Black Ashop Moor near Glossop. From a day out walking from Hayfield to Kinder with Dave Ascough.

The wreckage of Sabres XD707 and XD730 of 66 Squadron which crashed on the 22nd July 1954.

Despite the calm appearance the wind was entertaining as we attempted to cross the moor on frozen snow that gave way under our feet every few paces. Dave patiently had a spot of lunch whilst my hands froze, camera in hand, waiting for the sun to cross the snow.

This wreckage is relatively easy to find, although I’ll leave the explanations to those with a bit more experience: http://peakwreckhunters.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/kinder

Selected images available for licencing on Getty Images

After a bit of a late night drinking red wine and cooking lager with Al Brydon, Sheffield’s most famous ex-hamster owner, I was a little too jaded to head into the hills – there was no way I was going to survive if I was any more than 30 minutes away from fatty food. So once Al had set off back to sunny Sheffield and the family and I had consumed some form of high calorie lunch we headed off to a blustery Seascale.

On a visit here years ago I must confess that I wrote this place off as the most depressing seaside town in England, but I think my views were somewhat clouded by having just bashed my car. Now I find myself feeling a massive amount of respect for people willing to make their lives in what isn’t the most forgiving of environments – even on this not spectacularly unpleasant October afternoon it was still reasonably hard to open the car door because of the wind.

Leaving her indoors to keep an eye on the kids on the playground I set off up the beach for a bracing half an hour before the rain started.

Selected images available for licencing on Getty Images

Selected images available for licencing on Alamy

I was lucky enough to get out for another walk guided by Dave Ascough again recently, along with Al Brydon who was working on a night photography project. The plan was to start mid-afternoon and to make our way up Doctor’s Gate, across to Higher Shelf Stones and the B29 Superfortress wreckage in time for nightfall.

It was a gloriously warm afternoon – almost t-shirt weather – but by the time this image was made, after a sandwich stop at Higher Shelf Stones, it was starting to get decidedly chilly. As the last of the daylight disappeared and the temperature continued to fall, Al got his shots and we headed back, taking the more direct Pennine Way route south towards Snake Pass.

The journey back was an experience, just using the ample moonlight to light our way (despite having torches) and watching banks of light mist move across the moor. It might have been nice to stop and grab a shot or two but by this time I think we were all happy just to head back, mission accomplished.

Dave offers walks specifically tailored for photographers (as well as Hills Skills courses and Guided Walks) – more information can be found here – Dave Ascough – Mountain Leading – Outdoor Photography

Available to licence on Getty Images

It was barely light when this was taken, and I couldn’t be bothered to set the tripod up, but there was something about the scene and colour that I liked. Fortunately the image stabilizer in the Canon 24-105L was up to the task and this was perfectly sharp hand held at 1/15s.

I know – two consecutive pictures of wood covered in frost – it just happens to be the stuff I am archiving/uploading for stock at the moment :)

Available for licensing on Alamy

For most of the year running up to the December that this picture was taken it was quite marshy around this tree in Cossington Meadows, making it difficult to get to – not that I didn’t try, I just got a bit fed up with having to cycle home with wet trainers after each failed attempt. This cold spell made reaching it possible though as the ground was rock solid.

A funny photo this – it’s not glossy or romantic, doesn’t feature a killer composition or great light, hasn’t been tarted up to make it look like a work of art and doesn’t ask the viewer to question their very existence – but it still causes me great happiness because it reminds me how great it is to see the changing seasons and to be able to experience them rather than watching their passing from a car window on the daily commute.

Available for licensing on Alamy

Top to bottom, left to right
1. Bench and felled tree. Belgrave
2. Football pitch on the other side of the river. Birstall
3. Wolsey chimney. Wolsey Island/Abbey Meadows.
4. Traveller’s caravans. Abbey Meadows.
5. Railings next to the river. Belgrave.
6. Driftwood. Watermead Country Park. Birstall

The fish eye seems to be a much maligned lens, perhaps because its over use can become *very* unwelcome, and I often see more seasoned photographers (perhaps correctly) telling excitable newbies that it’s a lens they will tire of quickly. It’s a purchase that I spent ages mulling over, and if I’m honest I only really bought it for a certain type of shot, but seeing as I had it I thought it would be interesting (or at least, a challenge) to attempt to use it for something a little less typically fish eye – to attempt to both subtlety use and hide the distortion in landscape images.

I’d not always possible to hide the effect entirely. Straight lines become increasingly distorted as you move away from the centre of the image so standard “rule of thirds” type compositions are out – however this only adds to my joy and sense of reward.

The above images were taken on ISO200 Lomography Slide Film (and were cross processed) using a Canon EOS 5 that I picked up for next to nothing.

I love it when it snows, not just because I’m a big kid who enjoys throwing snowballs at his kids, but also because it can totally transform a scene. Lighting is more even thanks to the brighter foreground, structures (both natural and man-made) become isolated and it’s possible to wring some nice pastel shades out of the camera with the correct exposure.

Normally when it know its going to snow I’ll set the alarm and get up and out early but that wasn’t possible on the day that these were taken – ‘er indoors already had plans to go out – so the plan was for me to spend the day entertaining the kids whilst she went walking in the Peak District. Fortunately for me the kids were also excited by the prospect of playing in the snow so they were up at dawn and I managed to steer them in the direction of the park, having seen it covered in snow the year before and thinking that it might be worth a few shots.

We were the first people to arrive so there was not the slightest footprint in the snow and fortunately for me the kids were so engrossed in throwing snowballs at each other that they forgot to a) thrown any at me and b) deliberately try to spoil my shots.

Selected images available for licensing on Alamy

A print from this series can be purchased at photo4me. Other prints/prices available on request.

I’d always wanted a fish eye lens but somehow always talked myself out of what seemed an extravagantly non-essential purchase, even by photography standards. However after reading Keith Cooper’s review of the new 8-15L and his comments about the quality of the old 15mm fish eye I decided to pick one up. Unfortunately for me, by the time I’d convinced myself to part with the cash Canon had discontinued the 15mm – this turned out to be a good thing though as I picked one up (relatively) cheap on ebay.

I think I’m going to enjoy using this lens but I expect it’s going to take me some time to get used to it – you really have to work to make the most of the distortions, to make them a “feature” rather than shocking (or fix them using software).

As for quality – it’s not at all bad – sharp across the entire frame by f/8.0 with an acceptable (and easily fixable) amount of chromatic aberration.

The usual Derwent Edge walk, starting from Fairholmes, involves heading north on the east shore of Derwent Reservoir and then east across Little Howden Moor to Lost Lad but I really like taking the more direct route – east on the small footpath just before the dam and then picking up the track that leads past the Grouse Butts and on to Green Sitches. It’s a bit of a climb but I quite like getting the hard work out of the way early, and on a cold day it warms you up pretty quickly.

Personally I also find the landscape a bit more interesting this way :)

The popular Derwent/Fairholmes walk can be found on Trekking Britain – http://www.trekkingbritain.com/derwentedgefromfairholmes.htm – it’s well worth a day of your time.