SNOWDROPS AND MOONBEAMS

(EVENTUALLY)

SCIENTIFIC FACT: The pull of a warm duvet on a freezing morning is stronger than the tractor-beam on an alien vessel in an episode of Star Trek.

I’ve spoken before about the challenge of Winter landscape photography, mainly from an aesthetic viewpoint. A general lack of colour in the landscape coupled with dull light isn’t always inspirational. Even during cold snaps like the recent one here in the UK it’s difficult to find original compositions, unless extreme cold gives us hoar frosts and icicles ! So the temptation to hit the snooze button is never greater. It pays though to be reactive to changing weather conditions and also take opportunities to document the changing seasons. I recently did just that, thinking I was getting ahead of the game for once. You’d think I’d know better by now…….

I plan my photography shoots thoroughly and things generally work out despite the odd curved ball thrown by the weather. On this particular day every app (including the Met Office) was forecasting dense fog in two of my favourite woodland locations, so I chose the one which was most photogenic but was unfortunately also the furthest away. An early start in perfect conditions reassured me that I’d made a sound choice and I looked forward to the 50 mile drive. My journey took me close to the alternative location where the fog seemed to be getting more dense (a good thing ! ). After crossing the border into England, I felt my luck was holding but the climb out of the Wye Valley became my downfall. As I reached the outskirts of the Forest of Dean it became clear ( in every sense!) that I’d made the wrong choice but I carried on to my destination just to be sure. It’s not often you hear a landscape photographer moan about clear skies but this one definitely did on this occasion. Instead of feeling sorry for myself (ok then, just a wee bit….) I had a coffee and headed back to the second location that I’d passed 30 miles earlier. Now, regular readers of my BLOG will know what happened next but for new folks, let’s just say it was an absolute washout !! The hour I’d lost getting to and from the first location meant the fog had been burned off by the Winter sun. I reflected later at home that a 100 mile round trip had been both a waste of time and a very expensive waste of fuel. Oh how I laughed……..

Still, all was not lost. Every cloud and all that, although in this case, it was the absence of clouds that were the silver lining. I’d planned to squeeze an astrophotography session in later that week as there was an opportunity to capture Orion inside the Winter Hexagon in South-facing night skies. I knew the perfect location and I’d got perfect weather conditions so decided to go that same night. Some food and a Nanny nap would be just the thing to put me in the right frame of mind for the session ahead. After the Milky Way, Orion is one of my favourite night sky subjects and capturing it keeps me interested in astrophotography during the Winter. It won’t be long before it leaves our skies until late Autumn so this may have been my last opportunity before Spring. A frost had formed on the car when I set out at ten o’clock that night but Venus and Jupiter were already putting on a show as I left home. Keep everything crossed for the next couple of hours!

Less than an hour later I crossed the escarpment overlooking my destination in thick cloud. It just wasn’t going to be my day, even though it was nearly the next day ! 150 miles, four and half hours driving, and not an image captured…….. I really do question my sanity at times like this.

The only thing left to do is go home, get some sleep and, most importantly, keep perspective. Because not every day/night is like this. The next session might turn out to pretty special…..

Two days later I’m out at 06:00 on my annual pilgrimage to a woodland that alway seems to produce the first crop of Snowdrops, harbingers of Spring. There’s just a slight frost when I arrive which will add some character to my images but it will melt when the Sun comes up so I’d best get a move on (a significant challenge at my age !) as I’ve got a 20 minute walk and need to get set up well before sunrise. I haven’t scouted the location since last year so there’s an element of doubt in my mind as to whether the Forestry Commission in their wisdom have ripped up this section of forest or perhaps it has fallen victim to the ever-increasing scourge of fly tippers. There’s a burnt out Volkwagon Golf still smouldering half a mile from the car park. Welcome to Beautiful Britain in 2023 folks! My hearts sinks. It’s only another half mile to where I’m headed but I needn’t have worried. As I turn off the footpath and round a corner my head torch picks out a little island of beautiful snowdrops, heads bobbing with dew. A smile spreads across my face and I give silent thanks. There’s 10 minutes until sunrise as I take my first test shot and after a few minor adjustments I’m ready to capture these beauties in all their glory ! I spend an hour making sure I’ve done the location justice, never seeing a soul, although a Springer Spaniel popped his head around the corner, decided I didn’t look like I wanted to play, and went off in search of his owner. (There’s an important point to note here. If you find a middle-aged man kneeling as if at prayer or even flat on their belly in the middle of the forest, don’t always assume you’re about to enter a crime scene or have stumbled on a medical emergency. A simple “Good Morning” should be enough to establish that the fool in front of you is A) alive and B) well, although in my case further investigation may be required!! ) I’m really pleased with my images. A simple, uncomplicated shoot where everything comes together feels like a reward after earlier failures.

Buoyed by the morning’s success I decide to make the most of the cold, clear weather and arrange a night session to capture the Winter night sky. Back to Wye Valley that evening and the wind has picked up a fair bit making an already cold night even colder. I’m at Tintern Abbey to capture the setting Moon with Jupter in conjunction and straight out of the car there are compositions everywhere. It’s a fantastic location that I’ve wanted to photograph at night for some time. The Abbey is lit up in red, possibly for the Six Nations Rugby, and although I’d have preferred more subdued lighting it doesn’t really detract from the scene. Once the Moon sets, the dark skies in this area show off the constellations really clearly and there’s Orion sitting in the South just above the Abbey ruins. It doesn’t take me long to set up a new compostion and I’m ready for the rest of the night’s images, a fantastic couple of hours capturing this breath-taking scene. By 02:00 I’ve got everything I need but I’m reluctant to leave despite being cold and hungry because there aren’t many nights like these where you get all of your images and can then spend time picking out different constellations and nebulae. Jupiter is long set but Mars still gives off it’s orange glow and Plaiedes is really bright in the Western sky. Even my old eyes have no problem finding billions of stars in these conditions. Tired but happy I drive home reflecting on the different outcomes of the past few days. I guess the failures make the successes feel even better and I’m certainly grateful for the latter. Can’t wait to see the images on the computer !

But first, there’s a warm duvet that’s got my name on it when I get home ……….

SNOWDROP SUNRISE

TINTERN MOON