More Cheshire Autumn

This has been a great autumn and it isn’t over yet. I went back to the woods at Alderley Edge and found them full of colour and with the perfect overcast sky.

There’s a legend about these woods. About a wizard. You can see how these woods could produce such a legend, they’re full of character. There are beautiful individual trees, both mature and sapling. I found myself strolling very slowly, waiting for compositions to arrange themselves. A good sign.

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The Olympus OMD-EM10 is perfect for this type of shooting. Using a tripod, the day is dull enough that the rear screen is easily seen and composing on a large, high-resolution screen is really nice. It also lets me compose using my crop of choice – 1:1 or 16:9 or the native 4:3.

 

Trefriw

I took a couple of shots earlier this year that have had a big influence on me. They were both shots of narrow, tree-lined lanes. Since then I’ve been taking lots of photos of lanes and going out of my way to find such places. I don’t know if it’s a passing fad or something longer term but I’ve been very pleased to find inspiration in the less obvious.

These shots were taken a few weeks ago near the village of Trefriw, in the Conwy valley in Snowdonia. From the village you can wander into the hills towards the lakes of Crafnant and Gerionydd. You go into steep-sided, thickly wooded valleys with some wonderful views. Despite the loveliness I was surprised at how few shots I took.

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Welsh autumn colour

Some shots from a welsh trip this week. Not as successful as I’d hoped even though the colours were at their best. I didn’t focus in advance on a single location, thinking I’d try a few different places in one day. That’s usually not a good plan for me. I find I get better results when I’ve properly planned the day out in advance, knowing exactly where I’m going. Anyway, a few nice shots. A mixture of the woods just outside Bethesda and one of my autumn favourites, Aberglaslyn Gorge.

Lingmoor Fell

I did a lovely round of Lingmoor Fell and Little and Great Langdales last week. Lots of autumn colour. As you’ll see this small hill has great views of some of the best known Lake District mountains and right now must be one of the best times to be there.

The route is quite simple, with a clear path all the way until you get to Side Pike. There’s a difficulty there, especially if you’re plus-sized. There’s a cleft in the rock that you have to squeeze through and even a skinny person like me needs to take my rucsac off to do it. Right after that there’s a nice bit of scrambling as an option.

The autumn colours are really good this year, I hope to get lots more shots over the next few weeks.

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Autumn at Gibson Mill and Hardcastle Crags

Stepping stones across Hebden Water just downstream from Gibson Mill

Gibson Mill is a National Trust property just outside Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. It’s an old water-powered cotton mill built in the deep, narrow valley of Hebden Water. The valley is heavily wooded and is a spectacular site in autumn when the leaves turn to gold. If you’re a photographer, or just like walking, Hebden Bridge is a great place to visit.

Autumn Tree Portraits – Alderley Edge

Autumn’s in full swing now, though I think the best is yet to come. Yesterday I went to explore the woods around Alderley Edge, not far from me in Cheshire. Plenty of colours and textures and the ideal weather – grey and slightly damp. I hope you enjoy these few shots.

The start of autumn – Bolton Abbey

Wharfe near Barden Tower

I went out for my first specifically-autumnal shoot last week, to Bolton Abbey. The stretch of the River Wharfe from the abbey up to Barden tower has some spectacular mixed woodland as the river goes through a deep valley. I try and go there every autumn. Plenty of colour already but I suspect the best is yet to come. I haven’t been out photographing much recently, as I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio making frames and prints but I’m mostly over that so hopefully a lot more shots to come.