Update: A couple of photos from this year added..
This coming weekend (July 17th and 18th) will see the second Meltham Memories 1940s weekend staged in Meltham. I went along last year for a brief visit before heading to Nottingham to meet my new nephew for the first time! Here are a few shots I managed to nab before I left:
The whole of the village seems to get involved, dressing up, decorating shop fronts. St Bartholomew’s church hall also boasted a very well attended war time themed supper dance. Why not take a trip back to war time Britain and come and have a look? Brass bands, vintage vehicles and even a pill box in the village centre! Don’t be scared if Meltham seems to be under siege!
More information here.
Taken on a recent walk around the Wessenden area of Meltham. A fantastic evening where the light, landscape and fauna all lined up to make for one of my favourite photos in a while:
Sheep Basking in a Wessenden Sunset
Limited edition prints are available (signed and numbered on the reverse):
18×12″ mounted and framed – £110
24×16″ canvas – £80
12×8″ mounted – £20
Other sizes and finishes available on request.
Also – I forgot to post a link to a little feature I had in the Huddersfield Examiner recently.. Click here to read about our exhibition that has now finished :S
Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Things have been uber busy getting ready for Holmfirth Art Week! For those that live locally, fellow Holmfirth based photographer, Andy Leader and myself have teamed up and will be showing our work in Holmfirth Parish Church. For those that fancy a nosy, we are having a preview night on Friday (2nd July) as part of the fringe opening – free wine and possibly nibbles if you can be persuaded! 6-9pm.
These shots were all taken on a short walk I went on last week. The weather was cracking and the light was supreme! The area around Holmfirth and Meltham seems to be blessed with fantastic skies at sunset!
Wessenden To Pule Hill
Springs Road – Holmfirth
Blackpool Bridge – Holmfirth
If you get time, we’re now approaching last orders on the Bluebells so get yourself a trip to the woods in whilst you still can! The smell on Sunday afternoon was gorgeous!
OK.. I know bluebell photos can be a massive cliché but I don’t care.. The reason it might be so is that they are so beautiful! Blankets of them covering the woodland floor at a time of year when the woods are filled with vibrant green foliage. Love it!
Taken in West Wood, Honley (near Holmfirth)
The daff is just a bonus!
Taken on a little stroll before work last week. I can’t wait to go there again when there is a little more direct light.
As promised – a few photos I managed to snap when I escaped from our stall at last weekends Cuckoo Festival in Marsden. A lovely day out in the warm April sunshine!
Just when you think you’re all alone in the middle of nowhere, you get spotted! I was out walking the moors above Digley Reservoir (Bradshaw) one morning last week, admiring a stunning sunrise and thinking I had it all to myself – later in the day I was told by a friend that they had spotted me from Issues Road on the other side of the Valley!
I managed to find time to take a couple of photos whilst I was there but I also spent quite a bit of time sat on a dry stone wall just taking in the view. There is something really special about the sunrises in this area of the Peak District.. I hear from a friend that the intensity of the sunrise and sunsets are partly down to the dust in the air coming over from Manchester – so Manchester is good for something after all!
Marsden – the small Pennine village with perpetual events and festivals – has it’s annual Cuckoo Festival coming up. The of the 23rd, 24th and 25th will see the village filled with people yet again.
For those that don’t know about this event, it stems from The Cuckoo Legend
Many years ago the people of Marsden were aware that when the cuckoo arrived, so did the spring and sunshine. They tried to prolong its stay by building a wall around it.
Unfortunately the wall wasn’t high enough as the legend says…
…It were nobbut just wun course too low!
One of my personal highlights last year was the arrival of the ‘leggers‘ at Standedge tunnel after legging all the way through from “t’other side o’ t’ills”. This was in no way due to the free beer and cake that they brought.. Hmmm… Click on the photo for more pictures.
Amongst other things, the village will have craft fair, vintage motorcycles, maypole dancing, belly dancing, brass bands as well as the Grand Cuckoo Procession.
I will be there on the Saturday along with some other local photographers with a selection of prints on one of the stalls so come and say hello if you are around!
Marsden is within easy reach from Leeds and Manchester via the train and is only a 15-20 minute drive from Huddersfield or Oldham.
Photos are Copyright Gary J Stevenson
Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Following my offer of free portrait sittings, I have been a little snowed under getting prints, frames and canvases ordered.
Just a bit of quick news.. Firstly, my exhibition at Month of Sundaes has come to and end.. For now! Watch this space as plans are under way for a new exhibition there in the coming months.
Secondly, I will have some photos for sale at the Cuckoo Festival in Marsden on the 24th of April alongside some other local photographers.
Finally, one of my photos was selected by the local paper (The Huddersfield Examiner) to feature as a picture of the week recently. It is a shot of Digley Reservoir near Holmfirth, taken from an area of moorland known as Upper Knowl:
There is a slight misquote in the article but hey.. It’s nice to get a bit of free publicity! I have since had the image printed on canvas (16″x12″) and I have to say I’m pretty pleased with it! I will be displaying it in Marsden on the 24th of April but whatever the outcome, I will be getting a copy done for myself!
For a limited time, I am doing free portrait sittings in the Huddersfield and Holmfirth area. Children, couples, models, bands etc… are all welcome for studio style shoots at your home or for location / lifestyle sessions somewhere interesting or special. If you do decide to buy anything, I think you will find the prices very reasonable too. Give me a call or drop me an email and I will get back to you. My contact details can be found here.
I had the pleasure of spending time with these two young ladies a few weeks ago – possibly the cutest two models I’ve had the pleasure of photographing so far!
Harriet and Grace
Back to the more local and familiar landscapes around Holmfirth!
Winter sure is hanging on in there this year. Last week I made a diversion to my normal route home to Honley to pay a visit to West Nab that tower over the village of Meltham. Seems that there is quite a bit of snow up there still! It is one of my favourite spots to head to for a bit of fresh air.. Access is via a permissive path but I believe that most of the area to the south of the path is open access (if only the ordinance survey maps onBing showed the right to roam areas..). Careful where you do go up there though.. Some of the land is part of a firing range and is used for grouse hunting.
The grit stone boulders strewn across the is evidence of the powers that shaped this landscape during the last ice age.
On my way up:
At the top! I like the line made by the cloud.This shot was taken north of the Rocking Stone – considered sacred by some.
I was pretty much out of light after that.. I’ll hopefully head back up there again soon, now that the days are getting longer.
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