Outdoors

Local Waters and Woodlands

29th July 2021 By Mike Barrett

I know, I can hear it now… “Out shooting water again Baz? It’s not like you!” Yes indeed, I just can’t help myself.

When shooting water in woodland you usually get a gap in the tree canopy where the light floods in and brightens up the water course. Obviously this depends on how wide the river or stream is. In the case of these shots, in each instance, the canopy was still rather closed as both the streams were fairly narrow. Trees on each side of the bank were close enough to form a closed canopy above the water where the foliage merged into one big umbrella.

There were one or two areas that opened up and light was able to flood in. It made for some interesting atmospherics. It’s not a bad thing though, especially when you’re taking long exposure shots on a tripod, as you have full control of your exposure times and how you want the available light to work in the image.
A closed canopy can serve to diffuse the light and you end up with shots with interesting light dotted around the composition. Even if ever so subtly, as is the case with the images below. You get lots of pockets of light and dark areas juxtaposed against each other which makes for some good contrasts throughout the composition. The only thing you might have to be considerate of is movement in the foliage if the conditions are breezy. But this can also work for you depending on the type of image you are after. There is always so much to consider when photographing this type of landscape. It’s what makes it so much fun.

For me, there is a sweet spot where long exposure, fast water river shots are concerned. I have seen many images where photographers have just opened up the shutter for as long as possible to capture a huge chunk of movement in the water and made it look like a blanket. A whited-out watery wilderness. You tend to get a huge amount of over-exposed areas in the water when this occurs. When it is overdone it can spoil the image and detract from the beauty of the scenery. So the sweet spot for me is a compromise somewhere between this and a normal snapshot. I want those smoothed-out elements in the flowing water, but I also want some of the energy left in too. Of course, this changes from shot to shot and it all depends on what you think works well within the composition at the time. Mostly though, I want to show the ever-changing course of the water as there is so much movement to be captured. So I tend to do a few test shots. I find the exposure I want and then play with the shutter timing and aperture until I hit the sweet spot which contains both those smoothing elements, but also something that captures the texture and ever-changing course of how the water is flowing.

As I said, I try to find the sweet spot. Here are some images where I hope to have done just that.

The first four shots were taken at Judy Woods in West Yorkshire. The water is called Royads Hall Beck.
The second four shots were taken at Hardcastle Crags in West Yorkshire. The water is called Hebden Beck.

A Snowy Haworth Moor

13th July 2021 By Mike Barrett

I’ve only just got around to writing about this day back in January. It wasn’t snowing when we headed out to Haworth Moor. It was somewhat grey and and there was a stiff breeze, but altogether it had been a fairly pleasant day. My wife, daughter and I had headed out for a walk to blow away the cobwebs of the last year of lockdowns. To be honest, after the previous 9 months it was just good to get out. Period!

We headed to the Brontë waterfalls. Our daughter was really excited to be out and about in the world again and to be on a bit of an adventure. We got a little way into the walk, about 20 minutes or so when quite out of the blue it started piling it down with snow. It didn’t start slowly and get gradually worse (better). Nope, it just came down in bucket loads from the get go. Massive flakes of snow. My daughter was delighted. She hadn’t seen snow like this before. In fact we were all utterly thrilled that it had started snowing.

It wasn’t too long before it had got deep under foot and of course soon enough we began making huge snowballs and throwing them everywhere and at each other. Luckily we had dressed in warm clothes and good, sturdy walking boots, so we were well equipped to deal with the change in weather. We carried on with our walk for as long as possible, sticking to the paths and taking in the beautiful landscape. A landscape that had very quickly become white over. Sheep had begun to huddle in flocks around trees and some hid behind farm buildings to get some respite from the prevailing storm.

After a while we made the decision to turn around and head back to the car. We hadn’t got to our planned destination but it had been getting colder by the minute and the path had become quite treacherous. All of us nearly landed on our bums on more than one occasion.

I had taken my camera kit with me. I wanted to get some shots of this beautiful Brontë Moor on a crisp winters day. What I did get are this handful of delightful shots. A snowy winter wonderland in the heart of Brontë country. While I was there I imagined the Brontë sisters stomping across these same grounds in weather much like this back in their time, and how they might have stoked a large, warm fire once tucked away from the wilds of this rugged land.

The Old Lighthouse of Twr Mawr

28th January 2021 By Mike Barrett

The Old Lighthouse of Twr Mawr – Llanddwyn Island Anglesey, Gwynedd North Wales.

Don’t let this serene vista fool you. We were being blown off our feet and literally soaked to the bone with the torrential rain that was relentless battering the island. Buffeted from pillar to post and absolutely soaked to the bone! The place was stunning though. Wild and beautiful.

While we were there I posted this image to my social media outlets. It was seen by some friends of ours who were also spending time in that part of the world. They got in touch to tell us that they were 5 minutes away from where we were and asked if we wanted to meet up. We managed to hook up later that day and grab a coffee together. A lovely impromptu meet up and a really nice surprise.

Those friends came back to me recently and asked if they could get a print of the photo that I posted that afternoon. A lovely little story involving this memory. The Old Lighthouse of Twr Mawr and Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey holds particular significance for them and has a special place in their hearts. So apt that they should end up with this beautiful print. Not only for the reason that is a symbolic place for them, but also for the little story it tells about our encounter while we were all holidaying in that beautiful part of the world.

Printed on Hahnemühle 308gsm photo rag fine art paper which delivers a stunning finish to printed images. I’m pleased to say that they are very happy with their print.

Lake District Autumnal Landscapes

5th November 2019 By Mike Barrett

I have just got back from the Lake District where the autumn colours were in full effect. Being in such a beautiful place at this time of year warms the soul, even if the weather strips what’s left of your body heat out of your very being. The Lake District is one of the most phenomenally beautiful places I have ever been. Every time I go there I fall in love with the place just that little bit more. The landscapes and scenery are utterly breathtaking and not only do they change through the seasons, they can literally alter from moment to moment with the ever shifting weather systems that move in and out of this mountainous region. The light and therefore mood can alter from minute to minute. Choppy water can turn into a flat mill pond at the drop of a hat, blue skies can develop into dramatic and foreboding storm clouds in the blink of an eye and the colour contained within the surrounding vistas can warm up and cool down in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. I could say that there is never a dull moment but there are indeed many. Literally! Interspersed with countless bright ones, colourful ones, muted ones…

I managed to get some beautiful shots while I was there. Frosty mornings, drone landscapes, classic mountainous scenery and some film footage for my Youtube channel. I love this beautiful thing called photography. It is utter soul food. Especially in such a stunning place as the Lake District.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 104mm, F16, ISO 50, 0.5 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 17mm, F22, ISO 50, 1/60 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

DJI Mavic Pro Drone, Lens: 26.3mm, F2.2, Focal Length @ 4.73mm (in 35mm: 26mm), ISO 100, 1/125 Seconds Exposure.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 26mm, F16, ISO 50, 30.0 Seconds Exposure with 10 Stop ND Filter, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 17mm, F22, ISO 50, 27.0 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

DJI Mavic Pro Drone, Lens: 26.3mm, F2.2, Focal Length @ 4.73mm (in 35mm: 26mm), ISO 100, 1/125 Seconds Exposure.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 200mm, F16, ISO 50, 0.8 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188mm, F4.5, ISO 50, 1/320 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

DJI Mavic Pro Drone, Lens: 26.3mm, F2.2, Focal Length @ 4.73mm (in 35mm: 26mm), ISO 163, 1/100 Seconds Exposure.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188mm, F16, ISO 50, 1/13 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 17mm, F16, ISO 50, 1/25 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188mm, F4.5, ISO 50, 1/320 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 87.00 mm, F18, ISO 50, 1/6 Seconds Exposure, Aperture Priority, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 17mm, F16, ISO 50, 1/20 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 40.00 mm, F16, ISO 50, 1.3 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

While Developing Lightroom Presets

20th September 2019 By Mike Barrett

Peak District Grit v’s ISO/ASA Grain, and a splash of Grunge.

I have been working on some Lightroom Presets which will be on sale soon. Look out for them in the coming weeks. I created one called ‘Here Comes The Grain Again’. A monochrome preset that mimics a high ASA (American Standards Association) film. You might be more familiar with the abbreviation ISO (International Organization of Standardization), more commonly used in Digital Cameras. A high ISO/ASA offers a higher level of light sensitivity when the camera makes the image. This essentially allows photographers to shoot at higher f-stops or indeed with faster shutter speeds, especially in low light conditions. In fact it’s a great way of getting better results from your camera in low-light situations. The trade off though is that images will often turn out grainy and have a more high contrast finish to them. In the digital world this has been a bit of a taboo in the production of photography. Photographers have demanded better and better quality sensors in cameras in order to make less grainy images while shooting in low light. However, grainy images can also be viewed as a style, something that adds character or textural interest to an image. This brings me neatly back to the Lightroom Presets that I have been developing.

This is the first monochrome preset I have made. It’s called ‘Here Comes The Grain Again’ and will be part of a set called Monopods. I liked it so much I had to try it out across a range of images. I came across a folder of RAW files, images that I took earlier this year while out in the Peak District. I got an assortment of moody shots of my brother Jake, and a couple of my daughter too, standing up on the rocks on the escarpment at Froggatt Edge in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. This preset worked very well with these images and made for some really gritty results which I liked very much. To add a little more drama to the finished images, I ran them all through Photoshop and overlaid some spatter textures from a bank of resource imagery that I have been developing, using and adding to over the years. Here are the results below.

Watch out for my Lightroom Preset Package coming soon.

Johnshaven, Scotland

1st September 2019 By Mike Barrett

I have a special love for being by the coast. It’s definitely a yearning. I stood at the ocean’s edge last week while up on the east coast of Scotland, closed my eyes and let my senses take over. I let the whole experience wash over me. The sound of the crashing waves ebbing and flowing, the chorus of shrill calls from the gulls as they danced on the sea air, the spray hitting my face and the smell of the ocean as it rolled over the rocks before me.

As I took it all in I thought about a line from the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ by the character Andy Dufresne. In the film he was talking to his friend Red and was describing a place that he wanted to live out the rest of his life. “Zihuatanejo. It’s in Mexico. A little place on the Pacific Ocean. You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific? They say it has no memory.”
I don’t know why it popped into my head, but I got thinking about it while I was stood looking at the North Sea. Specifically focusing on the part about the sea having no memory. I like this as an idea. The concept that the ocean has no memory. The notion sits quite well with me. This vast body of water the covers 71% of the earth surface. It’s basically uncharted in real terms. We’ve seen a bit of it, but in the grand scheme of things we have sent more people to the moon than we have people to the deepest parts of our oceans. The idea that it has no memory just intrigues me. This vast body of water is just there, all the time. Moving to and fro, calm and at times ferocious. Deep and wide, enduring and seemingly endless. Full of mystery and very, very old. Beautiful in its magnitude. The fact that it might have no memory is almost a beautiful notion. Ever existing in a state of now. Being!

I love to photograph the coast line. There is always something happening or something interesting to point the camera at. There is never a dull moment. The weather constantly changes, as do the tides, the colours, the wind, the light, the smells, the mood, the temperature… It’s very much alive. I got a chance to have a mess around with a 10 stop filter and a variable grad filter on this particular excursion. I also sent my drone up a few times to get some different aspects of the coastline. All good fun as you can imagine.

Capturing Daybreak at Johnshaven

31st August 2019 By Mike Barrett

I recently captured six different aspects of the sunrise over the course of a few different mornings at a little fishing village called Johnshaven on the east coast of Scotland. The compositions were fairly similar, taken from more or less the same vantage point. It’s always exhilarating watching the sunrise on a beautiful coastline. It’s something I will never tire of. There is a quote I once heard that goes as follows… “God created the sunrise and the sunset so that each day begins and ends in triumph”. I’m not a religious man but I have always liked that quote. Having witnessed many a sunrise and sunset I believe that this quote pretty much hits the nail on the head!

It is intoxicating watching the sun come up on the coast, or anywhere for that matter, but on the coast it does bring that special something. All that colour and changing light reflected off that vast ocean is something else. Especially when you are out there at 5am and there isn’t another soul about. It’s just you, fresh sea air and the rising of that huge ball of fire that we call sunshine. At times it will bring with it colour, drama and most certainly heat, light and the new energy of the day. To stand and watch it climb into the sky and see it incrementally change the colour and mood of the surrounding panorama fills the soul with some mysterious and primeval joy. Capturing it photographically for prosperity brings a huge amount of joy also. Not quite bottled for prosperity, but as near as damn it!

Ilkley Moor Fires – Rebirth & New Hope

5th June 2019 By Mike Barrett

I recently visited Ilkley Moor. It is somewhere that I have been on numerous occasions over the years. A magnificent natural place of beauty. Visited by many people for it’s incredible panoramic views, fantastic trails for walking and for the fact that it is a site of special scientific interest due to its beautiful upland habitat for ground-nesting birds. Known also for the famous Yorkshire folk song “On Ilkley Moor baht ‘at”, (on Ilkley Moor without a hat) and not least for the Cow and Calf rocks, an outcrop of grit stones which stand beside an old quarry.

Back in April some fires were deliberately started on the moor land. Some 25,000 square metres of land were scorched to a blackened wasteland. The destruction of the habitat was plane to see even though many weeks had passed after the event. It was reassuring to see nature returning in abundance bringing with it new hope and new life. That’s the beauty of nature. It will repair itself.

I wanted to capture some imagery that illustrated the resilience of nature and the power it has in the face of adversity. There were new fern shoots popping up all over the place. A carpet of them in fact. It was clear that flora was returning to the damaged land and in that, it wouldn’t be long before nesting bird and other wild life would again find safety and sanctuary in the returning vegetation. My intention was to isolate a single new fern shoot and juxtapose it against the scorched and blackened earth in order to make a visual communication about the power of nature and its ability to revive and replenish itself. I’m really pleased with how these images have turned out.

As a photographer I always try to find the beauty within the world around me. It’s not always an easy thing to achieve. It was my desire in this instance to capture the idea of hope. The notion that, all is not lost!

I made a YouTube video explaining a little bit more about my experience on the moor.

YouTube – lkley Moor Fires – Rebirth & New Hope

Natures Carpet

8th May 2019 By Mike Barrett

This image conjures up all sorts of emotions in me. That is the beauty of a single photograph. It can transport you to many places, evoke countless memories and trigger a depth of emotion that may not otherwise have surfaced before feasting your eyes upon it.

This image brings to mind warm, sunny days, the sound of distant child’s laughter playing in a meadow, the drone of light aircraft cutting through the sky, the whiff and drifting scent of a bbq triggering a certain hunger pang, the perfume of summer flora and the hum of a lazy bumble bee bouncing from flower to flower. It brings to mind the sound of a cricket chirping somewhere not too far away on a stem of grass, or a ladybird stumbling through the undergrowth on a journey that only it could know. It reminds of the simple joy of laying on your back in the deep green grass and watching cotton white clouds meandering along against a cerulean sky while all of you cares melt out of memory. If I look at this image for long enough, it would probably bring to mind a lifetime of simple pleasures and quite possibly many other emotions.

The power of photography is evident in the way in which nearly everybody in this day and age makes record after record of their life journey on a day to day basis using smart phones and all manor of digital devices. There is something special about a photograph, about photography. The simple recording of our life experiences for us to look at again and again has become customary. Photography is essential for many reasons in the world in which we live.

The passion for making great imagery sits profoundly within me. It is almost an obsession, but one that brings a huge amount of joy, both in the initial recording of an image and that of the huge amount of joy that one single image can bring thereafter. If one single image can do all of that then imaging the joy derived from many thousands of images?! Little wonder then, that for me at least, making beautiful photographs is a compulsion.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188.00mm, F4, ISO 400, 1/800 Seconds Exposure, AP, Hand Held.

The Delights of Spring

8th May 2019 By Mike Barrett

Spring is such a fabulous time of the year in Great Britain. From a photographic perspective it certainly presents new opportunities. Renewed and vibrantly coloured backdrops are established and frame the remnants of winter, like these Teasel heads that have been bent and crippled by the harsh cold, set against a fresh spring hue. New life sprouts up from just about every corner, every nook and every cranny. Colour begins to be splashed across the land once again. The once desaturated panorama begins to present new and vibrant energy, form and luminosity. It also warms up quite a bit, which is all good in my book.

Here are a few shots from being out and about in the countryside during the easter break.

Spring in Action

1st May 2019 By Mike Barrett

I love this time of year. Spring is my favourite season without a shadow of a doubt. I love the vibrancy of colours, the fresh new smells, the new energy and renewed activity in nature. The intensity of sound, colour, smells and rejuvenated growth is beguiling and lifts the soul. It’s a season of hope, prosperity and new life. Here is a shot of new life springing into action. A new Sycamore Tree shooting up against the backdrop of flowing water. Fresh new life and vibrant in colour. Fantastic.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188.00mm, F5.6, ISO 500, 1/400 Seconds Exposure, AP, Hand Held.

Rock on Llyn Llydaw, Snowdonia

9th April 2019 By Mike Barrett

I took this shot last summer while climbing Snowdon. I’ve always been drawn to it. Not sure why, but I’ve always just liked it. Some images just sit well with you.

A friend once said to me that the small and mundane are as important as the mighty monuments in life. He was absolutely right.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 98.00mm, F18, ISO 160, 1/125 Seconds Exposure, AP, Hand Held.

Chasing Light

25th January 2019 By Mike Barrett

It’s always fun heading out to get long exposure photographs in urban settings. On this occasion I was running a workshop with MODE VITAL. It was a chilly January night, but conditions were ideal for capturing this type of shot and there was a lot of traffic about.

It’s always interesting teaching people new skills. It’s rewarding beyond compare. I love to see those little eureka moments as the realisation occurs that the scope of possibility is broadening, much like the smile that accompanies that realisation. DSLR cameras can do so much if you are aware of the settings that are available to you and indeed how to use them in conjunction with each other. If you get to know your kit and how it works the possibilities in terms of shots are literally limitless. When you know how to use your kit the rest is just perception and imagination.

I only took five shots on this particular night. This one was shot number three. I had set the camera up purely as a demonstration mechanism and to determine what sort of settings would be optimal in this particular environment and for this composition. This type of shot is great for learning about the manual settings of a DSLR as it is such an extreme type of photography if you are relate it to the normal point and shoot shot that most people would take on their phones for instance. You have to set up for a long exposure in order to capture all those beautiful light trails and in turn you need to know how to control and set your ISO to determine the quality of the shot. Then there is the lens aperture, setting this up correctly is critical in order to capture all that beautiful detail. So you are very much hands on with the whole exposure triangle. There were some other things that we looked at like hyperfocal distance when focusing, timings and what to look out for regarding the capturing of good, strong imagery and moving light. Composition and leading lines etc. All good fun for those who love to learn more about these photographic processes.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 40mm, F16, ISO 100, 20.0 Seconds Exposure, Tripod Mounted.

Landscape and Light

9th January 2019 By Mike Barrett

Take some time to sit yourself in the landscape, and wait. Wait and watch. Watch and wait. Take a flask. Maybe some food. Eat, drink, wait and watch. Watch and wait.

This is when you witness magic. The magic of light. The magic of the land and how it takes on diverse and ever changing forms as it reflects the light. From raven blacks to washed out greys. From majestic, dusty edged, alabaster Cumulonimbus reaching to embrace the heavens, to a verdant meadow kissing an azure sky. From searing hot horizons framed by foreboding and shadowy plumes of an imminent storm, to blinding white mists that obscure the panorama, chilling the landscape while removing all discernible detail from view. Where maybe only a slither of form may present some significance, albeit with a washed out and delicate hue.

So much can happen and change when you’re out in the wilderness. The trick is being able to spot the interesting moments as they present themselves and try to record them in the magnificent way in which they appear.

The description above is pretty much the exact array of conditions that presented themselves while I was walking in the Peak District at the weekend. I had visited Froggatts Edge, a gritstone escarpment which sits in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England. The weather was unbelievably dramatic and incredibly changeable over the course of the day and so presented some interesting vistas to photograph.

These images were taken at different times during my visit. It is amazing how much can change in the landscape if you are willing to spend time in a place and be patient in order to get some interesting shots. I have known photographers get bored and frustrated while being out in the countryside because the light has been bad and the weather has been inclement. I have watched them pack up their kit and called it a day, only for everything to change not ten minutes later and for the same landscape that looked drab, boring and disinteresting to offer up unbelievably beautiful scenery because of a slight change in weather conditions. Patience is a virtue is a saying that we are all familiar with. Where landscape photography is concerned patience pays off more times than not.

Here are some images I took up on Froggatts Edge.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 109mm, F7.1, ISO 100, 1/250 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 17mm, F6.3, ISO 250, 1/800 Seconds Exposure, Aperture Priority, Hand Held.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 188mm, F20, ISO 100, 1/6 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF17-40mm F/4L USM @ 22mm, F4.5, ISO 250, 1/250 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lens EF70-200mm F/4L USM @ 113mm, F13, ISO 250, 1/60 Seconds Exposure, Manual, Tripod Mounted.

Lake District – Waterfall near Coniston Water

27th November 2018 By Mike Barrett

This was a great find while bimbling around the Lake District. A set of stunning water falls cascading down a small gorge. There were about 20 to 30 different compositions to be had at this location. I spent most of my time focusing on this particular fall just because of the way the water split in different directions as it came over the top of the two major rocks at the top of the frame. I was interested in the multiple directions that the course of water took after hitting the small pool just above mid frame. Shooting wide angle so as to capture the whole scene. I’m really pleased with the way this composition fills the frame and takes the eye on a complete journey around the image. Plus I loved the autumnal reds and oranges caught in the rock juxtaposed against the earthy greens of the moss and foliage clinging to the stone.

This shot was taken using a HOYA Variable ND filter set fairly dark in order to achieve a bit more of a distortion in the flow of water achieving a slightly longer exposure time.

Lens 17-40mm @ 17mm, F16, ISO 320, 6 seconds exposure, Tripod Mounted. Time – 14.26 (21.11.18)

The Lake District – Last Light

27th November 2018 By Mike Barrett

‘Coniston Jetty at Sundown’

Having spent the day in the Lake District in fairly dull, grey weather with not much drama going on at all, I was happy to get these late shots just before calling it a day and heading home. I could hardly see what I was doing setting up. I was lighting up my kit bag using the torch on my iPhone in order to find the kit I needed. Lens, remote trigger etc. I put the tripod in place and did a couple of test shots. The light was literally falling away by the second. Off in the distance there was this wonderful patch of light forming in the clouds and moving across my composition. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I waited until it had come across enough to frame the end of the jetty and then took the shot.

Lens 17-40mm @ 27mm, F11, ISO 100, 30 Seconds Exposure, Tripod Mounted. Time – 16.44 (21.11.18)

‘Coniston Jetty – Blue Hour’

Interestingly, this image was made 6 minutes earlier. A very slightly different composition and focal length. The difference in the quality of light is fascinating. This shot was taken at 16.38 when the blue hour was very much in evidence. The image above is a good example of how quickly the light was falling off as the sun sank deeper beyond the horizon when you compare it to the image below which was taken just minutes earlier. It’s also a really good example of how light changes quickly in landscape photography. This is an extreme reference of course as the sun had well and truly set with only ambient light left to play with. But even so, light, colour and atmosphere can change in an instant when you’re out shooting the landscape and you very much have to keep your wits about you as wonderful and compelling shots can be easily missed.

Lens 17-40mm @ 25mm, F16, ISO 320, 30 Seconds Exposure, Tripod Mounted. Time – 16.38 (21.11.18)

Northumberland 2018

12th November 2018 By Mike Barrett

Northumberland for me is a home from home. I am always at peace when I’m in there. Of course it also offers an incredible amount of stunning scenery, so the seasoned photographer will never get bored. With it’s vast coastal areas of beauty and an insane amount of beautiful and rugged countryside to explore, this place is an absolute must for anyone with a love for landscape photography. The skies seem to be bigger as do the vistas across the countryside. I have heard many people say so, so don’t just take my word for it.

The history in this part of the country is also very rich. It is home to Hadrian’s Wall and marks the Edge of Empire in terms of how far the Romans were willing to march North in the conquering of Great Britain. The settlements and artefacts and other historical wonders that are constantly being unearthed along the wall and in other areas in this part of the country are vast. The walks along the wall are also stunning and it is well worth a trip to see this marvellous and beautiful landscape. The wild winds blow away any cobwebs that might be lingering that’s for sure.

Below is some of the imagery I managed to shoot on my recent trip the the wonderful North East Coat of England.

Mam Tor – The Peak District

12th November 2018 By Mike Barrett

It’s great to get about the country and to see the stunning landscape that Great Britain has to offer. So much so that I can sometimes forget what I have got on my doorstep. The Peak District is one of the most stunning locations in Great Britain. The beauty in the landscapes that the Peaks has to offer is just breathtaking. It always surprises me when I go back there just how devastatingly beautiful the Peaks are.

Mam Tor (‘Mother Hill’) is no exception. Standing 517 meters above Castleton in the high peak of Derbyshire, this location offers some of the areas best and most breathtaking scenery. Not that it is in short supply by any stretch of the imagination. Here are a couple of shots I got on a recent visit to this beautiful place. A place I have been to many times and will continue to return to.

Goit Stock and Janet’s Foss Water Falls

12th November 2018 By Mike Barrett

Here are a few images from a couple of recent trips out pre fall. These were taken on the brink of the season change between summer and autumn. The leaves had only just started to show a change in colour. The hot temperatures of the summer had started to ebb away and there was a bit of a chill in the air. The two locations were Goit Stock Falls at Hallas Beck, Cullingworth and Janet’s Foss Waterfall, Gordale Beck, near to Malham, North Yorkshire.

One of the many things I love about Great Britain is the stark changes in the seasons. The diversity of colour, vegetation, skies, temperatures in the landscape from one season to another is just stunning. You could literally set a permanent tripod up looking at one perspective and get a million different photographs.

As much as it is important as a photographer to constantly seek out new locations and interesting places in which to take great images, it is also equally important to return to those places that we have already been to at different times of the year and at various times of the day as the scenery can, will and does change. The colours, the mood, the atmosphere can all shift literally from one moment to another, so imagine the change over the seasons. Experienced landscape photographers know this all too well. You can get to an interesting location and there is no shot at all, but if you are prepared to wait it out just a little bit of time, light can change, weather can change and magic can happen in front of your eyes.

Wast Water – The Lake District

1st September 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

The Lake District is just one of the most phenomenally beautiful places in England. Come rain of shine, there is always something happening within the landscape that makes photographers like me twitch with anticipation. Recently I took my family over the Hardknott Pass looking for one of my favourite places in the Lakes, Wast Water. As well as being hard on the nerves, the clutch and brakes on your car wont be too happy with you after navigating the Hardknott Pass, even if you are taking it really easy. It is one of the steepest roads in England and at times has a gradient of 1 in 3 ( a 33% incline).

If the conditions are right though, and your nerves can take it, the landscape is absolutely breathtaking and well worth the trip. Wast Water is not a big a journey once you are over the pass. Perhaps another 20 minutes drive. It does have to be said that when you turn that final bend in the road when heading there and the lake opens up in front of you it is one of the most breath taking experiences. The screes that tumble from the mountains into the lake are a sight to behold alone. It somehow manages to convey the sheer magnificence of nature. A frozen rock fall of epic magnitude hung on the side of the mountain lending itself to the idea that time may actually be frozen. As an onlooker, as you are moving around it, this makes the scene quite eerie.

While we were there I set up the camera on the tripod and watched some formidable cloud formations drift in and out of the scene. Ideally, I would have liked to have been there at sunrise in perfect conditions, but I was on holiday with my family and we were just exploring and as I have said, there is always something happening within the landscape that makes photographers like me twitch with anticipation.

So, I played around with some different compositions and ended up with some photos that I absolutely love to bits. They show how beautiful this place is in the middle of the day when the sun is shining and there is some wonderful cloud formation skipping over the tops of the mountains.

Snowdoinia – Summer 2018

8th August 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

A stomp with the family up Snowdon and some beautiful surrounding scenery.

We were recently in Snowdonia National Park on a short camping holiday. We always try to get there at least once a year as a family. My wife and I have been going ever since we got together so it is a little bit of a homage trip and we always end up staying in the same place. There is a little campsite at the foot of Snowdon called Tyisaf in Nant Peris. It is situated at the foot of the Nant Peris Pass where the road snakes down the mountainside following a meandering river. It is a stunningly beautiful place and one of which I will never tire.

Families come and go, many climbers stay there and plenty of D of E tribes move on and off this site during the course of the year. In the local town of Llanberis, there is a famous cafe called Pete’s Eats. This is where you go to have very large fry ups in the morning to set you on your way. It is the law!

I was so very proud of my little girl while we were there this year. She is only 5 years old and she walked all the way up to the top of Snowdon via the Miner Track. She did this without complaint. She has always loved the great outdoors. Something that my wife and I have instilled into her from a very early age. Climbing is one of her favourite things to do. So she was in her element.

It was an extremely hot day with temperatures reaching 36 degrees around mid day. I had all of my camera kit on my back so I really felt the climb. That said, we all got up in one piece having consumed about four litres of water between us. I had a well earned freezing cold bottle of pale ale and we all had a good rest before making our way back down towards Llanberis via the path that follows the train line.

Snowdonia is a fabulous place and well worth a visit for the views and the relaxation. Perhaps a bit of boating on Llyn Padarn, or maybe even a bit of hard climbing too.

Here are some images from our time there.

Beauty is Everywhere

22nd May 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Images that I took on a recent trip to the National Trust property, Nostell Priory. It was the end of winter and I went on the hunt to find some interesting compositions and something beautiful in the grey murky conditions that I was faced with. Check out the YouTube video here… Beauty is Everywhere

Chasing Light in the Snow

24th January 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

It was a cold, cold night. Freezing actually. Snow and sleet showers were sporadic and yet my friend, fellow tog Graham Binns and I decided it was a good time to go out and take some photos.

We wanted to get some images based on traffic movement at night. Light tracers derived from long exposures against a cold, black night sky.
This turned out to be somewhat difficult as there was hardly any traffic on the roads. It had been a really bad day for people trying to get home from work many of which had abandoned cars in a bid to make it home and get some warmth back into their bones. It hadn’t been a particularly bad snow fall, in fact in many areas most of it had thawed. What had made things decidedly difficult during the day was that the temperature had dropped well below zero on a couple of occasions, freezing water on the roads turning it to black ice. It had then snowed on top of that ice and which had made driving conditions ridiculously tricky. Some cars had turned over, buses had got stuck etc.

We dug our heals in somewhat and stuck it out, even though we were getting colder and colder by the minute. Despite the conditions we were having a great deal of fun moving about from place to place in a bid to get a couple of decent shots. It was getting late and the handful of photographs that we had taken were nice enough, but I certainly felt that I needed something more. In a last ditch effort to get something worthy of the evenings efforts we happened upon a bus shelter while driving into a local town. We texted the number on the shelter to find out if there was another bus coming our way. It was quite late and we had wondered if all the buses had stopped running, especially due to the weather conditions. As it turned out there was one last bus heading our way and the text service had given us it’s time of arrival. So we drove into town to set up the tripods in order to capture the passing light when the bus eventually did turn up. Sure enough it came into view in the distance as promised and I managed to get my best shot of the evening as it moved past us. The leading lines in the resulting image are just insane. All of them leading to one vanishing point. Such a great shot to get at the end of the evening, which is this first shot in this handful of images taken on the night.

On The Phone But Not In The Box – Sheffield Street Photography

17th January 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife was recently lecturing at Sheffield Hallam University, so I went down with her for the day to do some street photography. I have visited Sheffield quite a lot over the years when visiting one of my good friends, but I have seldom got out into the city centre. So I took this opportunity to do just that. It was a good day for it. Not too bright, not too dull. A semi cloudy day with good diffused light.

Everybody seemed to be on their phones. It very much seemed to be a day of just that, or perhaps that’s just where my focus went on this occasion. One of my little tricks on the day was shooting through a couple of old red phone boxes to give a little framing to the images that I was taking. I really like how these shots have turned out. Here are a handful of shots from the day.

From Low Newton-by-the-Sea to Dunstanburgh Castle

6th January 2018 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I have just got back from a week long break in Northumberland with my family. We tend to go up there a lot. It’s a stunningly beautiful place where we go to unwind and breathe in the fresh sea air and generally chill out and recharge the batteries. What is so wonderful about the place is that it offers an unreal amount of incredible scenery, which for a photographer like myself, is just too hard to turn down.
I had a brilliant time up there armed with my camera and tripod and I managed to get some stunning shots to bring home with me from the holiday. Here a three of my favourite images from our time up there.

The Hewenden Viaduct Reconnaissance Mission

30th December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Out on a recce mission with my mate and fellow TOG, Graham Binns.

This beautiful viaduct looked like it would be an amazing place to go and capture some interesting landscape photography. Having done a little research online about where exactly it was and how one might go about photographing this amazing structure, it quickly became apparent that it was impossible to make any solid plans without first having visited the site. So that’s what we did.

We travelled there one afternoon just to have a good look around and get a feel for the place. I have a little app on my phone called ‘The Photographer’s Ephemeris’. It’s a great little tool that shows you exactly where the sun will rise and set, using GPS to verify your exact positioning. While we were on location we used the app to determine exactly where would be a great position to set up, ready to get some interestingly lit shots of this vast structure as the sun was going down. Obviously a little common sense and intuition goes a long way too, but when time is of the essence and the site is as large as this structure proved to be, this little app can prove to be priceless for knowing exactly where to be and when to be there.
This trip was all about getting to know a place and becoming familiar with the surroundings so that we may return again and again at different points throughout the year to photograph and rephotograph this stunning structure.

(Wikipedia Info)

‘Hewenden Viaduct, situated near Cullingworth, West Yorkshire, England, stands at 123 feet (37 m) tall and spans 576 yards (527 m) with 17 arches each of 16.5 yards (15 m). The foundations of the viaduct had to be sunk more than 60 feet (18 m) into the earth because of the unstable ground below.
The viaduct originally formed part of the Keighley and Thornton Branch of the Great Northern Railway and, together with the mile-long Lees Moor Tunnel, opened to passenger trains in 1883.
It served as a railway viaduct along the Queensbury Lines and it now forms part of the Great Northern Railway Trail for cyclists and walkers. It is a Grade II listed building.’

It just so happened that we had our kit with us and were able to get a few decent shots within the short time frame in which we were there.

The Rubber Egg Shoot with the McConnells

21st December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Another lovely family photo shoot on a bright winters afternoon.
It was a bit touch and go regarding the weather as a large amount of snow had fallen across the country. The long range forecast had said that it was going to be ideal for photography for the week leading up to the actual shoot date, then at the last minute everything changed and Britain was hit by a boat load of snow. Luckily, everywhere except Yorkshire. Unlucky too in the sense that I couldn’t go sledging with my little girl, but nice that I was able to photograph these lovely people on a beautiful winters afternoon over at Cannon Hall in Barnsley.

Autumn Sunshine

12th December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This was another smashing family shoot with Dom and Gemma and family in some super late evening, autumn sunshine. It was just cracking colour in that golden hour towards the end of the days natural light. We had some fun throwing leaves around and spent some time getting these lovely family shots, before the sunshine disappeared completely.

Ice on Fire

12th December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I took this images with my iPhone. I was walking my little girl to school early one morning recently when there was a heave ground frost. These leaves were just stuck together in a frosty clump begging to be photographed. I didn’t have any of my camera kit on me, but I did have my iPhone which captured the scene beautifully. Autumn offers so much beautiful scenery. Such beautiful colours.

The Carters

12th December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This was a lovely photo shoot at Bolton Abbey. It was a bright day with lots of dappled light in the shade. We had a picnic and I took a load of lovely shots of this equally lovely family. Lots of laughs and smiles. It was lovely to work with such a happy family unit.

These guys have been friend of ours for many years and it was a privilege to be asked to take their photos.

Studley Royal Deer Park

5th December 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

On Sunday morning I was up bright and early. At 4.30am to be precise. I was headed to Studley Royal Deer Park, which is a medieval deer park near Ripon in Yorkshire. I was accompanied by my good friend and fellow tog, Graham Binns. We were both hopeful to get some images of the deer at sunrise.

The deer park is part of the National Trust’s Fountains Abbey where the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey are set beside the grounds of Studley Royal. We travelled there because the weather report had said that it was going to be the ideal conditions for some fantastic sunrise photography.

It was still pitch black when we arrived. We got the kit together and headed out to find the deer and to wait for the sunrise. When the sun rise did appear, it offered a little bit of colour for a very small amount of time before clouding over and becoming as dull as dishwater. Not great for the type of photographs we were after. Not to be disheartened, we pressed on and made the most of our time there and captured what images we could on a somewhat dull and overcast morning.

The wildlife was stunning however. I have never in my life seen such a vast amount of pheasants, shrews, rabbits, all manor of different birds and literally thousands of magnificent deer.

We shall certainly be heading back again at some point to get the shots we had planned for.

Here are a handful of the images that I managed to acquire on the day.

Look at all that water Mummy

21st October 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My two favourites, bathed in the morning sunshine at Embleton beach, Northumberland.

Tough Mudders

21st October 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

A good friend of ours hired me to photograph her sons birthday bash. No probs I said.

This was a brilliant and fun photo shoot. Although I hadn’t quite anticipated just how difficult a shoot it was going to be until I got there. This delightful muddy course is the Fitness Success Obstacle Gym, Wakefield Road, Oulton, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Their motto is ‘Think Outside The Gym’. Well, we were well and truly outside the gym, that’s for certain and for sure.

My task was to follow over 30 lads around the course and get some decent shots of the action. That was the remit. Simple right? Nope!
I didn’t have time to recce the site before turning up for the event, so getting into the optimum positions to get the prime shots was difficult at best and a veritable nightmare for the rest of the time, certainly when you consider the ground conditions. It’s not that I was particularly concerned about getting muddied up either, that much was a foregone conclusion. I was, however, much more concerned about my kit. If I had dropped my camera in the kind of mud that I was surrounded by for most of the duration of the shoot, it would have been the end of camera and lens. So slipping and falling in was not an option at all. To further compound the issue I was wearing trainers; an old pair, as I don’t currently own a pair of wellies, and for much of the course it very much felt like I was walking on an ice rink made of wet dough.

That said, I did manage to survive relatively unscathed with all my kit in tact, even though there were some hairy moments, and also managed to get some cracking shots of the event. It was a lot of fun to photograph to say the very least. In fact, a fun time was very much had by all.

Success Obstacle Gym’s Website: fitnesssuccess-obstaclegym.co.uk