I was determined to keep my newly found motivation going with some more trips out with my camera this last week. So to kill two birds with one stone off I went into the Peak District again, looking for a new location as well as a further image for my 12 significant images project. I has an invite on Facebook to join a group called Peak District Landscape Photography, and I was pleased to accept the invitation.
One of the first images I saw was a wonderful low light shot of the plug hole (overflow) at Redmires Reservoir. A quick look on my OS map and I found that it was not far from Stanage Edge and was accruable from the road that runs past Ladybower Reservoir, I would be on relatively familiar ground. I found the car park with relative ease and set off in search of the plug hole. I have to say I was a little disappointed at what I found when I got there, in that the water levels in the main reservoir were quite low, and the plug hole was just like all the others when there is no water running down it.
I think one of the things that I have always tried to do is to not limit myself to the image I had in my head when I set out. With that in mind a decided to have a look round to see what else I could find to point my camera at. So off I went to explore the rest of the area. The image you see above is the first location I stopped at. I do like a good lone tree and feel this one is a good example. Coupled with the moody sky and sweeping nature of the reservoir edge makes for a half decent image. Its a relatively quick shutter speed 1/100 of a second given it was windy day with ISO 100 and aperture at f11.
I spotted the scene in the image above as I went in search of the plug hole, and decided I would try the plug hole first. Having decided that the plug hole will wait for another day, I back tracked and spend some time composing this image. I like the way the ditch sweeps through the centre of the image and draws the eyes through to the back of the image where the trees almost frame the angry looking sky. I suspect when the water levels are higher in the main reservoir that this ditch will have more water that could provide a decent reflection or two. This is definitely one location to revisit in the future.
Another Image for 12 Significant Images Project
Having decided to move on from Redmires Reservoir it was a short drive through to Stanage Edge where I would capture another image of the millstones for my 12 significant images project. I’ve been to this location twice before earlier in the year. Each time I’d been before there wasn’t the best of weather and this trip was no different. There were moody skies and it was really cold, but I was hopeful of getting a good image as the view down across the Hope Valley was clear.
These stones are on the hill leading up to the face of Stanage Edge, and when shooting across the scene the land slopes away which ever way you shoot the images. This image, however, is shot down the hill with the stones in the foreground and the valley sweeping out as the eye runs out through the image. The background is a moody sky and gives a sense of the conditions on the day. I do like this image and am almost thinking that this will be come the selected image from this location.