Landscapes — Words — Andrew Barrow

A Visit to the Peak District

Just a few short days in the Peak District; a trip over too quickly. Has to be one of the most beautiful places in the UK.. and led to a photographic revival for me after many weeks of not taking a photo! The images below are panoramic in format, either cropped to size or formed from several images.

It is not really necessary to stitch images together; but I find it results in a certain look that I find pleasing. Plus it gives a wider field of view when it comes to cropping and adjusting in photoshop.

Edge of a field, Ashford-in-the-Water — Edge of a field, River Wye, Ashford-in-the-Water

Bridge over the River Wye, Ashford-in-the-Water

LandscapesAndrew Barrow27 September 2022landscape, woodland, riverscapeComment

Coastline

Not the best weather if I am honest, for landscape photography. A spur of the moment decision to head to the coast, camera in hand. No planning, no consulting tide-tables or working out where the sun would rise… some vague ideas for some ICM work along the ‘beach’… but there was no beach, just rocks and event he dull weather didn’t provide any crashing waves…

But fun was had walking the coast, cursing when the sun made a momentary break through the clouds to provide some wonderful light when I was far removed from anything worth photographing and stressing when a rainbow materialised across the bay… but I did take along some ND filters to allow for long exposures. I’ve always been interested in panoramas and managed to complete a couple that are far from award-winning but gave me pleasure in creating them.

LandscapesAndrew Barrow31 October 2021landscape, coast, panoramaComment

Wallingford Castle

There isn’t much left of Wallingford Castle; a moat type ditch, a couple of minor walls plus plenty of bumps and mounds. This morning, in the first decent day of weather for an age, I took a wander along the Thames and into the castle grounds. The intention was to take a few macro shots of the buttercups that are smothering the fields at the moment so I only took the ageing 24-105mm lens and a reversing ring. The closeups are fine, I’ll post a couple perhaps, but this panorama I rather liked.

It is formed from five stitched images and heavily cropped top and bottom.

I admit it is not the greatest landscape image, not helped by the sub-par quality of the lens but I find it pleasing. I should also note that the sky was replaced via the new sky replacement filter in photoshop.

LandscapesAndrew Barrow31 May 2021panorama, landscapeComment

Woodland Shoot Disaster

My efforts at woodland photography are sadly lacking. Three sessions in and around Watlington Hill, Christmas Common and Aston Rowant woods resulted in a total of zero images worth keeping.

Certainly not up to the likes of Nigel Danson or Steve O’Nions who I greatly admire from their youtube channels. But as Danson says in a recent video it has taken him years of practice, trial and error in reaching his standard. I’ve quite some way to go.

But I had fun. And it got me out of the studio and doing something different.

These fungi shots aren’t going to win any awards but I am moderately happy with the results; they are certainly more successful than my woodland efforts.

LandscapesAndrew Barrow24 October 2020fungi, woodland, OxfordshireComment

Clouds

Changeable weather this week. Heavy, abet short-lived, rain showers interspersed with warm sunshine. Used my old 1950’s 105mm lens to take this mini-series looking at the storm clouds. The lens is a bugger to focus properly but gives a unique rendition to many scenes.

LandscapesAndrew Barrow8 August 2019landscape, clouds, stormComment

London Skyline

A blue-hour panorama taken from the Golden Jubilee Bridge - Cleopatra's Needle and Victoria Embankment on the left, Waterloo Bridge in the middle, with St. Paul's in the distance, round to Festival Pier and Royal Festival Hall on the right.

Photo formed from seven individual photos taken with a 35mm lens, so the image has been heavily cropped to remove an expanse of plain sky and river.

LandscapesAndrew Barrow19 May 2019landscape, bluehour, LondonComment