Reach for the sky!

An evening cycle between Brompton on Swale and Skeeby, took me past some lovely countryside, with great views. As the sun set, I jumped over a couple of fences in order to shoot this tree.

New Angle

My continuing quest to find every conceivable angle to shoot Richmond Castle led me to the river the other evening. The continued warm weather has cause the Swale to reveal some of the interesting rock formations that usually lie hidden.

Grinton Moor Sunset

With a hefty amount of cloud in the sky, I chanced it somewhat and took a late evening drive into the Dales. I was rewarded by one of the best sunset displays that I have seen in a long while. With a lack of foreground interest, I decided to use the road as a lead-in, and hopefully let the dramatic colours do the talking.

Cadgwith

A cornish fishing port scene shot at f1.4

Fiery Castle Glow

Another long exposure from the banks of the River Swale. A favourite pastime of mine at present.

Poppies

It wouldn't be the onset of summer without a few fields in North Yorkshire turning bright red, laden with poppies. A very early start led me to a field near Aske, which allowed me some soft light to play with in the poppy fields.

Another Lizard Sunset

Gateway to Exmoor

We stayed in the village of West Lyn for a weekend with friends, on the coastline of the Exmoor National Park. Fantastic views to the village of Lynton, and across the water to the South Wales coastline.

Castle & Cow Parsley

A Richmond sunset, taken from the fields by Theakston Lane. The sun is in a tricky position at the height of mid-summer, so doesn't allow for the most pleasing compositions.

Hartforth Lonely Tree

A couple of shots of my current favourite lone tree, just outside the village of Hartforth, North Yorkshire. 

A bench with a view

Yet another Richmond Sunset to add to the collection. A long exposure to blur the scrappy clouds allowed more of the ambient colour to come through. One of my favourite spots to sit and take in the views of the town.

Lizard Peninsula

While in the South West of England, we were advised that the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall had some of the most picturesque coastline in the UK. We were not disappointed. A glorious day at Kynance Cove yielded some fantastic colours, reminiscent of the Mediterranean, and a trip to the most southerly point of Mainland Britain rewarded us with a great sunset, enhanced by seals bobbing around in the shallow waters as the moon rose.

Clear Skies Again

After a week of rain, the skies finally cleared to allow for a trip over the tank roads to Downholme for a sunset trip. It's a view I have only discovered recently, and I think I still need to put in some work to make the composition more pleasing. Still the light helped to make for a couple of pleasing shots.

Cliff Beck

A set of falls that I have seen many time when driving through Swaledale, but had never stopped by, until the other day. Conditions were slightly overcast, making them optimal for shooting the falls. 

Tumbling Wensleydale Water

A short trip to Wensleydale on a dry day, yielded the chance to shoot some waterfalls in a more tranquil state. Shots from West Burton Falls and Hardraw Force.

Hay There

We took a trip into Swaledale on Friday in the hope of catching some of the hay fields out in bloom. Despite relatively heavy skies, we were even treated to a few glimpses of sunshine which certainly helped to radiate the colour.

Crackpot Falls

Hidden away on a small side road, Crackpot Falls is surprisingly calm and beautiful, hidden away from sight in a little glade. Up close, even with a low volume of water cascading over, the roar easily drowns out all other sounds.

Jim Clark Rally 2014

A unique event on mainland Great Britain, the Jim Clark Rally takes place over two days, on a number of closed road stages near the towns of Duns and Kelso in the Scottish Borders. The nature of this asphalt event attracts a large and varied field of cars, ranging from ex WRC rally cars, through to historic Porsches, Escorts and Talbot Sunbeams,
Tragic news on Saturday afternoon prompted the immediate cancellation of the event. My condolences go out to the families of those involved in the terrible accident.
On the whole it is a very well organised and marshalled event, it is very unfortunate that the sport and rallying fans should suffer such a tragic loss.

Bleak Teesdale

A shot of the iconic white barns of Teesdale, shot in very bleak conditions about a month ago.

Under the arch

A shot of Richmond Castle taken from under one of the arches of the Green Bridge.

Oil Seed Rape

I'm always a sucker for a panned landscape, It's a good alternative take on the colours that show in the countryside throughout the year. I hadn't managed an Oil Seed Rape shot last year, so on a relatively sunny day, I thought it would be worth a try.

Rainy day Macro

On a rainy bank holiday, the idea was floated to try and take some natural light shots about the house, using the 100mm macro. Despite a lack of particularly interesting subjects, I managed to conjure up a few photo opportunities.