Combs Lane (March/April 2022)

Continuing the theme of the previous posts, I move across the village to Combs Lane to capture the transition from winter to spring. 

This first set is the last of the winter trees in this location as the sunlight fights against some heavy showers:

The tree, shown above, is a sycamore and it is a bit of a favourite for the photography. It tends to receives good light most of the day and its shape composes well with the trees in the background. This sequence shows the leaves developing over a period of 12 days: 

Another favourite on Combs Lane is a large beech tree and shown below is another sequence of photographs that captures the development of the leaves, starting with buds in the first week in April and a full canopy just two weeks later…

Southwell Trail (March/April 2022) - Part 2

Following on from my last post is a further selection of photographs from the Southwell Trail capturing the transition from winter to spring.

This time I concentrate mainly on the details rather than land or treescapes including early wildflowers, the first new leaves, blossoms, and some of the farming activities in the local fields.

Celandine are often the first wildflowers to bloom on the trail, seen below with some violets. I also noted a fine patch of honesty (Lunaria annua):

There is always plenty of blackthorn and damson on the trail in early spring along with the uplifting cherry blossoms:

The birch trees are one of the first to develop their leaves in addition to the mass of catkins:

Also noticeable are the flowering field maples:

Early spring is a good time for following the farming activities. Some of the fields are treated with lime before the ploughs get to work. The deep ruts create a visual spectacle that never fails to impress:

Southwell Trail (March/April 2022)

This is the first of short series of posts covering the transition from winter to spring on the Southwell Trail and Combs Lane where I walk most days. The regularity of the walking, not only helps with general health, but also allows me capture the subtle changes in these locations that might otherwise be missed. 

In this post, I concentrate on the last of the winter trees on the trail. There are few signs of the new season including the flowering blackthorns, the reinvigorated grassy verges and an abundance of new growth on the hawthorns. The weather is also seasonal with the occasional need to dodge heavy showers: 

Peak Sunset (March 2022)

The aim of trip to the Peak District was two-fold: plein-air artwork on Stanage Edge and golden hour photography on Higger Tor. 

The first was achieved, although the results are a work-in-progress. Watercolour painting outdoors is challenging and the Peak District landscape is hard enough to photograph let alone paint! More practice is needed. 

The photography was somewhat hampered by the subdued sunlight particularly towards sunset. There was a haziness which dampened the golden hour light and the resulting photographs. However, right at the end of the day these conditions worked in my favour as the sun turned into a golden globe in the sky and two people standing on Callow Bank added scale to the compositions:

These were some of the shots form earlier in the day:

Also taken were a few intimate landscapes and rock studies. These are part of a long running collection of alternative Peak District photographs, something different to the standard landscape views: