Saturday 23 December 2017

Advent 14 - Flow

I have lived for a large period of my life on or around the Peak district.

When I lived in Manchester the dark peak was basically on my doorstep. When I moved further south, the white peaks became my playground. While not perhaps as instantly photogenic as the lakes, its darkness and varied landscapes  make it harder, but in some ways more rewarding to get a good image out of it.

As my interest in photography has grown I have found myself trying to find more days to go into the peak district and explore some of the more less well known areas.

Despite believing I knew the peak district well, for some reason the area around Padley gorge  escaped my notice, until I went on a photo trip with Verity Milligan and Rich Jones. Now it almost always my goto place when I am not feeling adventurous, providing a unique combination of rock formations, heathland, views and waterfalls. Basically everything a landscape photographer could want.

So when I managed to wangle a 24 hour pass from my nearest and dearest in November, it was of course the 1st place I headed for.

However the challenge is to find a photo which has not been taken before in such a heavily frequented spot. There is the obvious shots of milky water on the water falls


But the truth is, these have all been done before and better.

I was taken by the rock formations and although the sunrise never really arrived, i got this  shot which I was happy with as the sun poked around the top of the rock



However this one intrigued me more. It is just 3 spindly silver birches. However their isolation in the rugged landscape spoke to me in a way more than just another waterfall.


However the shot i really liked was this one which I call 'flow'


It basically consisted of me throwing piles of leaves into a fast flowing part of the stream and then  taking a 10th second exposure. However to me it symbolizes the movement and flow of the stream more than a milky photograph. Its very ambiguity and vibrancy also appeals to me more than a realistic but static representation of a landscape.




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