Having received a Canon EOS5D Mk2 as a combined Christmas/birthday present from my wife, I went up Mam Tor in the snow to try and get used to how it worked (well, that was my excuse anyway). I still took most images using my 600D, as this has been my everyday camera for the last few years. I'm not heavily into equipment, so this transition to full frame has been a long time in the offing. One major advantage of the 5D is the size and clarity of its viewfinder compared to that of the smaller camera. With my gradually worsening eyesight, this is going to be a major plus point, as well as the other expected improvements one might expect from a pro camera.
Tags: Mam Tor Derbyshire High Peak District snow ice fence monochrome blackandwhite sinuous shape form pattern hill
© All Rights Reserved
The conditions look fairly extreme in this image of the route to the summit of Mam Tor, but in fact it was actually quite pleasant. There was only the mildest of breezes and the temperature hovered around the freezing mark. This made it much more pleasant compared with my visit on 28th December 2017, when there was a gale force wind and the whole hill was covered in sheet ice. This image shows some photographers near the top of the hill, making the most of the snowy conditions.
Tags: Mam Tor Derbyshire High Peak District snow ice fog lifting mist freezing zero summit hill winter Canon dslr 600 Julian Barker
© All Rights Reserved
I tried to be bold with this one. I ramped up the contrast to create brighter highlights and deeper darker areas. I find this acceptable with mono because mono is not a true representation of what we see with the naked eye anyway, so that old chestnut of the so-called 'artistic licence' is all part of the process. The colour version was okay, but I found that the bottom right grasses were commanding too much attention due to their golden colours and my main subjects were the S bend in the road and the three walkers.
Tags: Mam Tor S bend road three walkers bold contrast shape sinuous meandering bendy bends snow fence Derbyshire Edale Peak District National Park rural transport route link inclement weather winter walking England UK Europe Julian Barker Canon dslr 600
© All Rights Reserved
It's not often that I make people the subject of an image, but this one is a rare exception. I had already made my way down Mam Tor when the snow really started to fall heavily. I couldn't resist taking a shot of the sledgers against a backdrop of heavy snowfall. This was one of those occasions where I was glad that I was using a lens hood to keep the falling flakes from fouling the front element.
Tags: Mam Tor Derbyshire Peak District England UK Europe snow snowing snowfall snowstorm white people humans hills weather winter Canon dslr Julian Barker 600
© All Rights Reserved
Almost every landscape photographer in the Midlands area will be familiar with this view. It was actually great to just stand there and soak it all in after the noise and madness of a week at work. All I could hear was the distant 'gronk' of a raven as it made it's way across the valley and the occasional chatter of walkers as they made their way to and from the summit. I am always fascinated by the way that freshly fallen snow suppresses noise and creates an air of calmness.
Tags: Mam Tor Edale Peak District National Park Derbyshire England UK Europe hill valley snow fog mist road snaking countryside rural Julian Barker Canon dslr 600
© All Rights Reserved