Star Trails 31/07

Star Trails 31/07, originally uploaded by KingKobra.

This is something I've always wanted to try out, and for some reason never got round to it. Anyway, this one is the first time for me, and exposed for around eight minutes.

There is alot of ambient light where I live, so its not great. Any longer on the exposure and I think the trails would have been obliterated.

This really is something I want to follow up, and get out somewhere where the ambient light won't be such an issue, and hopefully get some exposures of around 30 minutes. The exposure time is limited to battery life, as long exposures just eat up a battery.

I may try taking multiple exposures, changing the battery between exposures, and try layering them together is PS afterward.

Upperdale, Derbyshire

Upperdale, Derbyshire, originally uploaded by KingKobra.

Wow, two sunn days on the trot. Mus be record.

Well, today Mart L. and I visited the River Wye. Parking the car in the free car park in Upperdale, and walking up to the old Monsal Dale station on the Monsal Trail, and walking down the old trackbed until the tunnel overlooking Cressbrook, then taking the footpath along the hillside leading down into Water-cum-Jolly.

It was here at the weir that I got to use my ND4 filter for only the second time. Rattled off a few shots of the weir from downstream a little, and got some movement in the water. Metering was a nightmare 'cos it was quite dark in the shade under the trees, but there was a lot of bright highlights because the sun was very strong today. The pictures aren't by any means great, but in the OK bracket.

We followed the river upstream a little, until it was time to head back to the car with 3 hours and about 3 miles of walking covered.

Stanage Edge, Derbyshire

Stanage Edge, Derbyshire, originally uploaded by KingKobra.

I 'think' this is the first time I have visited Stanage Edge. Sure, I have seen it always looming in the distance, but I dont remember ever going there before.

Its the place you see on most tv documentaries when they talk about the Ice Age.

This was also pretty much the first time I used my tripod in anger, as I wanted to get a few shots to try my hand at some HDR photography, where a tripod is needed to ensure the multiple exposures line up.

Mart L., and I spent a good two or three hours up there, and it was cool to walk down the edge and have different view than that from Curbar. Going to make it a place to visit for some sunsets.

Peak District Scenes - The Website

Hopefully, I'll soon have enough photos that are good enough to launch a website. I purchased the domain name some time ago, but for one reason or another, never got round to doing anything with it.

If, and when, I get enough shots that are worth displaying in a proper online gallery, then I'll do something about it.

Peak District Sunset

Peak District Sunset, originally uploaded by KingKobra.

After a pretty flawed trip to Curbar Gap, sometime in April, I decided to go back again just a couple of evenings ago. The sun had been shining for most of the evening, and the storm clouds from earlier in the day were still around, but breaking up, so I figured it would make for a cool sunset.

Dragging the two M's, out with me (thats Martyn S. and Martin L.), we drove out to Curbar. As we were driving there, it began to lash it down again, but luckily it steadied down a little by the time we got there.

Biggest mistake of mine? Well, I forgot the lens was still set to manual focus, and rattled off a good thirty or forty pics before realising. It was too dark to check focus in the viewfinder... oh well.