Dale Head Inversions Jan 17 th 2022

Over the past week there have been temperature inversions in the Lakes almost everyday , so i decided to take a trip up on Monday .  My plan was to climb Helvellyn, which has had some fabulous inversions over the valleys all around Thirlmere, But upon driving through Grasmere and up Dunmail Raise it was completely clear of any mist fog or anything.  Plan B , Err  not a clue .

Driving towards Keswick i could see mist in the distance , so a quick decision was made to drive along Derwentwater and go up towards Honister to see if Buttermere Valley area has any . 

Parking at Honister NT carpark i could see an inversion over the top of Fleetwith Pike and coming down wards into the Honister pass.   So  two options , go up Dale Head or head towards Fleetwith and Haystacks. Since i have Ozzy with me the easier route up Dale Head which has blue sky above it may be a better option.

The blue sly over Dale Head is being replaced by thick cloud now as i start walking up the steep first section . It is flowing over Fleetwith Pike on the left in the above image. 

While there is still a bit of sun illuminating the fells i will get the drone up for a few images , the new Mavic 3 will handle the fairly strong wind easily. 

                             Dji Mavic 3    12 manually shot frames merged in lightroom

                        Seatoller Fell is completely covered in cloud and the sun is trying to break through!   

   Mavic 3 drone 9 frames merged with three extra frames for the right hand side due to the highlights.

I can see the inversion  around the drone so i bring it back quickly just before the visibility disappears completely. 

The inversion cloud has now almost completely enveloped me,  amazing how fast it moved in!

Time to carry on walking upwards and hopefully get out above it. 

Finally i have climbed above the cloud and the views of the inversions open out.  it doesn't look like a full inversion here unfortunately.    

Just as the visibility increases i notice a Fogbow directly in front of me , i manage an image with Ozzy sitting in the middle.

        Time to get the drone up again while the conditions are looking good.  this is a 3 frame merge.

                                          14 frame panorama , the cloud is lifting again now 

           Using the my 100-400mm lens on 5dsr to fill the frame with the interesting inversions.

                                                Two hikers surrounded by the inversions.

I have been watching the clouds moving like waterfalls between the peaks, fascinating to watch, it appears to be a full inversion in the distance over Wastwater and Coniston over to the far left from my position..

                              We are almost at the summit now , a few phone images now 

                                    i phone 13 pro max raw dng files edited in lightroom.

Having reached the summit, it is cloud free on the other side looking down towards Keswick and  Skiddaw in the distance. 

                                   Ozzy doesn't look happy sitting on this rock for a picture!

                              Fabulous views across the fells today away from the inversions.

Up in the sun watching the clouds ebb and flow around the summits , 

Days don't get much better than this .

                       The inversions have mostly crept back towards away from me now, shame .

We have now walked along Hindscarth edge and taking a rest in the warm sun.

              The floor of Buttermere valley is in full sun, but creeping towards the trees now.

                                                     5dsr with 100-400mmL at 400mm 

What a great place to sit in the sun , I think that is Pillar in the background over Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks.

            One last look at the view from the summit cairn , stunning!   a fabulous day in the lakes .

That's it for today , until the next adventure.............

Anglesey Jan 11th 2022

 Today I want to experiment with some long exposure photography with a  Freewell nd1000 filter on my New Mavic 3 drone which  is supposed to be so stable that 8 second exposures are possible! 

This should be very interesting experimenting with different exposure times  ,  I have Ozzy with me and will head to Trearddur bay first on the island of Anglesey.   Parking next to a small bay I have clambered out onto the rocks and flown the drone just out over the semi submerged rocks out in the bay. the wind is a bit gusty but should be a perfect test with the nd filter.   The 10 stop nd filter works exactly the same as on the dslr big camera, blocking light to increase the exposure time to hopefully show wave movement in the image.  Although there is not much of a swell as the sea is very calm but there are sufficient waves swirling around the rocks for this experiment.

Here are two images, these show good movement that I wanted,  amazingly about 3/4 of the images I shot were sharp!   

 8 seconds f2.8  iso 100

                                                                 3.2 seconds f2.8 iso100 

Now heading to South Stack lighthouse to have a look around that area.   Since Ozzy is with me a walk up and over Holyhead mountain seems a good idea.

                                          He has found water already!   lol

Up and over the top of Holyhead Mountain we eventually get a view of the Holyhead Breakwater in the distance.

A bit closer now , and will carry on walking close enough to safely fly the drone out to try the long exposure technique on the sea, which may not actually make much difference as the sea is so calm anyhow. 

The drone is up flying with the nd filter on, experimenting with different iso and apperture values the histogram is not really showing the differences and when i check the images in the app after the flight, they all look overexposed, even though there were no highlight warnings on the histogram,  very odd!

This is three frames merged into a Vertorama . I don't think the long exposure time made much difference in reality, but its a good test.  Using higher iso values seems to be trial and error, needing to check each image in the app to see how the exposure is.

                                                    6 seconds  f5  iso 200.

Now time to head back to the car and drive down to Newborough for sunset at Llandwyn island.   It is about an hour until sunset, and the walk along the beach takes about 20 minutes.  This will be good for Ozzy anyhow. 

Sitting down on the rocks near the island I have taken a couple images with the low setting sun illuminating the dunes , Ozzy is fetching the ball constantly as i throw it down the beach.

                     Always love the long shadows in the last 3/4 hour before sunset.

Looking back from the island , the sun is getting quite low now so will not be long before any colour may develop. But it appears most of the cloud has left the area now ,  so i just hope to get some of the last good light illuminating the rocks and lighthouse.

                                                             Happy Spanner!

           It is now time to go out and see if any light will be on the lighthouse. There is a glimmer of colour on the horizon above the Snowdonia mountains.

                                             Multi frame panorama 

                  This is what i wanted, the last of the light illuminating the lighthouse.

This is the best of the colour that developed, 5 frames manually shot and merged in photoshop using layer masks.

                       Time for the long walk back along the beach to the car now

                       That's the last ball throw Ozzy , off to the chippy now . 

The end of a great day on Anglesey ...................

The Lakes , Torver and Banishead Quarry 3 rd/4 th Jan 2022

 A New Year, 2022   wonder what will happen with the dreaded Corvid this year.  Our first trip out in the van.  Booked into Church House Inn campsite at Torver on the banks of Coniston.

I have not really been around this area much so will be interesting couple of days .Arriving early afternoon there is just a few hours of daylight to take a walk down to Coniston .

The fells are covered in low cloud and feels like it could rain at any time, we are walking down the old railway track heading to Coniston Hall by the lake. 

There are sheep everywhere so keeping the terrible twosome on the leads.

                                       The Old Man is up there in the clag. previous walk HERE

Paddling in Coniston water, the weather is not very nice and its getting dark!  a fast walk back to the van needed now, it will be completely dark by the time we get back.

Back at the van and Ozzy is snuggling in, its forecast to be around minus 1 tonight and feels really cold already.

I have got up early to hopefully photograph the sunrise,   the van is covered in ice and the ground well frosted.   I am heading to Kelly Hall Tarn, which is about 15 minutes walk down the road on Torver common.  Arriving i can see a large tree has come down in last years storms, and the tarns surface is partially frozen.

As usual I have missed the best of the colour, only about 10 minutes ago it looked really nice!

                                    The frozen surface at least adds interest in the foreground.

The sun has now come up and is illuminating the fells , shooting from the opposite side from the previous images to get this one. 

Time to get the drone up,  a panorama image using the x7 telephoto lens on the Mavic 3 drone.  these mountains are about 3 miles away.

The early morning light is illuminating the ridge behind the tarn and the landscape into the distance, a great aerial view.

Now the view looking down Coniston water with the Langdales covered in snow. The light over the common is fabulous picking out all the contours in the shadows.

Turning the drone around to pick up this unusually green group of fields surrounded by stone walls.  on Ordnance survey maps it just says  "Delicars"  it certainly makes an impact in the image.

That is the end of the good light , it now looks bland and flat in comparison, so back to the van for pancakes before we head out again.

The plan is to head up to Banishead Quarry , a short walk up the main road and then up a track heading towards the Coniston fells.  It is a bit warmer now most of the frost has melted but the ground is quite hard.

                                           Snow up on the tops as the track heads upwards

The Coniston fells open out with I think, Buck Pike and Dow crag in front, the Old Man is further round to the right hidden from view.

                                                              Shooting the Torver Beck 

                                                        Terrible Twosome tied to the bridge.

After Reaching Torver Beck , there is a bridge over the water, just past this point I take this image

using a 6 stop nd filter to smooth out the water.  The quarry is a few hundred meters ahead.

               Drone time , its quite windy up here so will just take a couple images then move on.

                                                                  12 frame panorama 

                                                                          

                                                                            single frame 

Here is the quarry,  the sun is in the wrong direction to shoot any good images , it is fenced off but I believe there is a way down to stand under the waterfall somehow. one day I will try that when the sun is in a better angle.

 Best image of the waterfall shooting into the sun made it very difficult , 5dsr 100-400mm

                            Now for a couple Vertorama images , all 5 frames Mavic 3 

Time to head back now, passing this fallen tree. such a shame, and one of hundreds that came down in the last storm.

The end of first trip of the year ,............................... until the next