Lumsdale 1
Lumsdale, Derbyshire. October 2015.
The result of a pre-dawn start, no ND filters involved.
Lumsdale, Derbyshire. October 2015.
The result of a pre-dawn start, no ND filters involved.
Read less
The result of a pre-dawn start, no ND filters involved.
Read less
Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in Lumsdale, off along a narrow winding lane between the A615 (Alfreton - Matlock) and the A632 (Chesterfield - Matlock), to the east of the Derbyshire town of Matlock (UK). The 'Lumsdale Valley' as it is known (shown as 'Lumsdale Falls' on Google Maps) is, and I quote from the visitpeakdistrict.com website, 'A wooded gorge of outstanding natural beauty with stone ruins, waterwheels, ponds and waterfalls The Lumsdale Valley is a small wooded gorge of outstanding natural beauty tucked away high above Matlock. With its crumbling stone ruins, waterwheels, ponds and waterfalls, nature has melded with the industrial remains of the past to create an oasis of romantic decay. Lumsdale is also one of the best examples of a water-powered industrial archaeological site in Great Britain and it is unusual to see such extensive use of water power in such a relatively small area'.Time
I remember making a coffee in a thermal mug to take along with me. The drive took me about 30 minutes from my home at Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. When I arrived at Lumsdale my coffee was still red hot. It was autumn (fall) the exact date 24th October 2015. I arrived with my dog and my basic camera gear, just before dawn as at the time I did not have any ND filters so I needed to take the long exposure shots during the first light of day. I've since purchased some ND filters. The dog and I then took the 5 minute walk from where I'd parked the car to the location.Lighting
I was still learning about lighting at the time (still am in fact). Prior to this I had been mainly just a snapshot photographer and used many of my photos as images on my walking and heritage blog site. However I'd learned enough to know that without a ND filter I would not get the creamy effect of the water flow in the broad light of day. That's about the scope of my photography knowledge at the time, about a year ago (autumn/fall 2015).Equipment
This is where it gets interesting; the only camera with any form of manual or semi-manual control I had was an old 3 megapixel Olympus Camedia C-720 Ultra Zoom (using SmartMedia cards). A bit of a retro bridge camera (at least it was digital). I had a heavy aluminium tripod. The camera was not a SLR so I was using the built in lens, whether I used zoom or not I cannot remember but the exif info tells me a focal length of 6mm, and I did not use the flash. I used manual control and for this photo set an ISO of 100, aperture of f/5.6, and an exposure time of 5 seconds.Inspiration
I'd seen many photos of a similar nature, online, in books and magazines etc. I thought 'I wish I could take a photo like that'. After a little bit of basic studying I learned about long exposure shots, and figured the best way to learn is to go out there and try it. I'd always enjoyed walking in the Lumsdale Valley and decided it an ideal spot (near-ish to home) to try my luck with a few long exposure shots, also the valley had the best waterfalls I knew of nearby.Editing
The original photo was a landscape orientation. My camera was unable to shoot in raw so the only option I had was jpg. For post processing I use the free version of PhotoScape (although I enjoy my photography my financial situation forces me to use low cost options, hence the old camera and free photo processing software). First I cropped the image to a portrait orientation to try to focus the eye to the waterfall itself. Secondly I enhanced the contrast slightly, then used slider control to bring out a bit more of the greenery, then sharpened the image just slightly; that's it.In my camera bag
Back then I always carried my Olympus C-720, a few spare batteries , a few spare SmartMedia memory cards. I also would carry my compact 14 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix AV200. Both cameras take standard AA size batteries - this is the only area I don't try to cut costs and always carry a good stock of fully-charged good quality nimh batteries. I only had a small shoulder bag for my camera stuff at the time, so I carried my tripod loose in my hand. Nowadays I have a specialised camera backpack with adjustable compartments. Attached to it is my tripod (freeing up my hands), inside is my Fujifilm AV200, my 5 megapixel Kodak EasyShare Z740, and my 12 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix S1600 - I still do not own a DSLR camera. Also in there is an adapter tube for the Kodak camera, a variable ND filter, CPL filter, 3 x star filters - 4 pt, 6 pt, 8 pt - a square filter holder with 6 x ND filters (3 solid, 3 graduated) - all for the Kodak, a compact octopod type tripod, and of course spare memory cards and plenty of fully-charged AA size nimh batteries. If travelling light I carry either the Kodak Z740 or Fuji S1600, and always have the Fuji AV200. If I'm carrying the Kodak Z740 I'll also take along the adapter tube, variable ND filter, and CPL filter, and the compact octopod tripod, plus spare batteries, and memory cards.Feedback
The best advice I feel I can give is to take notice of everything when you're out and about. Open your eyes to every available opportunity to get a decent photo, then remember the location so you can go back armed with your camera gear. People in modern society tend for the most part to go about their day to day business without taking much notice of what is around them; the world is a beautiful place, we just need to open our eyes and be extra observant, then the possibilities are overwhelming. Of course many photographers know that to capture something like this we need dull light or a ND filter (or both), so get a ND filter for your camera at the very least. I knew hardly anything about the science of photography but have since learned something from a small amount of online study. Go and learn the basics, it costs nothing and will get you well on your way to improving your photography. When out and about make a point of visiting a river or stream, moving water is a great photo subject and even a trickle or small cascade can make a good photo if set about the right way. Of most importance I believe is the photographers knowledge of what is around them. Although I've spent a little money on updating some of my gear I still firmly believe to this day that the camera does not guarantee a good photo, and I'm in the process of trying to prove it. My gear is normal, nothing fancy or expensive, sometimes even retro (see above). A camera does not make a good photo, it's the photographer themselves that do. The best way to learn is to get out there and practice, as often as possible.
