United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is a country that is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. It is a popular destination for photographers from all over the world, who come to capture the stunning landscapes, historic architecture, and vibrant cityscapes. From the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands to the rugged coastline of Cornwall, the UK offers a diverse range of photography locations. Some of the most popular spots include the iconic Big Ben and Tower Bridge in London, the picturesque Lake District in Cumbria, and the ancient ruins of Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
Photography regions of United Kingdom
Photography of United Kingdom
After a week of hardly any Sun I got lucky this afternoon, as it was beautiful weather, quite a rare sight on Skye. ;-) No wind and a lot of sun. Towards the sunset though, the sun got behind clouds and the light got boring. Fortunately, a few minutes before sunset, there was a small hole in the clouds and the cliffs became red for a minute or two. And, that was it, no more colors after that.
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Eilean Donan (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet, Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh, in the western Highlands of Scotland.
The continuation of my London series. Here's another famous perspective of Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. I went for a long time exposure to give this photo something special.
I also wrote a few new articles on my blog about tripod and filters I use for example.
Leprechauns are a type of fairy of the Aos Sí, or little people, in Irish folklore. Hollywood has stereotyped them throughout the years, though they do have a couple of things right about them according to lore: they partake in mischief and especially love a good practical joke… which is one reason I believe in them.
On our first trip to Northern Ireland, we caught up with our friend, Mari. She’s a photographer, too, with a keen eye for the scenery of the Emerald Isle… she knows exactly where to plant a tripod in her neck o’ the woods for just the right shot. It had been a while since she had been here to the Dark Hedges… rather than driving all over creation to find it, she noticed a rather big, rough-appearing fella off the side of the road and made a U-turn to talk to him. He brightened up when Mari asked how close she was… I had no idea what he said, though obviously both he and Mari were speaking English, though with a deep Irish brogue. Whatever was said, Mari whipped the vehicle back around and we were there within minutes.
She drove through the length of the hedges, turned the car around and parked. We got out to a most magical scene. Mari gave me a short history of the old beech trees that spread over this avenue leading to a mansion that has since become a golf course clubhouse. Mari told me that until recently, the Dark Hedges were relatively unknown, but while setting up the tripod, two taxis pulled up along with a couple of other private vehicles and parked right in front of my setup. So much for a good shot with so many people crawling along the only possible compositions. To make matters worse, a huge tour bus pulled up next to us. Yikes! So many people, now, everyone with their smartphones out and shooting. So why was this place so popular so suddenly? HBO's Game of Thrones is why. Filming throughout the series has largely taken place in Northern Ireland... and the brooding Dark Hedges is a naturally spooky backdrop for many scenes in it. Sigh.
Usually, in situations like this, I’ll wait it out… but we were with Mari, on her time. I remember wishing that all these folks would take a hike somewhere else. Suddenly, lightning struck twice nearby, and it started to hail… until this moment, the day had been bright and sunny. What happened?
The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is quite robust in raw weather, so I left it out while we jumped back into Mari’s SUV to wait out this sudden storm, though we were the only ones to do so… everyone else bugged out! Sitting in the car, the deluge got worse and the warm road converted it to fog, which gave the hedges an almost sinister appearance… the exact shot I was looking for. After a few nice shots, the storm left as quickly as it had appeared… and, again, the crowd returned, but not before I got the shot!
I owe thanks to Mari for putting up with me, yet some of that may have to be extended to the “little people”, too… I got my wish. Mari is quite diminutive compared to me… she might be part leprechaun! I’ve since found that I’m genetically quite Irish… Mari’s been anything but mischievous to me. Must be the “luck of the Irish” that I see the sweet side of leprechauns. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
The view from Elgol across Loch Scavaig towards the Black Cuillins, although the sky is pretty featureless I kept this shot in colour due to the little bit of colour from the sunset creeping in on the left handside.
I'd pretty much given up there being any kind of sunset here today as it was very overcast and raining on/off, just driving about I ended up near to here and decided to shoot the pier on Derwentwater, as I got there over the wall there were already 2 photographers there waiting for a break in the weather so with 3 being more than a crowd I decided scrap that idea and come up here instead hoping there wasn't anyone else about, and just chance waiting it out for just a bit of decent evening light.
Amazingly there wasn't another soul about here, which is pretty rare, and after setting up and waiting for a while I even got a decent break in the weather as well, it usually doesn't work out like that but if you don't try you don't get.... about 10 minutes after this image a huge storm blew over with torrential rain, which I took great pleasure in watching from the comfort of the car :-)
The Old Man Of Storr Skye Scotland
An apparently simple staircase allowed me to realize this splendid shoot which perfectly expresses my continued research of an ideal photo composition: a beautiful abstract form (an eye) extracted from a daily life object (staircase).
Soon after taking the photo I showed here yesterday I had to run for cover. The dramatic light turned into a short but heavy downpour. The next dry place was right under the Westminster bridge in this passage underground. As I turned around after the short spring and saw this view I didn't hesitate to take another couple of photos. If it wasn't for the rain I might never have gone down there and found this gem of a perspective.
The whole Murlough Bay is very picturesque, but what really draws my attention is this lone tree, slightly above the bay. I arrived quite some time after sunrise (spent in the nearby Darh Hedges), but the Sun was still rather low and the light was very pleasant for this composition.
The Helical Staircase can be found within the Tower of the "Lighthouse Centre" in Mitchell Lane Glasgow. The Tower was designed by Rennie Mackintosh and used to hold some 8000 Gallons of water for fire protecttion. Climbing the staircase takes you to the viewing platform where excellent panaramas of the City can be had. Well worth the visit.!!
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The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England
Another from the archives, a magical moment on the Malvern Hills looking out across the Severn Valley shrouded in a light mist and lit up by the rising sun.
Just when you think it's safe to go back to the car....
This had been one of the best shoots for a long time, with hours of great light, and crazy conditions, the sun had dropped down below the horizon and I was just skirting along the coast looking for potential compositions for (possibly) dramatic black and white images, I never ever leave the scene until about 30 mins after the sun has dropped, today was no different but nothing much was happening in the sky until this epic scene just kicked off for about 5 minutes with breaks in the clouds, some absolutely beserk and very unusual colours came and went quickly, thankfull I'd already found this little spot and was pretty much set up to shoot so I just stayed until it was over and fined tuned the spot I was in a few times to get it exactly how I wanted it.
An absolutely fantastic end to a completely epic day.
Hopefully I'll be uploading quite a few more shots than usual due to being housebound most of the time, stay safe out there folks.
Lots more images from this shoot, and others, on my website here - updating regularly
Going back to Scotland again, this time the fantastic Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye.
I was lucky to get this image as we had got here later than we would have liked due to Mike's car unfortunately getting 2 punctures from a massive pothole the previous day and the resulting need to be recovered from Portree to Broadford to the only place that had 2 tyres the right size.. Complete nightmare but at least there were 2 tyres on the Island that fitted or it could have been a whole lot worse....!
When we got here after a walk on a path that was more like 'ice rink' the sun was already really low and I had to work really quickly to try and get it 'bursting' against the cliff in the gap between the sea stack.
All fingers and thumbs I managed to drop my polariser several times, somehow it landing on sand (thankfully) each time instead of on the big rocks dotted all around the place.
But it all worked out and I'm pleased with this one, we managed quite a few shots from this location as even after the sun had dropped the light remained decent for quite a while, followed by a really stormy sky that rolled in after sunset, amazingly no kit broken at this location, which is getting increasingly rare for me !
Mike has done a great vlog of this trip to Skye in several parts, well worth a watch, they can be found here:
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Had big plans for this week, with a week off work and 2 or 3 trips planned, starting off with a visit to Loch Lomond and Millarochy Bay and also to climb up Conic Hill for the views across the loch. Unfortunately I seem to have came down with some form of nasty virus and have spent the whole week from the moment I got home until now, in my bed! Thats now 2 visits north and now twice came back with something other than what I bargained for, hope I've not become allergic to the Highlands!
My website: Deep Mono Photography
I was recently asked why the skies are always so ominous in my photos. The only answer that I can think of is this...
"And as he drove on, the rainclouds dragged down the sky after him, for, though he did not know it, Rob McKenna was a Rain God. All he knew was that his working days were miserable and he had a succession of lousy holidays. All the clouds knew was that they loved him and wanted to be near him, to cherish him, and to water him."Douglas Adams So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
This will be the last posting for a little while, but I will still be around to view and comment.
This is one of those wiil-it-work / won't-it-work shots. A strong wind from the sea made it difficult to stand upright, along with never-ending groups of tourists clustering around which made it impossible to set up the tripod, left me with one option: drop the ISO as low as possible, set the f/stop as small as it would go, brace myself against the fence and hope for the best. For a hand-held Long Exposure in such adverse conditions, I'm quite pleased with the result.
Many thanks to SkyeBaggie and SkyeWeasel for all the hints and tips, and it was great to have the chance to meet you both.
Never shot a sunrise here until the other, very pleasant way to spend a few hours
near a lighthouse......near Liverpool..... I suspect I might be posting rather more from here in he coming weeks, providing we are allowed to leave the house......
Was out on Sunday witha group of friends for a day of photography. Started off in the Hermitage in Perthshire
Bwa Gwyn Rhoscolyn
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One from a couple of weeks ago at Burrow Mump, looking west into the setting sun.
I had experimented with the in-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature on my 5Diii and rather liked the results. Unfortunately, I had set my camera to shoot RAW and small jpgs, as I wanted to save some space on my hard drives, without doing away with jpegs completely.
As a result the in-camera processing combines the small jpegs into an equally small HDR jpeg. That wasn't much use to me, so processed this from a single RAW, lifting the shadows.
One odd quirk that I've noticed when using the in-camera HDR is that the exposure simulation on live view no longer works. I have no idea why.
Southport Pier is a pleasure pier in Southport, Merseyside, England. Opened in August 1860, it is the oldest iron pier in the country. Its length of 1,108 m (3,635 ft) makes it the second-longest in Great Britain, after Southend Pier. Although at one time spanning 1,340 m (4,380 ft), a succession of storms and fires during the late 19th and early 20th centuries reduced its length to that of the present day.
The pier has been host to famous entertainers, including Charlie Chaplin in the early 20th century, and was formerly visited by steamliners in its heyday, but channel silting meant this ceased in the 1920s. The pier fell into disrepair throughout the late 20th century, and by 1990 it was operating at a significant annual loss with rising maintenance costs. The local council sought to have the pier demolished, but were defeated in their attempt by a single vote. Wikipedia
Mono shot from the Kelpies art installation in Falkirk. They really are something else up close and when lit up.
Title was inspired by the UB40 song which just seemed to fit for me : youtu.be/lNIRBvZugTM
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Explore #10 28/08/16
I was about to post up some stuff from Skye, as is always the way your latest trip seems to eclipse the last one as it is fresh in the memory and certain things get lost for a while. An email regarding this image jogged my memory as I wanted to post this on here, this was another shot just before a sea storm at St Monans in Fife, the irregular shaped breakwater standing up to absolutely everything that is thrown at it by nature, hence the title.
B/W to my mind is perfectly suited to this sort of stuff to accentuate shape and is normally something I'd go for here but the colours were appealing at the time of shooting this so this (sadly) became a bit of an afterthought, however the more I look at it I think I prefer this one for many different reasons, the stormy skies being absolutely ideal for this type of shot.
An old decommisioned boat on the banks of Loch Linnhe, looking towards Ben Nevis in the distance.
If you are interested in how this photo was taken and processed, I have a detailed tutorial available. More than 2 hours of video. Check it out
Slightly different take from my recent trip to the Kelpies. This view hid one of the pylons but still had to remove the power lines.
Spectacular sea stacks at Mangersta, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
I've been wanting to come here for ages to Finnich Glen, so after shooting a (very dissapointing) sunrise at Ullswater while heading out to the West Coast I decided to divert to here.
The weather was (as is usual for me in these parts) pretty horrible, overcast, and raining on and off so I didn't know if I'd be able to get anything but at least I could recce the site out if not...
It's not an easy place to get to without specific instructions, and even then on this day it was like an absolute bog getting to the top of the glen before dropping down the most awkward set of 'steps' I have ever come across with the aid of a few ropes tied to some nearby trees.... once safely at the bottom in the gorge mouth though it is completely worth getting covered in the red mud that seemingly gets everywhere, absolute stunning place and like something from another world, a secret location tucked away from everything, truly amazing place.
The rain didn't seem to be getting through the tree cover above, or it had stopped so with decent light falling into the glen I was good to shoot, spent a good hour or so here and got quite a few images from the visit, this being the first I've uploaded, becuase the light is so low in the glen so dont need much filtration apart from a polariser as was the case here, the most important bit of kit needed for here is wellies or waders.... and a big bag to put them in back at the car as you will be carrying a few more pounds of mud than when you set off !
That said, totally worth it.
The famous Tower Bridge in London during the blue hour.
St. Abbs Head light house early on Sunday morning as the sun rises off to the right over St. Abbs itself. Wish I'd got here an hour earlier if I'm honest but still happy with this as it is.
Tucked away in the grounds of Rydal Hall and it's huge gardens, right at the bottom is this great little waterfall and viewing building, it's no secret where it is but it does feel like a secret area by the time you've walked through all the sections of the gardens to get to this spot, a nice dry cool morning was the ideal time to visit on this Autumn day and there was hardly anybody about.
I've posted an image from here already stood right below in the water with a really low perspective, I couldn't decide which one I liked better so I thought I'd share this one too taken from a lot higher up on the bridge which runs over the beck.
Bit of waiting involved with this one as I wanted water movement but didn't want the trees blurring through the exposure so I just had to wait for breaks in the breeze, hardly a problem as just sat here on the bridge waiting with this scene in front of me was hardly making me want to rush anything, a truly beautiful place made even more so by the warm Autumn colours.
Its deep red colour stands out so on a sunny day making it an impressive sight. I liked the way the windy conditions blowing the marram grass looked.
I getting seriously sick of the amount of dog poo and poo bags on my travels lately....However the human variety complete with used bog roll in the lay-by really annoyed me..........
The wonky and ancient bridge over the river Usk at Crickhowell as taken from the beer garden of the Bridge End Inn - where you can get a very decent pint of Pale Ale (which tastes even better after a near fight to the death with a bracken forest....).
Thanks to all Phoide contributors to United Kingdom!
Most notably Dee Eff, Pete Rowbottom, Graham Morris, Lenis Las, Clive Griffiths, Quentin 'Q' Thompson, The Jacobite and Andrey Sulitskiy.