Landscape Photography: Winter Landscapes, The River Calder, Dewsbury. 21st December 2010

Landscapes are my favourite subject but unfortunately these days, I don't get the opportunity to devote the necessary time to photographing them properly. The following images were all taken hand-held with my trusty 10-20mm super-wide lens within 15 minutes because the temperature was -8C and I couldn't feel my finger-tips by the time I'd finished. I can't ever remember it feeling so damned cold! It's been like this for weeks and today is only the first day of winter!!!!!!!!
What I particulaly like about these shots is the fact that if you went there in summer, you'd probably see a sea of litter. Very colourful, I'll admit but not ideal for your classic landscapes. That's the magic of snow. It covers all the rubbish and makes everything look beautiful.
I was tempted to convert these images to black & white but I love the pastel colours so I decided to leave them alone.
Just to remind you, this really is the River Calder, just behind the local waste recycling centre in Dewsbury.
To have a closer look, click on the image.



Event Photography | Clayton Dickensian Market | 4th December 2010

The Dickensian Market has been my adopted home village of Clayton's big annual event for a number of years and this year was the biggest one yet with nearly 100 stalls selling all sorts of interesting stuff, from toys and games to cakes and snacks along with a mini fun-fair to keep the kids entertained! Church, sports and social organisations based in the village also held fund-raising stalls and local business took the opportunity to join in the fun.
Despite the recent bad weather, it was decided that the market would go ahead, no matter what. Roads and pavements were cleared and everything went ahead as planned, in fact business was brisk all day.
Entertainment was provided by the excellent local street band, The Peace Artistes, who's lively carnival-style music definitely took the edge off the freezing temperatures. There was also a pipe band, who led the parade of the Snow Queen, and several brass bands, including a French Horn quartet.
I've been asked to help out with next years event, which I'm really excited about, and to help update the website and produce some promotional material, so watch this space!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE