Favourite Photos

This weeks blog comes from the South Lakes Upland Footpath team and comprises some of our favourite photographs from 2014.

Our biggest upland footpath project of the year was on the path from Red Tarn to Crinkle Crags and seems a good starting point for pictures.....

Atmospheric bag filling for the Red Tarn to Crinkle Crags Upland path project
(Rock from screes near Gaitscale Gill)

Bag filling up close
(Ian & Luke hard at work)

A pleasant journey home after a good day of bag filling
(On a "crisp" March day)

Our daily commute past Red Tarn for this project was very nice too

Constructing a temporary shed for shelter and storage

Shed construction finished
(Complete with a Crinkle Crags backdrop)

A wet day working on the project
(Although we did have mostly good days during our 2014 upland season)

Our other main project was on Striding Edge. We get to work in beautiful locations but it is fair to say that working on this iconic Helvellyn route was particularly special. It has become a favourite location and we are looking forward to working there again in 2015.....

An atmospheric Striding Edge as we walked along it
(in April for the Helicopter lifts)

'High Spying How' on Striding Edge poking through the  cloud
(Viewed from Helvellyn headwall in September)

Moving rock for the project by helicopter

During some of the helicopter lifts walkers had to wait until a break in flying
(We were very grateful for people's patience & understanding)

Work in progress on Striding Edge
How many Upland Rangers can you spot?

In the winter we come down from the fells and spend most of our time working in (equally beautiful) lower level countryside.

View along Coniston Water
(One we get to enjoy every day)

A very nice lunchtime view from Harrowslack, on the West Shore of Windermere
(Whilst we were building a stone slipway in December)

Bonus Picture: an old favourite from January 2013
(A Wintery Coniston Old Man & Wetherlam viewed from Tarn Hows)

SEASON'S GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FOR 2015
FROM ALL THE SOUTH LAKES COUNTRYSIDE STAFF

For more pictures or to know more about the daily work of the South Lakes Upland Ranger team why not follow us on Twitter @NTLakesFells.

In the frame!

The Langdale Valley looking over Mickleden.
The Pike 'o' Stickle is on the right. See point 2,3 and
4 below with regards to lighting, and composition

I consider myself to be quite fortunate at times with the amount of travelling I do when patrolling the South lakes. I get to see some of the most iconic views of this beautiful landscape from the gentle rolling fells on the western shore of Windermere and Claife, to the carved out valley of the Langdales where the pike 'o' stickle’s dome like obilisque can be seen rising out of the ground.

The other day I was stopped by a gentleman at Blea Tarn, after the initial startle of being approached from behind in one of the quietest spots in our portfolio he went on to ask me how to get to hard knot pass and Wasdale. I gave him his directions and inquired what his journey entailed? ‘photography’ he replied.

As you can imagine, the Lake District is a photography location for professionals and amateurs alike. However this gentleman went on to tell me stories of his past, and how he was hired by popular magazines and newspapers to ‘camp out’ in the wild and get some iconic and moody photos for publication -- A dream job for many. In contrast however, his career went in a different way and now some 20 years or so later he is looking to reinvigorate his interest in landscape photography.

The stunning Tarn Hows, #NTtarnhows I used this
strip of bedrock to add foreground interest
to my photo. See point 4 below.

I too have a photography background, and like him I was studio trained using 35mm and medium format cameras. Back then, if you was planning a shoot of any kind your kitbag would have comprised of more than one camera, several lens’s and as much film you could carry (you only had 32 go’s at taking a picture back then kids).

Times have moved on, and now good quality digital cameras are affordable and in many cases come complete with your mobile phone. So what I would like to do is give you some basic observations on taking a memorable picture. I’ve included some of my own photos I have taken whilst on my journey, I don't by any means claim that they are perfect, but they should highlight some of the points I've outlined here. I have also provided links which go into more detail of what I describe here …. And yes, I am very lucky to live and work here.

Get off the track - Look at where you are, don’t take your photograph from the standard point of view on a footpath. If it’s safe, and OK to do so, move closer to your intended target, or maybe get higher, or lower to the ground for some depth.

Lighting - You’ll always get a better lit photograph when the sun is behind you, for more dramatic photography head out early, for what is called the ‘golden hour’, this is the first hour after sunrise, or before sunset. Maybe stay at one of our campsites, to make sure you can get up and out for the sunrise.

Composition - Remember the rule of thirds, in simple terms look at breaking your photograph into 3’s this gives you a much more balanced photo, and is more pleasing to the eye. Click here to learn more about this subject.

Break the rules - Landscape photos don’t need to be taken in a landscape format. Try breaking the rules a little, taking a photo of the fells in portrait gives you a sense of drama and scale. In the square, it gives you a much tighter shot. Most importantly, think about having foreground interest, such as a rock formation, or a dry stone wall maybe?

And finally, don’t rush! - I see so many people taking photos out of car windows, (The origin of this blog) or running from their car to a fence and back again. To truly say you’ve been there you need to absorb what’s around you, and really feel the connection. Sometimes, I like to keep some moments to myself and not take a picture at all.

I use an Iphone to take my photos, and I make use of the filters that are available. These vary from adding a vignette, increasing the saturation or the brightness and the contrast.

Story of a Shed

Perhaps you have unexpectedly seen a shed somewhere in the Lake District fells?
This blog, from the South Lakes Upland Ranger team, explains why you might see one and outlines the story so far of one such shed.

As an Upland Ranger team we spend much of the year up in the fells working on footpaths to protect them from erosion as part of Fix the Fells. This can mean working on the same path for several months in all weathers and some shelter and storage space comes in very handy.
A shed has become the shelter of choice for this upland footpath team.

This year we have had a shed on the Red Tarn to Crinkle Crags footpath, a joint project with the West Lakes Upland Ranger team. It is fair to say that this shed has been around the block a bit having been previously used in a few locations. It started out life lower down on this path and before returning has been to other locations including Pike o' Blisco and Crinkle Crags.

(Fred the) Shed in an earlier location: on Pike o' Blisco

The sheds we use are (usually) moved between sites by helicopter.  The shed is flat packed and flown to location at the same time as rock for the year's projects is moved.
This year it didn't go smoothly and due to weather conditions and priorities we didn't actually get a shed in place during the main helicopter lifts. However a few months into the project a helicopter was in the area for another job and we jumped at the chance to finally get it moved.

"The Shed has Landed"
(Not a bad backdrop too !)

Once the shed was in place the next job was to re-assemble it. There were some concerns that this shed had seen better days and may be partly rotten having spent three years on Crinkle Crags since its last use. We also had some fun trying to find suitable bolts and screws to fix it together and selecting the correct size nuts for the bolts!

Construction in progress.
Weather holding up nicely.

Finishing touches, tethering the shed down.
Weather has taken a turn for the worse.

We needn't have worried about the condition of the shed and it went together nicely.
The weather was also kind to us and held out for almost all of the construction process.

"Bijou": First lunch inside

The shed was built in time for a three day party on this project with the Fix the Fells volunteer lengthsmen.  It proved worthwhile too as we had some poor weather, consistent with our previous work parties. Some volunteers however seemed reluctant to use it as it would have been difficult to fit everyone in and instead sheltered in front of it.

Some volunteers were too polite to use the shed at lunch time

"Supervisor" Hamish was less reluctant to use the shed

We have almost finished work for this year on the the Red Tarn to Crinkle Crags path and very soon it will be time to take the shed down and flat pack it. We have more work on this project next year and plan to construct it again next spring.
Perhaps this shed will makes its home in a new location in 2016 or will it be time to retire it from active service..... ?

If you would like to know more about the daily work of the South Lakes Upland Ranger team they can be found on Twitter @NTLakesFells.

Posted by: Nick, Upland Ranger