EVENING LIGHT
I came across this grassland meadow full of flowering Cow Parsley and Pignut when I was returning home from the local tip (which had been a wasted journey as it was shut!!), still, if I'd not made the trip I may well have missed out on a stunning sight.
Although I've passed this spot countless times, I'd never seen it like this before, which just shows how familiar locations can provide surprises and should never be dismissed as a photo location.
I'd only glimpsed the meadow as I passed in the car just as the road begins to descend a steep hill, but I knew that I'd just found a possible picture, and would have to return.
I knew that a public footpath wound its way down the hill through the meadow to the Brampton Valley Way - a 14 mile footpath along a disused railway track between Northampton and Market Harborough - so access wasn't going to be a problem.
The orientation of the hill meant that it was an evening location - which was good as I much prefer late light to that of dawn. With dawn you're always working against time and the sun as it rises but with evening light you're working with it as it descends, and invariably the quality of the light improves as it does so, providing an image with a golden glow.
This shot was taken on my 2nd visit within four days and, having taken a number of other scenes within the meadow, had to quickly set up my camera as the sun sank towards the horizon to get this pre-planned shot about half way down the hill. There was only about a 5 minute window where the sun was providing just the right angle of light on the scene before it disappeared behind the hedgerow. I left the polariser attached to the camera as it was still having some affect, particularly on the hedgerow foliage on the left; although this would cause flare from the low sun I felt this would add to the atmosphere of the scene.
Taken at 8.42pm on 24th May 2011 (SP742705) Brixworth, Northamptonshire
I came across this grassland meadow full of flowering Cow Parsley and Pignut when I was returning home from the local tip (which had been a wasted journey as it was shut!!), still, if I'd not made the trip I may well have missed out on a stunning sight.
I'd only glimpsed the meadow as I passed in the car just as the road begins to descend a steep hill, but I knew that I'd just found a possible picture, and would have to return.
I knew that a public footpath wound its way down the hill through the meadow to the Brampton Valley Way - a 14 mile footpath along a disused railway track between Northampton and Market Harborough - so access wasn't going to be a problem.
The orientation of the hill meant that it was an evening location - which was good as I much prefer late light to that of dawn. With dawn you're always working against time and the sun as it rises but with evening light you're working with it as it descends, and invariably the quality of the light improves as it does so, providing an image with a golden glow.
This shot was taken on my 2nd visit within four days and, having taken a number of other scenes within the meadow, had to quickly set up my camera as the sun sank towards the horizon to get this pre-planned shot about half way down the hill. There was only about a 5 minute window where the sun was providing just the right angle of light on the scene before it disappeared behind the hedgerow. I left the polariser attached to the camera as it was still having some affect, particularly on the hedgerow foliage on the left; although this would cause flare from the low sun I felt this would add to the atmosphere of the scene.
Taken at 8.42pm on 24th May 2011 (SP742705) Brixworth, Northamptonshire
One Shot
A current favourite shot with details of how, where and when it was taken.
All images and text are © Andrew Baskott 2011, and therefore may not be copied, stored or used in any way without written permission. Fair use is not an excuse.
All images and text are © Andrew Baskott 2011, and therefore may not be copied, stored or used in any way without written permission. Fair use is not an excuse.