Nature - Landscapes, Seascapes etc

Scenes of natural beauty, currently all from the South Devon area which could keep me going for a lifetime. Note that the sunset's and sunrises have now moved to their own dedicated page here.

Mist in the Dart Valley

This picture was taken mid evening after the Sun had set and a thick mist had formed in the low lying valleys around the river.

In the foreground you can just make out one of the camp sites in Galmpton, then behind the feilds of South Hams roll all the way to Dartmoor; notice the unique double-peak outline of Haytor to the right on the distant horizon.

It's not a great picture, too much sky if anything, but it captured the moment as any good picture should.

Tranquil Scenes on the River Dart

I'm not short on picturesque locations where I live but the weather and lighting has to be just right as well. Looking from this side of the river, Torbay side, I'm usually shooting towards the Sun but these shots are both looking 90 degrees to the left of the Sunset direction and with softened sunlight through some cloud. Direct sunlight isn't always a good thing for photography.

 

The picture on the left is looking in the Dartmouth direction from 'Buttercup Field' near Galmpton Creek. The other picture is looking out from the Stoke Gabriel dam.

Spring has sprung!

The sun is shining and what more excuse do I need to be outdoors with the camera. This shot was nothing serious at all; I'd just popped down to Steve's for a coffee and sat in the garden for a while. All the spring flowers are out and summer feels like it is well on its way now.

This is a Narcissi flower; I remember being taught that at school a long time ago. They are part of the Daffodil family and look very similar except the white petals. I found a bit of info on the Wikipedia page.

The shot was 1/1250th of a second at F5.6 with the standard Nikon 18-55mm lens at 55mm, manual focus. I wasn't doing any serious photography so didn't use a tripod, in the bright sunlight you can always shoot at very high shutter speeds anyway. I'm sure this could be have been better but it always can! Click the image to see the full resolution version; straight from the camera except a slight brightening of the levels in Photoshop.

Taken on the 13th of March 2007

Woodland Waterfall

This picturesque waterfall is just beside Burrator reservoir on Dartmoor. We were up there for a small camping festival called Farmfest not far from Princetown.

These three shots were taken with long exposures to get motion blur on the water but using the tripod means the foreground objects such as the trees are absolutely still. It was the first time I had done this so am quite happy with the results despite the sunshine disappearing just as the lens cap came off.

Galmpton Creek - River Dart

Only the second day out with my new DSLR (December 2005), having just upgraded from a cheap pocket digital camera.

One of my favourite and most photogenic places that I visit is Galmpton Creek, it is a private boatyard but parts of it are open to the public. This picture really shows the peace and tranquility of the moment, still waters creating an almost perfect reflection. Walking in either direction from the creek brings many more photo opportunities.

Taken 10th December 2005 - 1/1600th sec shutter speed - ISO not recorded - F5.6 - Focal Length of 55mm