A night under Pen Yr Olewyn

Man, they're good. No 3 is stunning.

Andy
 
WOW. How do you get such clean balanced shots like that when shooting into the sun? I would have to HDR it to get everything exposed nicely
 
One of them is oversize but I couldn't bring myself to break it to a link :)

Very nice set indeed.
 
Stunning set there. :clap: Last couple of Inversions in Eryri I have witnessed I have been climbing and not had my camera with me :bang:
 
These are amazing but we don't all have the luxury of living in distance of mountains :(.

Thanks :)...Yeah you are far away :( Although it's still a 100 mile drive before I am in them.

Super shots.

Tryfan looks great in number 1 and 4 - it's a great wee scramble.

Thanks :)

You have to love Tryfan. It's just so good for so many reasons.

6 has Tryfan in too....see if you can spot it ;)

Great scene. Number 6 is a corker, very dramatic. (y)

I really like the temperature difference in #3 but there's something missing in the shot for me. Can't put my finger on what though.

The rest are ok, but I could take them or leave them to be honest.

Thanks...No worries bout the rest it's all very subjective. I took a peep at you work and I can see we have very different tastes in photography.

Terrific stuff again Sie, I wish I could catch conditions like this, whenever I've been lately it's cloud all the way up to & beyond 3000ft !!!

Simon

Thanks mate :)

Yeah it's pure pot luck with T.I. In the seemingly countless of times I have been up these peaks I can count with one hand the amount of times I have had T.I

WOW. How do you get such clean balanced shots like that when shooting into the sun? I would have to HDR it to get everything exposed nicely

Thanks :)

Well up until recently I would have used hard grads but as you right pointed out it would have taken around 5-6 stops of difference to tame the sun. I have found using hi-tech grads that anything over 4 stops gives me pink colour casts so lately when in that range I put my grads away and blend 2 exposures together instead.

One of them is oversize but I couldn't bring myself to break it to a link :)

Very nice set indeed.

Haha sorry...appreciate that!

Thank you
 
Thanks again guys :D

I looked at the first one and thought 'fabulous', then the second and thought 'that's even better' .... and the superlatives just got better and better. Sometimes - like now - language doesn't do justice to photographs.

Thank you so much for sharing them with us. :)

Jean

Thanks Jeangenie those are very kind words and I really appreciate them Thank you :D
 
Wow, those are truly spectacular photos.

What kit were you using?
Did you know the spot you wanted before you went?
Where you expecting good weather?
Did you wild camp up there or did you walk up there for the shots?
Tent or tarp?

Sorry for all the photos but I love walking and if I could combine the two then I'd be a happy chappy!
 
Great pics, 3 & 6 do it for me too, the clouds are fantastic
 
Wow, those are truly spectacular photos.

What kit were you using?
Did you know the spot you wanted before you went?
Where you expecting good weather?
Did you wild camp up there or did you walk up there for the shots?
Tent or tarp?

Sorry for all the photos but I love walking and if I could combine the two then I'd be a happy chappy!

Thanks :)

The kit I took up with me was:
Canon 5D
Canon 24-105
Canon 17-40
Lightweight Basualt Gitzo tripod
Full set of hard and soft Hi-tech filters and a square polariser.

Yes I had planned the exact spot I wanted to be. I knew where the sun would be going down, the direction of light and how the scene would look from that location and the same for the morning in a different location on the mountain. The plan was always about the panos and the grand scenic.

I regularly keep my eye on several weather forecasts including the mountain forecast on Metoffice and metcheck. If they all agree the the odds are its gonna be good. Although broken weather tends to be the best for mountain photography it's always a risk and not great for wild camping. The T.I I had no idea would happen. I was just major lucky on that front.

Yes I wild camped up there. I use a super lightweight 2 man terranova tent. I pitch up where I am as protected from the wind as possible then walk to my chosen locations as the light gets good.

Superb! Wish it had been like that the last time I was up there, alas it was 3am and 20 below with horizontal ice hitting me at 70 mph, I didn't fancy getting the camera out at the time...

Thanks :)

Yeah I have been there too in deep snow on the Ennerdale Horseshoe in the lakes. Really high winds reduced the temperature to dangerous levels. I had all my gear on with only small parts of my face exposed and even then it felt like someone was shoving little needles into my face.
 
Words cant do them justice. I'm a huge fan of your stuff, i'm sure i'm not the only one!

Infact its your fault I have kitted myself out with some wild camping gear! I'm gonna stay local to home in the peak district for my first few camps but I have every intention of getting myself over the Snowdonia in the new year. I cant wait!!!
 
fantastic!! thank you for sharing

Thank you :)

Words cant do them justice. I'm a huge fan of your stuff, i'm sure i'm not the only one!

Infact its your fault I have kitted myself out with some wild camping gear! I'm gonna stay local to home in the peak district for my first few camps but I have every intention of getting myself over the Snowdonia in the new year. I cant wait!!!

Thanks very much :D

You won't regret it my freind. Good idea to do it in a steady progression and get your self use to carry all the extra weight. It will give you a good idea of what is required when tackling the bigger stuff. It took me a while to find the right balance of weight for the camera equipment vs camping comfort that I was happy with. Although I still "if and but" wether I should take a longer telephoto or a gas burner and kettle e.t.c.

As the temperature drops I will probably only get a couple (maximum) more wild camps this year. Something to be aware of is the temperature drop at higher altitudes at night can be suprising. Try and pitch your tent out of the wind and as make it protected from the elements as possible. It's not only for the cold but even a mild wind can keep you up all night.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
It took me a while to find the right balance of weight for the camera equipment vs camping comfort that I was happy with. Although I still "if and but" wether I should take a longer telephoto or a gas burner and kettle e.t.c.

I regretted not taking my camera kit with me on a recent wild camp to the Brecons, particularly as I found the waterfalls that the Brecons Meet seem to focus on. My issue is I like to try and do it fairly light weight so balancing the weight of the camera kit is an issue

The other thing is that I like to wake up to the view and see it as I go to sleep so I like to use a bivvy bag and tarp, finding a good spot to pitch without too much wind is more difficult high up, a tent is a safer option (as a body weighs it down) but seeing the view is half the fun for me. I'd be in a bit of a quandry choosing which lenses to take, how much does your camera kit weigh?
 
Thank you :)

As the temperature drops I will probably only get a couple (maximum) more wild camps this year. Something to be aware of is the temperature drop at higher altitudes at night can be suprising. Try and pitch your tent out of the wind and as make it protected from the elements as possible. It's not only for the cold but even a mild wind can keep you up all night.

Good luck and enjoy!

Weather dependant I should be in the peak district somewhere up kinder scout/bleaklow next weekend. What kind of temperatures should I expect to encounter up in Snowdonia? I have a down sleeping bag with a comfort rating down to -7'c I think but extreme temp down to -17'c. I'm quite a hot sleeper anyway.

Did you camp near Ffynnon Lloer for those pics? I was planning a stay over near Y Foel Goch as there seems to be a healthy little supply of water over that way but not sure if it would be a little too chilly that high up!

Do you know of any decent weather forecast site that can give a reasonable temperature forecast for higher elevations?
 
I regretted not taking my camera kit with me on a recent wild camp to the Brecons, particularly as I found the waterfalls that the Brecons Meet seem to focus on. My issue is I like to try and do it fairly light weight so balancing the weight of the camera kit is an issue

The other thing is that I like to wake up to the view and see it as I go to sleep so I like to use a bivvy bag and tarp, finding a good spot to pitch without too much wind is more difficult high up, a tent is a safer option (as a body weighs it down) but seeing the view is half the fun for me. I'd be in a bit of a quandry choosing which lenses to take, how much does your camera kit weigh?

Yea I can relate to wanting to watch the view as I drift off but in a 2 man tent it's a little awkward. The trade off from wind protection is worth it for me. I could go for a 1 man bivi tent solution but I feel so much comfortable having my rucksack and all my camera gear in with me that I would rather the extra weight.

After doing all the shooting I can do as the sun sets I settle down near my tent with a wee dram of my favorite spirit mix while I watch the last of light on the mountains. There is little I can compare to those moments.

I have weighed in all my usual camera gear and it adds up to 5.25 kg. If I do choose to nclude a telephoto you can add 700g to that.

Weather dependant I should be in the peak district somewhere up kinder scout/bleaklow next weekend. What kind of temperatures should I expect to encounter up in Snowdonia? I have a down sleeping bag with a comfort rating down to -7'c I think but extreme temp down to -17'c. I'm quite a hot sleeper anyway.

Did you camp near Ffynnon Lloer for those pics? I was planning a stay over near Y Foel Goch as there seems to be a healthy little supply of water over that way but not sure if it would be a little too chilly that high up!

Do you know of any decent weather forecast site that can give a reasonable temperature forecast for higher elevations?
I would use www.metcheck.com give you an idea of temperature then take into account the general rule that you lose 1 degree C per 100 metres ascent. The real contributer is the wind. Wind chill factor makes a huge difference. Check out the wind speed on metcheck as well. In high wind it can be very cold indeed compared to a sheltered area. You can plan to shoot anywhere but just make sure your tent is sheltered.
 
Thanks :)

You have to love Tryfan. It's just so good for so many reasons.

6 has Tryfan in too....see if you can spot it.......



Yes I spot it in lots of them now. Great scramble - done bristly ridge a few times which is fun.

Used to live in Warrington but I'm up in Scotland now so whilst I have my mountains I seldom see North Wales these days.
 
Great series - hard to pick a winner.
 
Amazing images. 6 is the best for me.
 
Outstanding set, number 3 really blows me away, what a shot. :clap:
 
A stunning set of images, all of them are beautiful. Do you use any filters to get such clear and vibrant colours, or is it just a case of knowing how to take amazing landscape shots?
 
Once again I thank you all for you comments. I really apprectiate them! :D

What is the total weight of your backpack with camera gear etc all inc?

This believe it or not was really difficult to calculate because there are so many different items that I carry. The best estimate for the pack it's self is about 18kg. This is actually a lot light than it used to be as I recently replaced some of the camping gear with superlightweight equivilants (at great expense I might add)

But this doesn't take into account the weight of my coat in which I carry all my lighting gear, gps and mobile phone and other bits and bobs. Of coarse I am carrying that as well. It all adds up.

A stunning set of images, all of them are beautiful. Do you use any filters to get such clear and vibrant colours, or is it just a case of knowing how to take amazing landscape shots?

Thanks :)

I use a full set of Hi-tech graduated neutral density filters and a circular polariser. These all help for nicely balanced exposures but the real contributer to great colour is great light and this is usually during the first and last few hours of the day.
 
Stunning scenery and some excellent captures there(y)
 
Back
Top