Landscape Photography Sliding Doors
Landscape photography is full of decision making. During the course of a shoot we can be presented with multiple decisions to consider. Some more critical than others, however for me the upmost troublesome is choosing location. I find this top of the difficulty list of the photography process. I can spend hours deliberating, sometimes quite obsessively...a little to much at times. Am I alone? I don't think so, as I hear many landscape photographers lament choosing the wrong location all of the time. Now I'm quite an indecisive person by my very nature, so making these key decisions doesn't always come naturally to me....in fact it often gives me a rather large indecisive headache. What weighs heavy on my meek shoulders is missing out on a potentially better situation through my choice of location. One small decision can have an overwhelming impact and ultimately the overall success of the shoot. So you can see why it does cause myself and many other photographers no end of angst. To me its like a sliding door moment, you know, when these small decisions we make can take us off on a completely different path...some for good and some not so. Well that well and truly happened to me last week.
Starter for Ten - The first of around 260 images I took
I'd decided to take Friday off work as it would be my only opportunity to get out with the camera over the weekend. The conditions looked encouraging with a mixture of sunshine and showers forecast, conditions I love. After much consideration I opted for Catbells in the Northern Lake District for Sunrise and Loughrigg Fell for Sunset...sorted, that was easy. On waking I checked the usual webcams and I scanned the one for Keswick and to my disappointment there was a lot of low cloud covering the fells...hmmmm, not ideal but still early and could clear. Anyway, I stuck to my original plans and headed off. Not long from home I started to notice pockets of mist, well that wasn't forecast I thought to myself..the indecisive thoughts started whirling. Well the pockets developed into a full on dense blanket by the time I'd reached Windermere, head in a spin I continued on. The mist prevailed and thickened further as I continued through to Grasmere. This put me in a major quandary, obviously the draw of mist is a big one and should I pass this opportunity up...am I making the right choice here? No 'stick to plan A Tim', I unconvincingly said to myself as I continued on down to Thirlmere and then eventually Keswick. At this point the mist had gone. I pulled over in Keswick, the mist heavily playing on my mind. I looked again at the webcam, still plenty of low cloud and little to no mist over Derwentwater.....I had a decision to make and time wasn't on my side. I sat in the car for 15 minutes, mulling over all the options and then in the end I chose to abandon plan A and head back into the Mist. I had enough time...but it would be tight.
The Langdale Arc De Triomphe - I was lucky enough to witness this wonderful Rainbow arc over the valley.
Wetherlam Panorama - A 5 image panorama catching the moody conditions and beautiful rainbow.
Loughrigg Tarn Golden Moods - The quality of the light filter through the clouds was superb.
Decison number two incoming......where on gods earth was I going to go now? As I was short on time I had to find a location which I knew well because I was going to arrive in and around sunrise and wouldn't have too much time to find new compositions. After careful consideration (blind panic more like) I opted for Loughrigg Fell, my sunset location for later. I head off with haste, but obviously driving with due care considering the mist. I made good time but to my annoyance on arrival at Skelwith Bridge the council have been conducting road works and where I usually park was off limits, so I had to do a u turn and find an alternative. Eventually parked up, a bit flustered but marched up the the fell in super quick time belying my age. I landed on Ivy Crag around 15 minutes before sunrise. A bit out of puff but WOW, I was utterly elated to find I was encircled by an all encompassing temperature inversion, it was a sight to behold. Not only this wonderful gift from nature but also in addition, brooding skies, passing rain showers and a big gap on the horizon for sunrise....I think I may have struck gold. After taking it all in I got set up and watched the scene and light develop in front of me. The mist ebbed and flowed, squalls of rain passed through the valley and the light slowly crepted above the horizon and painted the fells with a glorious burnt orange hue. I spent around two to three of the most magical hours wandering the fell reacting to the changing conditions and developing light. The stuff we dream of as landscape photographers.
A glorious view, touch of mood, splash of light and a rainbow... conditions don't get much better than this.
The Clearing - The inversion finally departs as the rain starts to sweep in, bring my time of Loughrigg to an end.
After furiously running around chasing rainbows, light and rain, I sat on a rock, had a bite of food and paused for thought with a wry smile. I played devils advocate and had a sneaky peak at the Keswick webcam again and I was pleased to see the low cloud persisting on the fells.....had I made the correct decision? If I had stuck to plan A I think I would have been very disappointed, as I don't believe the conditions would have been the same....potentially....but I will never truly know. So whether it was pure luck, great judgement or a calculated risk that paid off....that will remain a mystery. However that choice unequivocally shaped the success of the morning, if I'd stuck rather than twisted I wouldn't have witnessed what I did. I think the main take away is you just never know what your going to get, we aren't fully in control of what is going to happen and we have to rely on a number of elements falling into place. Yes we can try our best to make the right call with the information we are presented with at that time but ultimately its up to Mother Nature to show her hand. Some you will win and others you don't and that's the way it goes.....but it makes it damn infuriating and addictively thrilling all at the same time. Either way, I was very privileged to witness these conditions, I understand all too well that they don't come around everyday. So when they do....you've got to embrace them and know that someone up there is smiling at you on that given day. Ok, final decision...so where to head for sunset?? I think I'll try Lingmoor Fell, wont be as good as this morning.......
Lingmoor Lady Luck......think I've used up all my luck for the next decade.
No but it was pretty good.
Tim