Richard:Fraser's photostream

Derwentwater is a famous spot for a snap, yes, but when I'm there I often find myself looking in another direction than the typically beautiful jetty image. That said, the symmetry of the jetty fits so very well against it's backdrop off the fells, especially if you're there in the right light. For a location to be so very popular, I find it strange that my visits here have always been in isolation.

My 24mm lens on a full frame camera doesn't quite give me the same width that I enjoyed so much when I had a 10-22mm lens on a 1.6 sensor crop. This fact means my landscapes have changed. Maybe they have become more intimate in the sense that I tend to zoom into sections of landscape more often, as the wide end of my lens is, well, not especially wide.

Here, the shot was taken along the shoreline from the famous jetty and attempts to focus on the solitude and/or isolation that a house in the middle of the fells could feel; I particularly like the sense of perspective the house gives the viewer - how insignificant we are relative to the size of the fells in the behind.

- Want one for your wall? -

This was actually a very hard shot to get. Although you can't see it well, the mist here contained rain and the wind was bellowing straight up the valley into my lens. A 'horrible' day: not to a photographer! I was frantically covering my camera between shots, and waiting for a break (what break?!) in weather before attempting to make another exposure.

Due to the wind, this was a case of sticking my tripod deep into the mud and hoping for the best.

I was instantly drawn to this copse of trees from way down below; I climbed the valley, and when I got high enough I excitedly started to take images (later realising most of them had been taken on a ridiculously high ISO). After re-adjusting, there was little light left and, although I'm not averse to a long exposure, I missed the vibrant colours of the pasture and fog against the silhouette of the trees in winter. This was initially intended to be in colour! Black and white seems to work better for this shot now. As I hoped for whilst climbing, I arrived at a vantage point where you can see the other side of the valley on the horizon. I have intentionally left empty space and lots of it; attempting to convey the sheer emptiness of one of England's last truly rural places.

- Web -

I was driving up over the Pennines to do some walking and came across fog immediately below the well known Hartside Cafe. There were some amazing scenes up there on the day despite the dreary look - maybe it's just me but I feel this foggy look encapsulates the mood of this location. It seems to be a best fit, which could be why everything looks so at home in these conditions.

- Web -

I was driving up over the Pennines to do some walking and came across fog immediately below the well known Hartside Cafe. There were some amazing scenes up there on the day despite the dreary look - maybe it's just me but I feel this foggy look encapsulates the mood of this location. It seems to be a best fit, which could be why everything looks so at home in these conditions.

-