Robin Hood Hill - Part 2 (2022)

In the previous post I showed a selection of photographs featuring the oilseed yellows in the fields around Robin Hood Hill on the Oxton Estate. Here I show a further set from that visit which concentrates on some of the vibrant spring greens, another strong colour that needed little additional lighting on a mainly cloudy visit. 

In fact, one image that particularly liked simply filled the frame with colour using the tractor lines and soft roll of the field to create the composition:

Robin Hood Hill - Part 1 (April 2022)

A second visit to Robin Hood Hill in as many months challenged whether it is really necessary to have direct sunlight when there is a strong colour in the landscape. 

Ordinarily, I would wait for the light to change on a cloudy day but on this occasion the natural brightness of the oilseed yellows was enough to carry the scene. When the sun did shine it was almost too much, the flowers seemed to lose their definition, merging into a block of colour. 

As a compromise, I waited for the moment just before the clouds pass, when the soft shadows start to appear but the light is still diffused. 

These were some of the results:

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: