Blog

Trying out something new recently with a bit of handheld HDR photography. If you've never heard of this technique before it's the process of taking multiple images at different exposures and then merging them into a single image to bring the highlights and shadows into the image. The idea is this process gives more depth to the image. Using this technique I created a few images with the following two being my favourite:

Both of these images were taken at Dovedale in the Derbyshire Peak District. It seemed like a good place to try something new and I'm quite happy with the results.

A great view of the Peak District from Black Rocks ⛰️ in Derbyshire. After a walk down from Middleton Top there was so many great views to be had, and this is one of my favourites. ☀️ The sun was shining beams through the clouds and casting a nice warm glow over the countryside below.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📷 Why do I like this picture?
Every time I see sun ☀️ beams coming through I want to try and capture them. I made this image monochrome to try and accentuate the sun coming through the clouds. Also the clouds themselves give a nice detail to the sky ☁️.

The last couple of weekends I've been lucky enough to get out to Middleton Top in the Derbyshire Peak District. One of the best things about living in Derbyshire is being surrounded with a lot of great history matched with beautiful countryside, and Middleton Top is a perfect example of this. This first image at the bottom of this post is a perfect example of this:

This image (on sale on this site) shows one of the old carts that was used on high peak railway along with the station house in the background.

Going in one direction from Middleton Top brings you to Hopton Tunnel carved into the country side to once allow trains to pass through. This immediately brings you out to Hopton Incline, which is a fair walk.

Along the incline there are more views the be had. Rolling countryside and farm houses provide some stunning views while new technology in the way of wind farms has been added to the area (it does get a bit windy up there in the open)

Going the other way from Middleton top takes you towards Middleton Incline. This steep hill is littered with old tracks and engines and really shows the heritage of the area coming through

But if you get to the bottom of the incline and fancy a walk back up the black rocks you will be met with some stunning vistas across the Derbyshire countryside

Further down the path is Cromford and Cromford Canal which itself is steeped in industrial history. But I'll be leaving that visit for another time.

First things first. A Happy New Year to anyone reading. I know it's a little late but things have been a bit hectic this year.

I've finally taken the time to sort out my website to get it looking the way I want it (you can see it by clicking here if you're viewing this blog through other means. I've gone with a simple white theme with the aim of making the images stand out a lot more. Feedback is always welcome so let me know what you think.

One of my recent blog posts I discussed limiting myself to a single niche and the impact that has on my social media streams. After that I decided to give splitting my Instagram feeds up a bit, so have now ended up with three feeds, my main one (where I post the majority of my work), one of my experimental toy photos and another for my aircraft photography. So far it seems to be going well and initial signs have been positive.

The other thing I've been doing is try to get out and about a bit more. It's difficult this time of year as the weather gets worse and the days are shorter, but between the day job I've managed to find the time to keep getting pictures I'm happy with.

How about you? Has the New Year been the same old thing or have you tried anything new?

Over the last few years of learning and understanding photography I've always tried to tweak my images so they can be the best they can be. Some purists have said to me always get it right in the camera and save time on edits. Sometimes I'm lucky enough and this happens, but most of the time I always feel that there's more that can be done.

Then there's the other end of the scale. Really going deep into the edits. This week I've been trying to push myself further with my edits to create some unique images and really make them shine. The one in this post I'm exceptionally proud of.

If you've been following me for a while you might have seen this image before here. This was one of those photos that required minimum edits at the time to get what I wanted. But I thought I could give it a bit of a face lift.

What are your thoughts? Has the new improved over the old? Are they two completely different images now? Let me know by using the Contact Form. I'd love to know what you think.

Lately a recurring thought has been present when I'm uploading photos. What's my theme? What type of things do I want to photograph. A lot of the images and art I work on differ day to day depending on what I feel like (as you might have seen if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter)

Luckily for me I'm in a position where photography is a hobby, so there's no pressure for me to focus on a specific niche, and I have no plans to try and limit myself to a specific field just yet. But at the same time trying to build an interest in my work I can't help but feel that I'm creating a confusing world for anyone hoping to find pictures of swans and ducks and suddenly seeing an upload for a new lego figure.

Insert obligatory first blog post here!

Recently I acquired a new camera (Nikon D7200) and it seemed only fair to take it out for a test drive locally. Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of Lord Byron, seemed like the perfect place to go. Although a bit of an overcast day there was plenty to see and do, and some great photos to be taken. The one presented here is while walking around the beautiful gardens of the Abbey.