From dawn ’til dusk
Rocking around the clock to capture the beauty of the Lake District
Since starting my photography journey, nearly ten years ago, I’ve visited many places in and around the UK. But there are very few that I can truly call my favourite places to shoot – the Lake District, however, is definitely one of them. On a recent trip I challenged myself to get an image from each location I visited from dawn, all the way through until dusk.
I started the day off down by the river at a place called Elterwater, and it didn’t disappoint. Upon arriving it was clear that there had been a frost overnight, and it was very hard to ignore the instant attraction to the crisp frosty areas – including the woodland I passed through where I arrived. I wanted to keep to my plan, however, of heading to the water’s edge. Here, I was greeted with glass-like reflections and the most incredible-looking clouds that filled the scene when taking my first frame.
Shortly afterwards I continued to walk along the river, where I came across a well-photographed location down on the River Brathay. There was rising mist and, once again, glass-like reflections, so I broke out the long lens: the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l IS II USM. After shooting several compositions I finally settled on a scene that I was very happy with, and just continued to shoot the setting as the light and floating mist was ever changing.
By this time the light had fully risen and was very harsh, so after an early lunch I decided to head to shoot my favourite waterfall in the Lake District: Scaleforce. This was only my third time visiting this location, but the excitement upon arriving, and
hearing the rush of the water, was like the first time I came to this magical place.
Once there you have to scale a 20ft rock, which can be very dangerous and slippery when wet but is worth all the effort, as once you reach the top you are greeted with a magnificent view! When I got up there the spray off the water was the worst I’ve ever experienced, and therefore, I had to be very smart with capturing my image.
My last visit for the day, which turned out being during golden hour, was to Tarn Hows. This place is a great location for sunset and, having pretty much nailed the image I was after on my first and only visit, I decided this time to look for new and intimate compositions.
Golden hour approached and I was feeling uninspired, so I went to my trusty Canon EF 100-400mm and started picking out intimate pieces of the landscape. That’s where I came across a formation of trees that gave a great leading line to the Langdale Pikes, and the beautiful golden light casting over the scene just topped off a fantastic day’s worth of shooting.
This was only my third time visiting this location, but the excitement upon arriving… The Canon Magazine