A Splashing Time

I really liked the pictures I posted yesterday and so today I have continued that theme with four more splashing images from my walk in Snowdonia.  I think what helps make these good shots is the clarity of the water and the early morning sun, they combine well to make these lovely sparkling images... enjoy!

Today I have been out with my camera again so for tomorrow things will take a different direction, hope you stop by to see.

Creating Rainbows

Having been walking and taking pictures for several hours I decided to take a few moments to sit on the shore of a small inlet of Llyn Llydaw. I started tossing pebbles into the water as I find this a really satisfying thing to do. I like to watch the stone arc through the air and then hit the water with a reassuring "ploosh!" and then I like to see the water splash creating all manner of shapes and patterns.

After a couple of minutes the stones and the resulting splashes got bigger and I decided to try and capture some pictures. I recalled how at this time last year I was stood on the shore of Attersee in Austria with my son doing exactly the same thing and taking pictures of the splash while my son threw the rocks, so I decided to try and take pictures but this time throwing the stones myself. It was a little tricky but I found I was better able to predict where the stones would hit the surface when I was doing the throwing.

In the first image I like the colours of the rainbow as the sunlight captures the water droplets as they rise through the air.

I really like the second image which is cropped to show some of the detail of the water droplets, I love the way they change shape as they wobble through the air, in a matter of seconds they are gone so capturing them reveals the beauty of the moment.

In the third picture there is so much going on with the ring of water expanding from the hollow at point of impact as well as the fountain rising up from the centre and the rain of droplets thrown out from this central column.

Reflections On Llyn Llydaw

The first of today's pictures was taken from the spot where I had camped in 2012, it is a lovely view across the lake and is a really tranquil scene.

The next two images were taken from different vantage points around the lake with some lovely clear reflections.

The pictures show how changeable the conditions were with the clouds moving quite quickly across the tops of the mountains yet the surface of the lake remained calm.

You Are Not Alone

A little further up the mountain than yesterday, here are some shots of Llyn Llydaw, it was about 6.55am when the first of these three pictures was taken. The top of Snowdon was still shrouded with clouds but the calm surface of the lake provides a nice reflection and I liked the way the three rocks in the foreground add a little extra interest.

The next two shots are facing in the opposite direction to the first.  I was enjoying being alone on the mountain and felt really inspired by the glow and the shafts of light streaming through the clouds. I then heard footsteps and noticed a jogger coming up the path around the shore of the lake. Can you spot her? She stopped to talk briefly before carrying on up the mountain. I was impressed by her energy but much preferred to take things at a slower pace, as I could really enjoy the light and scenery.

Llyn Llydaw

Apparently yesterday's blog was a bit too geeky, at least at the start so I'll try to keep the technical stuff to a minimum for today. Except to say that today's pictures were taken with my Sigma EFS 10 - 20mm f4 lens, sadly I can't use it on my full frame 6D so I won't be capturing nice wide shots like these for a while.

These two pictures of Snowdon reflected in Llyn Llydaw were taken the same January morning as the upward icicle in my earlier blog.  This was on the walk back down the mountain and it was hard to believe that conditions the night before had been as atrocious as they were.  Although it is very bright it was still very cold and the path was very icy in places and care was needed to avoid a nasty slip. 

When I look at these pictures I am really grateful that I live so close to such beautiful scenery as this.  It also makes me twitchy and I can't wait to get out there again...

Enjoy.

Canon EOS 450D Sigma 10 - 20 mm @ 14mm f5, ISO 100 1/160sec

Canon EOS 450D  Sigma 10 -20mm @ 16mm f6.3 ISO 100 1/160 sec