On The Rocks

Here are a few more shots from my morning in Snowdonia. I would normally post landscape images in colour and certainly there is a good case for the second shot to be in colour but the other two I think work well in black and white and so I decided to stick with B&W for all three. I have some lovely colour shots which I will share in a day or two.

Pen Yr Ole Wen

ISO 160  24mm  F/16  1/25 sec

ISO 100  32mm  F/22  2.5 sec (Cokin P153 filter)

ISO 100  24mm  F/22  1/20 sec

So here are three views of Pen Yr Ole Wen shot from two different vantage points using my Canon 24 - 105mm F/4 L IS(USM) lens. The first two were from a little lower down the track and the mountain is reflected in the stream just below a small waterfall.

You can see from the first shot that there was a lot of movement in the water given the waterfall so in the second image I used a ND4 filter and a long exposure to smooth out the surface of the water, the reflection is still not too sharp and maybe a longer exposure or stronger filter would have achieved a better result. I'm not sure but to be honest I am pleased with both of these images.

While I was setting up in this spot I was watching a Dipper flying up and down this short stretch of river and I was debating whether to swap out my lens in order to try and capture a few shots. They are a bird which fascinate me and it is one of my goals to photograph one, so maybe this will be the focus of a shoot in the near future.

The third shot is from the shore of Llyn Idwal and sheltered by the mountains on either side the surface of the lake was pretty calm and so there is a sharper reflection.

All in all it was definitely worth getting up early and braving the icy conditions.

On The Ice

While most of my colleagues and all of my family had returned to work on January 2nd I was lucky enough to still have a few days off so I headed off to Snowdonia early in the morning for a walk in the mountains and of course to take one or two pictures.

It was a cold morning and I had to scrape ice off my car before setting off, the temperature was showing as -3 celcius, the sky was clear and there were lots of stars on display which to me were all good signs. You may think that sounds odd but it was exactly the conditions I was hoping for.

I arrived at the base of Tryfan just after sunrise with the temperature now showing -4 degrees so I wrapped up and set off up the path to Llyn Ydwal where I was hoping to capture some great reflections of Pen Yr Olwen which was glowing in the early morning sun.

On the way up there are a number of small streams and as the temperature dropped even further  it was unsurprising that the streams had a covering of ice which I couldn't help but photograph for the amazing patterns that had formed.

I had a great day out and I also got the shots I had gone for so look out for those in the coming days but for today enjoy the three icy shots above.

Fast and Low

I have been posting a few shots of butterflies in recent days but for today I wanted to share some other flying machines.

I spent a very cold five hours standing on a hillside in Snowdonia recently in an area known as the Mach Loop where military pilots hone their skills as they practice low flying through the hills and narrow valleys.

Some days there are more fly throughs than others and on this particular day there was low cloud for much of the day which is not what you want. Having travelled quite a way I didn't want to give up too soon and so hung on long after most of the other guys who had been waiting at different spots on the hillside.

My nearest neighbour was just packing away his gear and I was about to do the same when he picked up some traffic on his scanner and radar app and he shouted up that some USAF f15 Eagles were heading into Wales and had requested permission for low flying.

After such a long wait excitement levels increased and hearing that the approaching planes had dropped off the radar meant they were flying low and would soon arrive.

In all four jets came through making two passes each. In all the flying display lasted for no more than 10 minutes but even that short time was enough to make up for the waiting around. It is so impressive to see these incredible machines blast past at high speed and full respect to the skill of the pilots.

By the time they arrived however light levels had fallen and so perhaps the images I captured weren't as sharp as I had hoped but hey, I can always go back another day.

Mountain Stream

Yesterday's post was going to be my last from my visit to Snowdonia last weekend but then I decided to post this last shot.

I love the shape of Pen Yr Ole Wen and the shadow of Tryfan cast by the low sun. 

Path to Llyn Idwal

At the end of our walk I turned to take a last look at the path down the mountain and noticed how beautiful the wall and gate are.

In the distance to the left is Tryfan at 918m. On this particular day it was cold and icy in places but in spite of the clear and bright conditions there were very few people climbing/walking its slopes. I remember my first visit to Tryfan about 20 years ago, it was really cold and covered in thick snow. I had trekked to the top with a group of friends and on the far slope on the way down we tobogganed part way on our rucksacks. Perhaps not the most sensible or safe method for descent but a heck of a lot of fun. 

Making a Splash

I love this shot of the lower slope of Glwyder Fawr overlooking Llyn Idwal. I love the rugged slopes, the thin streak of snow lingering on the distant ridge and the clear blue sky, I also love the super splash courtesy of my rock throwing daughter to whom this shot is dedicated.

Pen Yr Ole Wen

I love this view of pen yr ole wen on the right looking along the Ogwen valley towards Anglesey in the distance.

This is the seventh highest mountain in Wales at 978m or 3,178 feet. 

Cool Blue

On Saturday I posted an almost identical view to this but in black and white. I think it is a great shot but I can't decide whether I prefer the colour or the black and white image so I would like to know what you think, please leave a comment below or on the facebook page to say which is your favourite.

Frozen!

In just about every puddle and small crevice in the rocks along the way during my walk on Saturday there was a frozen puddle and in some there were intricate and interesting patterns.

The colour in this image comes from the slate. The strange shape is from air trapped beneath the ice, it is a bit like the shed skin of a snake or some alien creature, or perhaps it resembles the shape of the intestine. Whatever you can see it is an interesting pattern which was worth taking the time to photograph.

Snowdon Reflection

Today I went out to Snowdonia with my daughter. Our intention was to walk part way up Snowdon but there were so many people there it wasn't really appealing so we went to Tryfan instead. It was really cold, the sky was beautifully clear and the light was perfect so I think I got some great shots.

This was the first shot I took today testing the settings and it was still set for monochrome, all the other shots I took today were in colour but I thought this works really well so I decided to post it before going through some of my other favourite shots of today.

This is just a small lake with a reflection of Snowdon (the mountain in the background)

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.

Rising With The Sun

In the past week I have missed posting to my blog on a couple of days because I went to Birmingham and then to Manchester to see my absolute favourite band The Cat Empire in concert. Their recent album Rising With The Sun is fantastic and full of energy, all their music is really and it's well worth a listen. Anyway these early morning pictures of Snowdon lit by the rising sun seem fitting.

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.

A Snowdonia Sunrise

Having got up at 4.00am I was hoping for some cracking shots of Snowdon at sunrise. As I set off from home the sky was beautifully clear and there was a crispness to the air and so many stars. I thought this was a good sign. As I got closer however the clouds were building up and I started to question whether I had made a good decision, after all I could have stayed tucked up in bed.

Undeterred however I parked up at Pen-Y-Pass and set off up the Miner's Track shortly before 6.00 am with sunrise expected at 6.22 am. So these pictures show the early morning light illuminating the low clouds and the reflected light in Llyn Teyrn. As I took these pictures my early disappointment faded because I felt a real promise of good things to come. 

Pink Sunrise

I have decided to take a break from the waterfalls for now, I still have a few pictures from that day out to share but maybe another day... For today (and tomorrow) however I wanted to share a splash of spring colour. Visitors to my blog will know that I love photographing flowers and spring is a great time to get some early colour.

The second day during my recent week off I got up at 4 am and set off for Snowdonia in North Wales to capture some early morning shots of the mountains at dawn. I have got some great images to share in the days ahead. 

After my trek up the mountain and back I decided to stop off at Bodnant Gardens to see what I could see. I was a little disappointed to be honest because there were only a few different varieties in bloom although there was lots of fresh new growth and a profusion of greens.

The first flowers to see were the tulips at the top of the page, the bright sun really shows the flowers off at their best.

The next picture is of a Magnolia coming into bloom, the tree as a whole was loaded with flowers and was a spectacular sight but I felt that this individual flower made a great picture.

The next image is of a Hyacinth, I think they were getting to be past their best but I managed to find this specimen in a sheltered spot and so it was not too badly damaged by the wind. Again the sun helps to bring out the rich colour of this delicate flower.

The final picture today is my favourite from today's selection. It was a tiny flower, no more than a few inches tall and it was growing in the shaded border in a trellised walkway. The main feature of that part of the garden will be different varieties of Clematis and this little gem will probably be seen by very few visitors and so i was thrilled to spot it and get a few shots. It is a variety of Muscari called Pink Sunrise, which after my early start and the sunrise I had enjoyed seemed very apt indeed.

Rocks and Crags

These two views are looking east from above Ogwen Cottage.  In the first image we can see Llyn Ogwen at the bottom of the valley and in the second picture we can see the top of Tryfan.  

Simply beautiful!

An Epic Landscape

I knew when I took this shot that I liked it, but it wasn't until I was selecting pictures for today that I realised why.  It reminds me very much of a scene from The Lord of the Rings and the only thing that is missing from the scene is the crebain. 

Now you may be thinking what on earth is he talking about but when I showed it to members of my family they all said the same thing "...Crebain, from Dunland", quoting from the scene where the Fellowship are resting at a spot very much like this and they see what appears to be a dark cloud on the horizon but it turns out to be a flock of crow like birds called Crebain. 

Ok enough of the nerdy stuff, even if you can't relate to the cinematic reference I am sure you will agree this is a really nice shot.

Purple Mountain Flower

When preparing for my walk I considered what lenses I was likely to need and I very nearly decided to reduce the weight of my pack by leaving my macro lens at home.  I was so glad however that I didn't because when I found this tiny flower only my macro lens would do.

It was growing in an area of very boggy ground and so I got wet knees as I got down close enough to get the shot but I think it was definitely worth it.  I am not sure what variety of plant it is but I will do a little more research to try and identify it, but in the meantime if anybody out there can tell me I will be very grateful.