Calderdale – Light Priority

I’ve not managed to come up with a particular theme for this post so instead I’ve put together a selection of of images I’ve taken from mid-August through September. Hopefully it still proves interesting! The image above shows Midgley Moor in Calderdale, West Yorks with the heather blossoms at their peak. Quite a magical sight, especially around sunset.

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Sunlight through stained glass always looks beautiful, I like the symmetry of the little windows here.

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A lovely saddle tank engine pulling out of Bolton Abbey station.

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Another shot from Bolton Abbey station, this time of the slightly grungy side of an old diesel, proudly showing its old British Rail logo.

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This was a lucky shot. I’d just sat down to have a cup of tea and scone with a friend, when this little visitor settled on the wall beside our table. Luckily I had the camera out on the table with the 60mm attached and was able to snap a few shots including this one before the robin flew away.

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2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the 1st World War. A local commemoration was this sand statue at the Hebden Bridge town hall titled “Grief is Eternal”. Showing a weeping widow who has received the news of the loss of her husband in the war.

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A line of old grouse shooting boxes up on the moor with a sea of heather behind.

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A cairn (stone pile) overlooking the valley from the edge of Midgley Moor.

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One more shot from Midgley, this one showing a curious tiny little reservoir at the far side.

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September saw a weekend getaway to my old hometown of Aberystwyth in mid Wales. This shot was taken wandering around the marina, an area I’ve always found fascinating.

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A lovely little narrow gauge heritage railway runs the hills from Aberystwyth through to Devil’s Bridge. This is a detail of the bumper at the front of the engine.

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Finally here’s a night shot of Hebden Bridge, taken from the old packhorse bridge looking towards the town hall and Innovation Mill.

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The seasons are distinct here in Yorkshire, during autumn the valleys become full of a beautiful array of hues as the leaves and moors change colour. The images here are all from my X-E1, mainly using either my trusty 60mm f2.4 or newly acquired 18mm f2. There are a couple shot with my 50mm Takumar as well.

X-E1 60mm, f6.4, 1/105 sec

The grasses and reeds on the moors change colour throughout the seasons, here augmented by drifting clouds of mist. It’s amazing quite how quickly the mist moves and changes, in the time it takes to walk a short distance to recompose a shot the mist can have completely cleared an area.

X-E1 50mm Takumar, f5.6, 1/300 sec

X-E1 50mm Takumar, f5.6, 1/250 sec

This shot and the one above were taken in Cragg Vale which had just seen its first light dusting of snow for the winter up on the hill tops. The densely wooded hillsides positively glowed in the bright morning sunshine.

X-E1 18mm, f8, 1/125 sec

The low winter sun can make even mid-afternoon feel more like golden hour. The long shadows it creates can also be a nice element in your photos. I liked the contrast here between the increasingly leafless trees and the almost spring-fresh look of the grass.

X-E1, 60mm, f5.6, 1/110 sec

Some interesting trivia here, in the shot above the walled area with the railing is actually an old and long forgotten graveyard. Once attached to Mount Olivet Baptist chapel. It contains a small jumble of overgrown headstones from the late 1800’s.

X-E1, 18mm, f8, 1.8 sec

Many of the valleys around here used to have their rivers harnessed to power mills, as such you’ll see many weirs, walls and mill ponds about. Sadly the mills themselves are in most cases rarely evident anymore save for the odd wall or chimney left standing.

X-E1, 60mm, f5.6 1/950 sec

Tag: Calderdale

Late summer photo potpourri

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Autumn in the Valley