Today I am going up to the Lakes, there has been a heavy snow fall over the previous couple of evenings over the Fells and especially the Helvellyn range. So a walk up from Thirlmere is my choice today.
After a good drive up the m6 and down past Rydal and Grasmere I have parked up in the Swirls car park to walk up Helvellyn Gill. But first a walk down across the road to have a quick fly over Thirlmere while the conditions are favourable.
9 frame drone panorama.
Turning the drone around to face towards Helvellyn, the sun is in the wrong position to shoot a good image, but this shows the area quite well.
I have landed and now starting the walk up the main path up towards Browncove crags , stopping to shoot this image with the 5dsr and 100-400L . a b&w conversion for this one.
A portrait version, cant make my mind which one I like best.
I have now climbed up way past the snow line, its about 6 to 8 inch here and drifts in gully's to about 18 inch. Here is a four frame Vertorama shot with the 5dsr and 100-400L looking directly over Thirlmere.
Its getting quite windy the higher up I get , and with a large area of blue sky about to come over I will take my chance to get the drone up, this will probably be my only chance I feel. Finding a bit of shelter from the wind near a large boulder to take off.
A manually shot 12 frame panorama merge, four rows of three frames
This is a 21 frame 180 dgree panorama, I have cropped off either end to give better composition.
Leaning into the wind!
That's it, bringing it back now as its just too windy. the UAV forecast showing gusts to 48mph at 200ft, and I must be about 1800ft higher than that up here near Browncove Crags.
I have climbed a little higher now, and the views across Thirlmere to the distant fells are fabulous. Very good visibility right now, it was covered in a thin veil of cloud earlier, but that has lifted for now. I use the 100-400L lens to compress the view, making the distant mountains appear much closer than they are.
Blencathra looking magnificent with the sun breaking through illuminating sections.
Here we have l/r Great Gable, Green Gable, Glaramara and Pillar in the distance.
Here is another Long lens image - Wandope, Grasmoor , Crag Hill, Eel Crag ,and Sail.
Another steep climb and I have found some fabulous textures in the snow.
The side lighting really brings out the detail.
The snow texture really stands out in this image, even with the sun being diffused by the cloud that is starting to build up.
With more sun breaking though to light up the foreground , one of my favourite images of the day, taken on my phone !
That's the last of the blue sky gone, its clouding over fast now unfortunately so there is no point going any further with this light.
The wind is very strong up here now , and its getting very cold. Time to start walking down, carefully! here are a couple more phone images .
I have come back down and would you believe it, blue sky and a bit of sun again, Think I will get another quick drone flight in, I had picked out the Larch trees as a possible topdown image as I passed on the way up earlier. time to see if it will work. But first a Vertorama.
Now for a couple of Topdown shots.
A last image, 5 frame vertorama .
What a great day its been, hope we get some more snow before spring arrives...…..
