The Lakes 11 th March 2019

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.

The weather is looking great, clouds constantly moving with the sun illuminating different parts of the landscape as I watch.    I am using the long lens for most of the images today, picking out details . The trees along the shore of Thirlmere are lit up in this one with a snow covered Skiddaw in the background.

                                A portrait version, cant make my mind which one I like best.

Having climbed another section up the path, the added height gives more compositions ,  after watching the sun slowly move across the lake for over 15 minutes ,I waited until it lit up the fields to take this image.   well worth it .

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...…..

Aerial images of Snowdonia winter 2017/18

I have now been flying my DJI Phantom 4 pro drone for just over a year now ,   really enjoying the different perspective you get from shooting above the landscape as opposed to normal .  I have been looking forward to shooting some snow covered mountains and eventually Snowdonia got what i had been waiting for.   so here are a selection of my favourite images from the winter.

         Starting off in Ogwen valley, looking at the Glyders and Y-Garn, 2 frame panorama

                                                           Llyn Ogwen panoramas

                                 

The maximum height we are legally allowed to fly in uk  is 400 ft above ground level ,  i have found between 80 and 250 ft produces the best combination of height and viewing angle to give the best compositions.      If  i want an image that appears to be shot from a much higher altitude i can shoot multiple frames and merge together to give that impression.  an example will be later in this blog.

I stopped off at Capel Curig on my way towards Snowdon and walked up to the viewpoint , it was quite breezy but i had no trouble with the phantom .

                                                 5 image panorama stitched in Ptgui

                                   Looking towards the Snowdon horseshoe in the distance.

Moving on to Llynnau Mymbyr and as i walked to the viewpoint i instantly knew i was going to get some superb images,  having seen topdown shots of snow covered trees in the past that was one of the images i wanted to get.

Firstly just after take off  , i took an image at low level similar composition i would shoot with my dslr ,   but i couldnt get to this shooting spot to use the normal camera on a tripod.

                                 Up over the lake, getting great reflections in the water.

Now across the lake to shoot above the snow covered trees.

                      

                              Looking down the lake towards Snowdon in the background.

                             A vertical panorama , combined 6 frames in ptgui program for this one.

                 The sun was just starting to illuminate the tree tops as i shot this topdown image.

                                                   Looking back towards Capel Curig.

Now onto a couple of different days shooting  on Snowdon ,     walking along the Pyg track to get some height.

A multi frame topdown merge to appear to be shot from very high up  , this is Llyn Glasslyn with the small streams entering on the shore.

                        6 frame panorama merge looking over the lake Llyn Llydaw

                       A Six frame vertical panorama to finish looking at Snowdon over Llyn Glasslyn

                                           All images shot with dji phantom 4 pro + drone.

Cym Idwal in the Snow 19 March 2018

A morning visit to the Devils Kitchen and Cym Idwal in Snowdonias Ogwen Valley  , after having the flu for the last three weeks i need to get out !     The Ogwen web cam is still showing some snow left but appears to be melting fast compared to yesterday.
After a traffic free journey i have arrived at the Ogwen cottages at 10.05 am and park up , a quick walk over the main road and over the gate to check out the stream and the view towards Tryfan, But the rocks are covered in glass ice, so there is no way i can get along to the spot i would need to get the composition required. So a quick shot across the bridge towards the snow covered mountains.

Time to head up to Cym Idwal now , first stop is the famous Ogwen bridge, the new wood has blended into the surroundings now after being re built a couple of years ago.


                                                                    5dsr , 17-40 L
                                 3.2 seconds at f14    Lee little stopper and 0.6 soft nd grad

And now i must shoot the Ogwen Falls from the bridge ,  a classic view that everyone shoots but it has to be done, AGAIN!
The rocks are still covered in ice , which adds interest and we have a bit of blue sky appearing .
Setting up my tripod on the wooden bridge and using a infrared shutter release i take a series of frames , each with a different shutter speed to give different movement in the water which i can then pick the best to show the best water movement later on the pc .  I have to take the frames in between people walking over the bridge as i don't want any vibrations ruining the sharpness of the long exposures!

                                                       3.2 seconds, f14   and a bit of sun

Now i am going to walk up the path just over the bridge to the right following the stream up towards Cym Idwal,   the snow is in drifts up to about 8 inch or so so its not too bad, and the water is frozen under it so no worries about going into a bog.

This is the only shot i took on the way up the stream that i like , so now up to the lake quickly as the sun is coming out now .

Cym Idwal with the Devils Kitchen and the Glyders behind , with  Y-Garn to the right just out of view.   The sun is periodically lighting up the snow on the far side , i just need to catch part of in a frame.   a short 2.5 second exposure for this image , to blur the water slightly and catch some of the sun illuminating the snow in the background.

Time to get up high for a view towards Pen-yr-ole-wen across the lake now, the paths are covered in ice so time to put micro studs on my shoes so i can walk safely up the icy rocks.   Walking around the lakes shore , there is still a bit of ice on the edge along with snow on the beach.   The path goes around the lake then upwards to below the Devils Kitchen , you can go right around the lake or take the path up high around the Amphitheatre, but i think that will be difficult in the icy conditions with all my camera gear. I just need to get up high enough for the view across to the mountain opposite.
After 35 minutes walking i have arrived at my chosen location , i cant actually get any higher as the rocks are completely covered in ice and i don't want to risk slipping with my equipment!     but i have managed to get the height i require for this image.
     Setting up the tripod i have put the Lee Big stopper on along with a 0.6 soft nd grad , i want a longish exposure to get some movement showing in the fast moving clouds.   The light is constantly changing with areas of dark shadow and bright sunlit snow, very tricky to get the exposure correct with a long exposure as the bright snow areas are over exposing in different areas of the image frame.


                                    This is my favourite image , 20 seconds at f14.
 Nice cloud movement showing above Pen-yr-ole-wen  but i have a couple with more shadow areas that look almost as good .

Time to go back down the steep path and find the way through to the back of the lake where i know a stream enters and will make a great lead in for an image.
Eventually i am at lake level and have found the stream inlet , its quite warm in the sun now and the snow is melting fast giving the stream quite a fast flow, i am standing in the stream to get this next image and will shoot multiple exposures to get a good balance of the shadows and highlights and merge together in photoshop later.

                         I'm not entirely happy with this one , might have to re do it sometime.  

 I have just found a great lead-in ,   in the form of a small feeder streamlet a little further around the lake which really makes the image with Pen-yr-ole-wen in the background.     a long 47 second exposure has produced good cloud movement here , along with the lead in makes a great image.

Time to head back to the car now, i was planning to go up to another set of waterfalls further up the valley but i am feeling quite tired so will just head back home i think, the flu has taken all my energy!

Stopping off at the bridge i have decided to get another image, now the light has changed i think the ice on the rocks will stand out more and the blue sky is deeper in colour now which should look better in the final image in comparison with the first one i shot earlier this morning.

                  3.2 second exposure again , seems to be the best to show water movement today.

                  The end of a short morning in the magnificent Snowdonia mountains .........