A couple of days at home. (Picture heavy.)

[Wayland]

I normally travel about a bit to get my landscape pictures, I guess I just find more inspiration in new places I suppose.

I am fortunate that where I live there are some great spots that I go dog walking in but with one thing and another I rarely take pictures there.

The last few days have forced my hand though as the conditions have just been so good and I have a new camera to play with so I thought I'd inflict a few on you.

We had freezing fog in the morning just the other day but Crompton Moor rises slightly above the valley fog layer so I took Skadi up there for her usual walk.

It's an industrial area that has been reclaimed from it's coal mining and quarrying past and now supports a diverse habitat.

The view for the slopes normally stretches over Manchester to the Cheshire Plains but the fog had done away with most of that, I live in a house just to the right of this scene.

The ugly great lump that the fog can't quite hide is the Littlewoods distribution center in Shaw.

We returned again in the evening, the fog was still in the valley but had risen up the slopes a little.

This is almost the same view looking out over the fog towards the West.

As the sun was setting the scene was becoming almost magical.

This was the last shot I was able to get before the light was too low for hand holding even with the camera's image stabilization. I wish I'd thought to bring a tripod.

Today we were almost snowed in, I certainly couldn't get to the school I was working with so I rescheduled, picked up my normal camera and headed for another regular dog walking spot, Tandlewood.

There was mist again but I couldn't quite get the shot I was after so I decided to relocate to Crompton Moor again.

This was more like the shot I had in mind.

A few different compositions and almost what I was after.

I often lament the fact that I don't get out as often as I would like, by that I usually mean I don't get away to some other place or location.

Having said that, it's often all to easy to ignore the landscape everyday under our own feet. If only we could look at it with fresh eyes every day.

 

[verloc]

Awesome work. Great shots of the snow and trees - very hard to shoot but they are crackers

 

[Kerne]

Excellent shots all round but the last misty one is a real cracker! You can feel the lights drawing you in from the cold outdoors.

 

[Chris G]

I LOVE this photo!!! You really are good Wayland!

Chris

 

[Mesquite]

Simply stunning Gary.

It's always a pleasure to see your photography, I'll look forward to future outings and you inflicting the results upon us

 

[firecrest]

Those snow shots are awesome. I can't believe ive not seen a whiff of snow all week it seems to have snowed everywhere but on me!
Im hoping there is snow for the midlands meet. Ill be careful not to tread on it for you!

 

[firebreather]

Stunning. Places I have walked regularly.

Thanks for sharing.

Greg

 

[Shewie]

Wow great piccies Gary, it amazes me how you visualize such images everytime, even your own everyday surroundings come to life with a little thought and a lot of know how.

Superb

 

[Singeblister]

Some great shots there Gary

 

[Intertidal]

Lovely pictures.
Amazing how a bit of snow and fog can make even the urban environment attractive.

As an aside - two things I really like are snow covered ground, or a sandy beach - with no footprints on them. I like knowing that I'm the first there that time, but thats tinged with guilt knowing that I've destroyed the feeling for the next visitor.
Anyone else feel that way?

 

[addo]

Lovely pictures Wayland, I also like Chris G's fav the best. Also like the way a bit of snow can totalaly change an everyday place, even if its only for a few hours.

 

[andy_e]

It's also amazing how the seasons change the atmosphere of a place, I remember a few of those scenes from the walk you took me up the hill with Skadi after the Bushmoot. It looks even more spectacular with your photographic treatment and the mood of the season. Thanks for sharing

 

[BOD]

I LOVE this photo!!! You really are good Wayland!

Chris

So do I. I'm sure I saw someone on a broom stick go by or was it Peter Pan?

Well done Wayland. Tony should give you your own corner of the Photo site.

 

[gloomhound]

Wonderful photos

 

[Andy2112]

Gary, simply stunning my friend.

Those snow shots are awesome. I can't believe ive not seen a whiff of snow all week it seems to have snowed everywhere but on me!
Im hoping there is snow for the midlands meet. Ill be careful not to tread on it for you!

Looks like it might be a bit wet for the midlands meet Firecrest.:sad6:

 

[Wayland]

Wow great piccies Gary, it amazes me how you visualize such images everytime, even your own everyday surroundings come to life with a little thought and a lot of know how.

Superb

Part of my point is that I often don't photograph local stuff because i find it harder to "see" pictures in familiar surroundings, I suspect it's something a lot of us suffer from.

Lovely pictures.
Amazing how a bit of snow and fog can make even the urban environment attractive.

As an aside - two things I really like are snow covered ground, or a sandy beach - with no footprints on them. I like knowing that I'm the first there that time, but thats tinged with guilt knowing that I've destroyed the feeling for the next visitor.
Anyone else feel that way?

It's always a problem, as a photographer I'm very careful of the direction I approach a subject from, as even grass can show your passage if you're not careful.

Of course Skadi just barrels in regardless and half the time I have to bribe her to get her out of the way.

Clip> Well done Wayland. Tony should give you your own corner of the Photo site.

I think I probably use too much of his bandwidth as it is. I'm just very grateful for the opportunity to show stuff to a kindly audience.

 

[Wayland]

It's also amazing how the seasons change the atmosphere of a place, I remember a few of those scenes from the walk you took me up the hill with Skadi after the Bushmoot. It looks even more spectacular with your photographic treatment and the mood of the season. Thanks for sharing

It looks great up there at the moment, the lake has frozen over now, I got some shots of it yesterday but I haven't had time to shop them yet.

 

[John Fenna]

Those black and white trees - WOW!

 

[Tadpole]

The second black and white shot of the trees reminds me of an old Japanese silkscreen print I saw in some museum. Stunning, absopositivelylutely stunning

 

[robin wood]

Inflict as many of these on us as you like mate.

I am surprised you find it more difficult to photograph places you know well. I remember looking at some of your photos quite a while ago of a breakwater at dawn where you had returned each day foe several mornings, I loved them. I like to see the same view changing over time with different light and seasons.

I find Andy Goldsworthy inspiring in that. He often returns to the same stream or tree and does a new sculpture in the same place. When shown together at the end of a year they are simply stunning.