March 2008
Some Easter Weather
24/03/08 20:30
I recall suggesting that spring was on its way and perhaps it is, but this weekend the UK did get the rough and rather unseasonal weather that was forecast. I took advantage of this by going to Castleton and Mam Tor for a walk along Rushup Edge. It was cold, the wind was blowing and we got caught in a short blizzard on the top. Absolutely marvellous!
There's more on this at this link.
23rd March 2008 - The Great Ridge and Rushup Edge
This short essay provides an example of how a much better view of a subject, in this case the Great Ridge between Mam Tor and Lose Hill in the Derbyshire Peak District, can be seen from a different location. Read more...
(2008-1376) Rushup Edge and Kinder Scout from Mam Tor, blizzard approaching, March 2008
13th March 2008 - Site fixes
The initial Flash based gallery was a reasonable success, but I had always felt it displayed images a little too small. This was a compromise to ensure that the gallery could be viewed without scrolling on a lower resolution screen. After much agonising I have now increased the size such that the images are easier to see. This means that a higher resolution screen will be needed to view it.
Spring is coming!
09/03/08 16:45
Spring appears to be really on its way - although today's weather forecast suggests we have a bit of a rough few days ahead. I captured this Chinodoxa Forbessi bluebell (13/03/08 - just crossed out bluebell as I saw the flower opening when returning home this evening!) creeping out of the ground in the garden earlier today.
(2008-1142) Chinodoxa Forbessi shoot
Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark 3 and 180mm f3.5 L macro lens.
Stanage Edge
09/03/08 00:15
Stanage Edge is magnificent. It is dramatic. It is popular with walkers and climbers. It sports magnificent views across the Derbyshire Peak District. It is home for much wildlife including the elusive mountain hare. It is a grand example of a millstone grit edge and to my mind one of the best in the Peak District.
For photography it is wonderfully situated and oriented. The setting sun lights up the length of the edge beautifully and the sunrise casts a shadow across the Hope Valley - which on cold mornings is often full of mist. It is one of the higher parts of the Derbyshire Peak District, so during winter will get snow when other parts see just a spot of sleet or nothing. It certainly gets plenty of rain!
For me Stanage Edge is an important part of my project "Along Gritstone Edges" as it links the bleak northern end of the Dark Peak area with the valleys and hills of the White Peak. It is also an area I have visited, walked and photographed many times over the last few years as part of this project - of which more on this website soon.
(2008-1033) Abandoned millstones at Stanage Edge
(2008-0918) Stanage Edge from Dennis Knoll
(2008-1053) Stanage Plantation and Edge
The first of these photographs illustrates (to me) how frustrating the web can be! In a small image this photograph is just about OK to me, yet shown large on my 23" monitor or (even better) printed large it looks great, even fantastic. The foreground is busy with the millstones, there are leads on both the left and the right of the photograph (the edge and the road) and the colours great. Alternatively, in a small image this is a photograph of millstones. In a large image this is a photograph of Stanage Edge with abandoned millstones in the foreground!
Interesting how pictures "change" dependent upon their size. Food for thought.
All three images were taken using a Canon 1Ds Mark 3 with 24 - 105mm f4 L IS lens which has now become my camera of choice despite its weight and size. A polarising filter was used to help give a little more "punch" to the sky.
8th March 2008 - Dave Butcher photography
Dave Butcher's exhibition of his black and white photographs of the Derbyshire Peak District is running at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery. This runs until Monday 24th March 2008 and is well worth a visit, so get there soon if you are interested in black and white landscapes or the Peak District. I bought a copy of his excellent book "peak light" a month or so ago and was really impressed. The exhibits all come from that book but are much larger and beautifully printed. See Dave's website for more details of the exhibition and how to order the book.
8th March 2008
Further tweaks have been made to the site to make it consistent in appearance throughout. I have also updated the menus.
5th March 2008
Once again the whole site has been completely revised and re-posted. The tools used for the previous version were beginning to become a restriction on some of the things I have wanted to do, so I took the opportunity to migrate all of the content into a Adobe Dreamweaver based environment. As part of this I have made a few very small changes to some of the content, but otherwise it is largely untouched except for the Galleries which are now Flash based. This has helped to significantly reduce loading times.
Further updates are planned for near future - this page will be updated as soon as changes are available.
Hearthstone
02/03/08 23:31
We have been to Hearthstone Farm at Riber, just outside Matlock, many times to buy their wonderful organic meat and vegetables, but have always wondered where the track that runs through the farm goes. The map suggests a great walk down to Lea Bridge or Cromford, so we had a go. A nice March morning with a strong wind, just the ticket!
It turned into a great walk from the farm down the hill to Cromford and back again. The wood just over the hill from Hearthstone Farm is a lovely beech wood that will be filled with bluebells in a month or so, and shade from the canopy of the trees soon afterwards. I can just imagine autumn there already. Clearly a walk to be repeated!
(2008-0885) Beech trees, Hearthstone Lane, Riber
(2008-0887) Dry stone wall above Hearthstone Farm
(2008-0896) Cows, Hearthstone Farm
The third image of the cows looking at me suggests there is more that could be made of this photograph, and is something I am keen to try. There are six faces looking at me - a tighter crop on them could work well I think. I tried this with the image here, but it is starting to loose definition given it is such a small piece of the original. I will try this soon with a longer lens; the 200mm end of the 70-200mm f2.8 sounds about right, but I did not have it with me.
All images taken with a Canon 1DsMk3 with 24-105mm f4 L IS lens.