lot of leaves from their branches.
Not to be discouraged by this I got the camera set up and took this image of the river Dart from the east side of the bridge.
Autumn on the River Dart, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 25 mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Just as I started getting into my photography it started raining. At first, I thought it was just a light shower, but the rain started to come down heavily. I soon regretted not taking my waterproof jacket! Never mind, I packed the camera away and decided that this would be a good time to do some exploring. My weather app told me the rain was due to stop in 20 mins so I wouldn't have long to wait.
While I was exploring the river bank looking for compositions, I spotted some woodland on the opposite side that I thought might suit an ICM shot. I had started experimenting with ICM when I was in Harris and Lewis and was interested enough with the results to try it again.
Holne ICM, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 34 mm, f/8, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
As you can see I need to work on my ICM technique and compositions a bit more. However, it did at least pass the time until the rain shower had passed.
Once the rain had passed it was back to the job of capturing of autumnal images of the river Dart. There was still a fair amount of water flowing down the river making capturing engaging images a little more tricky. Too little water and the river looks dirty and bare, too much water and you just end up with a white blur.
To make sure the river represented an important element in the composition I headed upstream from the bridge until I got a place where the water was cascading around and over some large boulders.
Unfortunately, this was one of the very last images I had time to take that morning and I was soon heading home. Happy with the shots I had captured that morning the only problem I had was whether I should return again, go back to Fingle Bridge or try and find another autumnal location for my next trip out with the camera.
What types of shot do you like to take during autumn? Have you tried ICM? What is your favourite season to photograph? Let me know in the comments.
Fingle Bridge
In the blog this week I head to Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor to shoot some autumnal woodlands but some unexpected weather causes a change of plan.
Discovering Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor
I first learnt about the woodlands around Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor in Outdoor Photography magazine in their Locations Guide section (one of my favourite features in the magazine). I can't remember which issue it was in, but I do remember seeing the photograph and then putting the location straight onto my custom Google map.
This was a couple of years ago and since then I've only been back a couple of times, and generally without much success. I filmed one of my earliest YouTube videos there, so if you want to see how much I've improved my videos you can check that video out here.
Remembering Fingle Bridge
My original plan for the morning was to head up to the open moorland of Dartmoor and perhaps shoot Great Mis Tor or Great Staple Tor. The problem with that plan was the weather forecast. The morning sky was going to be largely clear with no cloud. Without some interest in the sky, I wasn't sure it would be worth photographing those Dartmoor locations.
I wasn't however, going to pass up the opportunity to get out with the camera just because of a clear blue sky. A quick scan of my custom Google map and I remembered all about Fingle Bridge. Perfect I thought! I could shoot the woodlands from the top of the valley for sunrise and then head down into the woodland as it gets lighter.
Misty Dartmoor
Arriving at Fingle Bridge it was still dark with only a hint of light from the sun. With sunrise still at least an hour away, I put on my head torch and started the walk up the Hunters Path. It was an interesting walk through the dark woodlands. When I pointed my head torch into the woodland I could several pairs of eyes staring back at me. I assumed they were deer and not some sort of wild beast or cat that prowls Dartmoor!
As I approached the top of the valley and got above the tree line I could see the valley and woodland stretch out before me. In the distance towards Hunters Tor I thought I could make out some low lying mist. We all know how attracted to mist landscape photographers, and I'm no different, so I decided to go an investigate.
Hunter's Tor is at the other end of the valley from Fingle Bridge so it was further than I had planned on walking. I'd given myself plenty of time that morning though so was able to extend my walk without missing sunrise.
Being Indecisive
Arriving at Hunter's Tor I could see a beautiful blanket of mist to the west. There were two small problems though. Firstly, it wasn't covering the woodland, and secondly, it was very thick and you couldn't actually see much of the land below.
It was at this point I got a little indecisive. I thought I could hang about Hunter's Tor and wait for it clear a little, or I could head back along the valley and shoot the mist from further away, or revert back to my original plan. I decided to head back along the valley.
By the time I got halfway back along the valley path the mist had started to clear, so I decided to head back to Hunter's Tor! Even though the sun hadn't risen, the mist was clearing fast so I had to run! Back at Hunter's Tor, I decided to make the most of the frosty conditions and mist, and captured these images:
Hunter's Tor on a Frosty Morning, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16 mm, f/13, 15 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters ND Grad.
Frosty Fingle, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/8, 0.8 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters ND Grad, focus stacked image.
Autumnal Colours along the River Teign
After capturing those images I decided that I would head back down to Fingle Bridge and maybe capture some shots of the River Teign. As I packed up and started the walk back I bumped into local photographer Neil Porter. I hadn't met Neil before but I was aware of his excellent work and we soon got chatting.
Neil offered me a lift back to Fingle Bridge which I gratefully accepted. The heated seats in his car were very welcome after standing on that frosty tor for an hour!
Arriving at Fingle Bridge we headed along the river and into the woodland to find the autumnal colours looking glorious. Neil has a lot of experience in shooting this area and he informed me that the colours would get even better over the next week or so. I made a mental note that I would need to come back to Fingle Bridge again very soon.
Autumn at the River Teign, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 42 mm, f/11, 3 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Soon after capturing that image we started to see a few more photographers arrive. Happy with what I got, and with the need to get home, I left Neil and the other photographers to carry on shooting this beautiful autumnal location.
New Dartmoor Video
I hope you enjoyed the photographs from this location. If you did you might be pleased to know that I also did some filming while I was taking those images. The video from Fingle Bridge will feature in a Dartmoor video that I'm currently producing. I'm not sure when it will be out, but stay tuned to the blog, and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Have you photographed Fingle Bridge before? What is your favourite autumnal location? Let me know in the comments below.
Landscape Photography Adventure in the Lake District - Part 1
In this special blog post, I share with you the 1st part of my landscape photography adventure video from the Lake District.
Adventure
I love a going on a landscape photography adventure! Don't get me wrong, I'm very lucky to live in the south west of England. I've got easy access to two national parks and more coastline than I could ever photograph. Every now and again though you need to spread your wings, push your photography and get out there and visit somewhere different.
Earlier this year I had a fantastic adventure in Glencoe so I was keen to go on an adventure for autumn. But where would I go? Well, there aren't many better places to go in the UK for autumn than the Lake District.
I had given myself two and half days of photography in the Lake District. In that relatively short time, I had a list of locations that I wanted to shoot. These were a combination of locations that I had marked on my custom Google map over the years, some from my previous visit last year, and some from the excellent book Photography the Lake District.
As with my Glencoe adventure I knew I wanted to record my time at the Lake District using both photographs and videos. So in the next few blog posts not only will I be sharing with you the images that I captured but I've also created a 3 part video series so I can share the story behind the images.
Part 1 - Buttermere, Ashness, and Ullswater
Here is part 1 of the video in which you will see me photograph the lone tree on Lake Buttermere, Ashness Bridge, Ashness Jetty and Ullswater.
I hope you enjoyed the video and the images I captured. Here are the images again if you want to see them in a little more detail.
I hope you enjoyed part 1 of my Lake District adventure. I will be publishing part 2 next week so you won't have long to wait!
Landscape Photography in the Lake District
In this blog post I write about my 2 day photographic adventure in the Lake District. Read about how despite the challenging weather I still came away with some great images and a sense of satisfaction.
Escape to the Lakes
When a photographer friend of mine invited me to spend a couple of days shooting the Lake District in the height of autumn I literally jumped at the chance. Over the last decade or so I had visited the Lake District a number of times with my family and enjoyed it immensely. After all if you like the outdoors there really isn't much not to like about the Lake District. This was going to be a different type of visit though. This visit was going to be all about photography and I couldn't wait!
The plan was to spend two full days shooting various locations around the Keswick area taking in tarns, lakes, hills and of course the odd jetty. Our only restriction was dates. Free time for photography has to fit in around family and work time, so when we picked our dates we were committed, no matter the weather.
November seemed to take an age to come round but when it did my levels of excitement had almost become palpable. I had packed my stuff two days prior to departure and when I did hit the road the 300+ mile journey flew by. I couldn't wait to get shooting but as I would soon find out, the Lake District weather was going to be typically British.
High Brandelhow Landing
It was a 5:30 am alarm call on the first day and despite the lack coffee I was in high spirits and ready to get shooting. Our first stop was High Brandlehow Landing, a pier on Derwentwater. It's a classic Lake District composition with a pier but it was an ideal location to get the photography brain into gear.
My first instinct was to shoot the pier vertically but I actually ended up preferring the horizontal version. Using the Little Stopper at ISO 100, f/11 gave a 2 minute exposure but I was loosing the detail in the sky. Setting the camera to ISO 200 gave me a one minute exposure maintaining some texture in the sky.
Stock Ghyll
Despite the sky being almost completely overcast it had been a reasonably successful start to the day. After breakfast though the weather turned rainy so we decided to head into the woodland at Ambleside and walk along Stock Ghyll.
Photographing Stock Ghyll was a real challenge as I spent most of the time clearing rain water from the camera. I found it difficult to concentrate on my composition. I later tried to shoot the waterfalls but couldn't really find a composition I liked.
Grasmere
After drying out over a pub lunch we took the short drive down to the southern end of the lake at Grasmere. Though it had stopped raining the weather remained resolutely overcast which was a shame as there was barely a breath of wind and the reflections were stunning.
Lovely reflections, just a shame about the light. This image is a 2:1 crop from the original frame.
Latrigg Fell
With a renewed sense of optimism on the morning of day 2 I headed down to the hotel lobby to meet my friend. Unfortunately he was taking shelter from the down pour of rain. Not to be put off we checked our respective weather forecast apps and agreed that an ascent of Latrigg Fell could be rewarded with some nice light come sunrise.
The weather at dawn was not great but we dug in and waited.
As time progressed some splashes of light started to appear on Cat Bells. This image is a 3:1 crop of a 9 vertical image panoramic stitch.
The dawn light struggled to get through the clouds but when it did it provided little moments of magic. This is 16:9 crop from the original frame.
Castlerigg Stone Circle
While ancient stone circles don't necessarily offer a lot of interest for me, the location of Castlerigg Stone Circle is still an interesting location to shoot. You don't necessarily need to include the stones in your compositions.
Bad weather can work in your favour as well. I just needed to wait for a break in the light which came and went in the space of seconds. You just have to stand there with the finger on the shutter....waiting....till you get that fleeting moment of light.
As I've written about before, its important to look around to see what else is happening. I was focused so much on getting the previous image that I almost missed this one.
Tarn Hows
After our trip to Castlerigg we headed up to Ashness Bridge. It was a short stop as no sooner had we got our cameras out it started to rain heavily. So as we approached the end of day 2 we decided that we might try and catch last light at Tarn Hows. The weather hadn't exactly been kind to us up to that point and unsurprisingly it didn't improve that much.
This scene just need a splash of light on the trees but it wasn't to be.
Cat Bells
I was due to make the long trip home the morning of the 3rd day, but I couldn't resist one more dawn shoot. My friend had hit the road at 4am to go home, so as I was on my own I decided I would make the 450m ascent of Cat Bells. Despite the the previous two days of poor weather, I remained optimistic as the weather forecast looked like it might produce some nice early morning light.
My vision for this image was to get some morning light break over the fell peaks (Robinson and Red Knot). I waited and waited but this was as good as it got.
As is often the case in the Lake District, the moments of good light are brief but wonderful. This image of Rigg Beck and Causey Pike is a 3:1 crop from a single frame.
I was on my way down from Cat Bells and looking forward to breakfast but sometimes you just have to stop and unpack all your gear again. The light on Lonscale Fell was too good to miss.
Fun but Challenging
There was no doubt that I was extremely excited about my trip to the Lake District. Having seen so many autumnal images of the area I was keen to produce my own spectacular images. However, as you can see from my images old mother nature had a different plan which mostly involved rain and overcast skies. Even when it was dry there was very little of that magical light that you want to really lift a scene. When it did rain I would just spend most of time trying to keep my gear and filters clear of water. This can be infuriating and doesn't leave much time for the creative side of photography.
So was the trip a failure? Of course not! Yes, it was challenging, difficult and sometimes frustrating but I was in the Lake District, in autumn, with my camera. Sure it would have been nice to have better weather but sometimes as a landscape photographer you have to work with what you get. As I write this blog and look back at the photographs there is a lot to be happy about. Those little breaks of light like I saw on Cat Bells, or the stormy sky over the trees at Castlerigg just goes to show that there is an image to capture in almost any weather condition.
For me landscape photography is also about the adventure, about being outdoors. This trip was an adventure and I managed to capture some dramatic images of the Lake District, so I'm calling my trip a success!
Do you have a bucket list of locations or areas you want to shoot? Have you turned up to a location and faced a few challenges? Is there any type of weather you wouldn't go out in? Let me know in the comments.
Remember to check out my Instagram and Flickr feeds so you can see even more of my images. See you next time!
Location Scouting in the Teign Valley
In this video blog post I head out to Fingle Bridge and the Teign valley to scout out some locations for an autumn themed shoot.
The Importance of Scouting
The time I spend with the camera is precious. I have a full time job and a family that keeps me really busy so when I do get out I like to make the most of it. Sometimes I just go out to practice with my camera (see my blog post on practicing) or I'll go out to scout out a location. For me scouting out a location can be a really good use of time. For locations such as the upper Teign valley near Fingle Bridge in Devon, having a number of spots already picked out means that when the golden hour comes I'm only worrying about composition and not finding a good location.
In this short video I take you on a recent trip to the upper Teign Valley where I spend some time walking the path looking for locations that I can use for some autumnal shots that I want to take there. I'm travelling light with my Sony RX100M4 and a Manfrotto BeFree Carbon tripod but it allows me to quickly take shots from locations as I move along the valley.
Here's the video:
Mission Successful?
Here are the images that I took from the locations I scouted:
Now I'll be the first to admit that these aren't award winning images. The composition was setup up quickly and the light not exactly at its best but it does give me some really good ideas on where I want to shoot when I do go up there when the autumnal colours are in there full glory.
I also originally had this location down as a sunrise only location but because of this scouting exercise I'm fairly sure I could get images at either end of the day. So was it worth while? Well yes. Anytime with the camera is good but I feel more prepared to shoot this particular location now.
Do You Scout?
Do you spend time scouting out the locations you want to shoot? Or do you just turn up and see what takes your eye? Let me know in the comments.