trees | alan frost photography

At the end of the day

At the end of the day

There is something rather magical about the light at the end of the day. It is of course often referred to as the ‘Golden Hour’. It can be a lovely mix of warm tones in the sky, contrasting with the cool tones in the landscape.

Instinctively you almost know this photograph was taken at a time of year when Autumn merges into Winter. Most of the leaves have fallen to the ground. It has been a cold, clear day; with little or no wind and you begin to wonder what tomorrow has in store.

Just before the dark – take 2

This line of trees appeared in my last post ‘Just before the dark’ and I decided to return to the same place a couple of days ago as the late afternoon light and cloud formations suggested the possibility of a colourful sunset. As you can see from these three pictures I was not to be disappointed.

Sunsets are such a popular subject for photographs and it’s easy to understand why. In fact its something of a cliche, but the sheer variety of colours on display is nature at its best, so it’s very hard to resist getting out the camera and releasing the shutter a few times.

The most dramatic skies often appear just after the sun has dipped below the horizon. By this time there is less chance of a blown out area in the frame, as the sensor struggles to cope with the dynamic range of the scene. The light though was fading fast, so a monopod or tripod helps, but both are clumsy items to have with you on a dog walk, so these shots were all handheld. I left the aperture nearly wide open as I wasn’t too worried about depth of field as there was nothing in the foreground which needed to be sharp.

A photographic cliche perhaps, but beautiful all the same.

Do click on any image to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Just before the dark

Just before dark

I always welcome this time of year. Yes I know the clocks have gone back, so it’s dark well before you sit down for your evening meal. But the colder and shorter days bring great skies and once the leaves have fallen, the true splendour and skeletal shapes of a line of trees can be really be appreciated.

Do click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Barn roof – just when I thought I had finished.

Barn Roof

Earlier this week I made a point of going out to take some more images for my Churches Project. I was moderately pleased with my afternoon’s work, had packed away all my gear and was making my way back to the car. I had parked in front of an open barn and as I walked from the church towards my car I noticed the afternoon light glinting on the rear of the barn and in particular the long corrugated roof which nearly reached the ground. The rivets all pointed towards a small group of ivy clad trees with countryside beyond, all of which I rather liked.

I couldn’t resist reaching for my camera just one last time. Whether I have a camera with me or not, my eyes are constantly observing what is around me, looking for the light, interesting shapes and compositions. Even when on first impression the subject itself may not be that appealing, (in this case the corrugated roof of an old farm building), the direction of the light and other elements which make up the picture may be enough to warrant getting my camera out of it’s bag. So I took one last shot before heading home and I am glad I did.

Trees in the mist – an opportunity taken

It’s not very often that I am out and about with my camera when it’s misty. This may be because we don’t seem to experience these conditions very often. Alternatively it could just be that I am too lazy to get up early enough to take some shots, and before the rising sun has had a chance to mess things up!

A few days ago we had a lot of rain and after a cold, dry and still night I was hoping that we might get some mist the following morning. We did, and for once I was mentally prepared. My wife and I, together with our dog, went out for a walk and I had my camera. One camera, my Monochrom; just my 50mm Summilux prime lens to keep it simple, and these are the images I was able to make. I hope you like them.