Cold Boulders

Feb 012011
 

I stirred early on Saturday morning (perhaps in practice ready for the imminent arrival of our little one!) and decided to have a wander about in the hills around Meltham and Holmfirth. I rapped up well (-6C up there) and was ambling about up there by well before the sun came up with only the grouse for company. As the sun came up I set up for this shot with the moon still in view and the frosty boulders in the foreground.. More to follow.

Sunrise / Moonset over Meltham

Sunrise, Moonset - Meltham


Chill Under Foot


Sunrise over Kirklees

Bright Start

Also I’d like to mention – I have dates available for wedding photography from June onwards. Get in touch if you or someone you know is planning on tying the knot! Take a look at my wedding packages or blogs from recent weddings

Cold Snap – Updated

Dec 272010
 

Never one to be put off my freezing conditions, I headed up into the hills above Holmfirth to capture some pre-sunrise landscapes. Well worth getting cold for (and driving round a few road closed signs!)

Keep watching this post.. I’m going to keep adding more pics over the coming days.. Merry Christmas!

These are taken around Saddleworth / Meltham moor. As always – prints are available.

Snow Covered Wall

Snow Covered Wall


Wessenden Wall In The Snow

Wessenden Wall In The Snow


Day Break

Day Break Over Holmfirth


Gateway To The Big Freeze - Bradshaw Moor, Holmfirth

Gateway To The Big Freeze - Holmfirth

Gill and Anthony’s Wedding At Bagden Hall – Scissett

Dec 082010
 

What a wonderful winter wonderland with a blanket of snow for Gill and Anthony’s wedding at Bagden Hall near Denby Dale at the weekend! I had a fantastic time and have to thank Gill, Anthony and their guests for making me feel so welcome! I felt like I was at a friends wedding – I even got fed (and wow! They know how to feed people at Bagden Hall – much better than my pack-up!)

The wedding took place at 3PM and was conducted by the same registrar that carried out the ceremony between my wife and I (brought back some memories!) Whilst the guests were enjoying a nice mulled wine around the real fire after ceremony, we braved the sub zero temperatures to do a quick shoot outside – thankfully Gill came prepared for the conditions! The light may have been fading but it was an opportunity not to be missed!

The evening reception was also held at Bagden, been kicked off with a choreographed first dance. Strictly eat your heart out!

Also a quick thank you to Bob for the loan of his lightstand since mine didn’t (and STILL hasn’t) turned up. It came in really handy for the group shots which were shot using a shoot through umbrella.

Here is a sneaky peek at a few of the shoots whilst I finish off the processing on the rest.

Bagden Hall in the Snow










Oh.. I forgot to mention.. The best man did a superb job of videoing the whole day.. Such dedication.. Even to the point of him videoing himself handing over the rings :D  Rod – will you cut me from the final edit ;)

You can read more about my wedding services here.

CHEERS!

Holmfirth After Last Of The Summer Wine

Aug 242010
 

Firstly, a photo from a recent walk in the heather covered hill of the Holmfirth peak district:




It’s looking good at the moment! The bridge is known as Blackpool bridge and is nestled in a dip between Bradshaw and Good Bent above the village of Holmfirth. Thankfully I’m only a few minutes drive away (in Honley) from the start of the walk that leads to this location.

Now for a non-photo ramble for a change…

If you visit this site regularly, you will know that many of my shots are taken in the Peak District National Park above the village made famous by TV’s long running sitcom (record breaking “world’s longest” no less!), Last Of The Summer Wine. The BBC have now confirmed that there are to be no more episodes made – a sad day for those fans of the light hearted comedy about a group of old fellas larking about.

What of Holmfirth’s future then? Whilst I have no doubt that the repeats will be airing for years to come, sooner or later people will loose interest in Holmfirth for it’s TV fame – but hopefully that will fire the imaginations of those that ‘market’ this gateway to the peak districts. The area is surrounded by walks in this beautiful, natural (although natural might not be the right word since much of the landscape has been shaped by man and sheep) national park and has ample accommodation with bed and breakfasts galore – perfect for walking holidays or just for those who want easy access to some of the best drives in the UK (ever noticed that Top Gear are regular visitors to the region?)

Who knows – perhaps a massive demand will arise for photographic courses and tours ;)

Alone In The Wilderness – Almost

Apr 112010
 


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!

Return To Meltham

Mar 182010
 

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:

My Rocks, West Nab - Meltham

My Rocks, West Nab - Meltham

At the top! I like the line made by the cloud.This shot was taken north of the Rocking Stone – considered sacred by some.

West Nab's Snowy Top - Meltham

West Nab's Snowy Top - Meltham

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.

The Big Freeze

Jan 182010
 

It finally seems as though the big freeze of January 2010, if not finished, has gone dormant. The snow is almost gone apart from on the top of West Nab and I didn’t need to dress up like an arctic explorer today. I have mixed feelings about that because it has led to some great photo opportunities but it has made it hard to get anywhere (hence most of my shots seem to have been from in and around the Holmfirth, Meltham and Marsden area recently!)

I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite shots taken over the last couple of weeks here.

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