A forecast of afternoon rain motivated Julie and I to get on the road and drive through the beautiful Lake district. The scenery is absolutely stunning. As the driver of our rented Vauxhall it was difficult to keep my eyes on the road as I crested the hills and was struck by the scenes unfolding. We were not treated to any sunshine but we were happy to have a break in the rain.
Photographing in this gray weather presents challenges but rewards us with a muted pallet of colors and shades that are very pleasing to the eye. This was a day to get out the tripod and try some serious landscape photos. My new software has a panorama “stitching feature” which I was able to try, and is demonstrated in the photos below.
a note on driving through the countryside-
English country roads are very narrow and require learning new rules of driving etiquette. Many roads are too narrow for two cars to pass side by side. If you see a car coming towards you, you look for a small “way-bye” to pull off and let the other driver pass. I place emphasis on “Small Way-Bye”. If your oncoming driver has done this for you, you pass them giving the obligatory wave of thanks. If neither driver pulls off you continue facing each other with a determined posture until one driver gives in and backs up to a way-bye. These confrontations do not usually generate the “thank you wave”. My New Jersey aggressive driving skills serve me well in these situations. Many of the cars we see have a feature that automatically retracts the side view mirror to assist in these passes. So far so good with the driving yet I am glad I purchased the extended full coverage option on the insurance.
This following picture is of a working ford where the road passes right through a small stream. We are treated to a vision of days gone by as this was the way you crossed a river for thousands of years. Think of all the names of towns that have ford in them i.e. Gilford, Bradford etc.
Thanks for following my blog. Hope you are having a nice DRY day. Oh yes, I can't forget the bird of the day...this lovely female Pheasant. Cheerio!
No comments:
Post a Comment