An early morning photoshoot for work in Keighley got me up and out long before sunrise this Sunday. By 9.30am work was done and I decided to take a detour across from Haworth to Colne on the way home: a wan golden sun lit up the frozen moors and I stopped off for a walk in the glorious countryside. This is, after all, Brontë Country, where the three famous sisters grew up and wrote their novels, inspired in part by these bleak yet beautiful hills.
A sign to the Brontë Waterfall sounded interesting, so I followed South Dean Beck up the hillside for a mile or so and found the waterfall tucked hidden in the shadows of the valley. I hadn’t expected it to look so exceptionally pretty, clad in lacy frost and icicles as it did. A perfect moorland gem.
Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash, or for more info in Google Earth.
Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash, or for more info in Google Earth.
Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash, or for more info in Google Earth.
Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, bradford, Brontë, haworth, ice, literature, moorland, panorama, water, waterfall, west yorkshire, winter
Tomorrow will see the unveiling of something new from Apple. Across the world Apple fans and sceptics alike are girding their loins with excitement and speculation: and I unashamedly join them. Damned if I know what they’ll actually reveal though.
I’m not going to make any real predictions, except to say that no matter how revolutionary it _actually_ is, it’ll seem _much_ more than that. Your first thoughts, along with a sizeable proportion of the sentient media-consuming populace will be something along the lines of “Holy crap… why didn’t anyone think of that before” (even if it has actually been done, this’ll seem better). Your second thought will probably be somewhat more covetous…
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Salmon skies light up the snowy ridge of Langfield Common, near Todmorden. Stoodley Pike sits on the hillside, overlooking the Upper Valley.
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Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, mankinholes, moorland, panorama, pennines, snow, stoodley pike, sunset, todmorden, winter, yorkshire
Shade Lock on the Rochdale Canal, Todmorden. I loved the colour range of this view as I walked along the canal at dusk: deep blue hues in the sky contrast with the rich orange sodium street lighting.
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Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, canal, panorama, pennines, rochdale canal, snow, todmorden, winter
Later in the day I ventured back outside to find everywhere covered in a wonderfully fresh, thick blanket of snow. This is the lock at Gauxholme: the footbridge afforded a good view of the lock gates and road bridge, lit in that odd transitory glow of dusk.
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Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, canal, evening, gauxholme, panorama, pennines, rochdale canal, snow, todmorden, winter
This evening I took a rather exciting and unplanned 4×4 journey via Colden Clough to Lumb Bank from Hebden Bridge, after the heaviest snowfall of the year so far. My mate had to go and feed his sheep so I tagged along. Some things don’t stop for the weather … ruminants need their feed no matter what. The unexpected diversion meant stunning quantities of snow, tough driving, and a beautiful view. Real picture-book scene.
The photo is misleading: despite what you see here it was pretty dark. A few lit windows in nearby buildings, a faint sodium orange cast on the clouds, and that unnatural shimmer of snow carpeting the ground were all that illuminated the view. The magic comes from a long exposure to bring out all the detail. For the geeks, shot as a series of single 30sec exposures, f8, 1600ISO.
Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash, or for more info in Google Earth.
Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, hebden bridge, heptonstall, lumb bank, night, panorama, pennines, snow, west yorkshire, winter
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Categories: cityscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, hebden bridge, panorama, pennines, snow, st george's square, west yorkshire, winter
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Love the way snow can change the look of anything. This pathway between rows of briars and holly became a tunnel into a winter wonderland, like something out of a children’s story.
Not much natural light at this time of day, so this was shot as a series of 15sec exposures. The snow acted as a giant reflector, giving even lighting throughout the scene.
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The upper Calder valley, transformed into a winter wonderland by the generous pre-Christmas snows.
My mate and I went sledging here; just down the hill you can see a couple of snowboarders also taking advantage of the conditions. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash, or for more info in Google Earth.
Categories: landscapes, panorama, personal Tags: 360°, calderdale, moorland, panorama, pennines, snow, todmorden, west yorkshire, winter