Spring

Bright sunshine, yet still a slight chill in the air. Hyacinths, magnolias, daffodils and blossom are out.

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Memories of Iceland

Sometimes you re-discover photos you forgot you had. Here are some from Iceland.

The ever-changing Icelandic weather.

The statue of Leifur Eiríksson outside Hallgrímskirkja, the first European to arrive in America.

View from Reykjavik harbour.

Alaskan lupine.

View from the top of Hallgrímskirkja, looking towards Reykjavik harbour.

Geysir geothermal area – iron rich soils contrast with the azure hot springs.

The Golden Hour

Light. That crucial factor in photography. The golden hour is the period of time just after sunrise or before sunset, which gives a beautiful, golden hue to landscape and portrait pictures. The low angle of the sun makes the shadows softer and longer. The diffused light can emphasize textures and produce specific effects. There’s something magical about capturing pictures with that golden glow.

Blossom backlit with a soft light.

The long shadows from the light give an additional focus to the crocuses.

The light appears gentler and diffused over the heather.

The Yorkshire Dales

A tranquil scene of snowdrops growing beside a small stream, protected by moss-covered dry stone walls.

There are many sheep farms.

Traditional farming landscapes of field barns and dry stone walls in the valley of Wensleydale. The landscape has been farmed for thousands of years.

The Yorkshire Dales is famous for its limestone scenery. The grey rock was formed from the shells and skeletons of billions of sea creatures, laid down millions of years ago in tropical oceans. Ancient glaciers moving over the landscape and then rainwater over thousands of years, produced the cracks (or grykes) of the landscape that exists today. In the distance is the Ribblehead Viaduct, built by 1000 navvies in Victorian times. It has 24 arches and is part of the Settle to Carlisle railway line.

A dilapidated building in the middle of the moors.

Dry stone walls are the largest man-made feature of the dales. There are approximately 5000 miles of them. They are ‘dry’ because there is no mortar holding them together.