Norfolk Photo Trip

Just on way home from a couple of days in Norfolk with friends.
Today we walked from Cley to Wells. Photographs of Cley windmill, Blakeney and Wells-next-the-sea.
Blue skies and clouds so good light.
Bit of a long day though, don't expect to be home before midnight.
May be a few weeks before they make it onto the web site.
Dave Butcher

New Munro's page on web site

For almost 12 years to June 1996 my wife Jan and I walked the Munro's in Scotland (mountains over 3000 feet). There are 284 of them, hence the length of time involved. I have just created a new web page called Munro's with quite a bit of detail on this extended walking and climbing project. It took a lot of planning to group them into reasonable walking days without leaving too many single peaks scattered across the Highlands.

http://www.davebutcher.co.uk/triplog/munros

There will also soon be a complete list of the Munro's in the order in which we walked them, including walk times and other details.

I took lots of photographs during this time, some of which are on my web site. You can find them by visiting the Landscapes Gallery - Refine Keywords - Munro, this will show all of them so far available. Alternatively, just click the link here:

http://www.davebutcher.co.uk/gallery/landscapes?key=Munro

I have hundreds and thousands more so if you don't see the Munro you are interested in please contact me, there is a good chance I will have something in my picture library. For information, I also have lots of photographs of other mountains in Scotland that are not Munro's (we still visit Scotland regularly), again ask if you don't see what you are looking for.

The photographs displayed here are, from the top, Sgurr Fhuaran (5 Sisters of Kintail), Buachaille Etive Mor (Glen Coe/Glen Etive) and Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir (Black Cuillins on Skye).

Dave Butcher

Buxton Gallery in the Gardens

Another day in the Gallery in Pavilion Gardens. Nice morning to walk the 6 miles to get here. Weather has just taken a turn for the worse with heavy rain now. Hope it blows through before my return!
Would have been good for photos earlier, nice clouds, and maybe again later as storm clears.
Dave Butcher.

New Edinburgh Black and White Photographs

The new Edinburgh black and white photographs that I took over 2 days in early August are now with the company that looks after my web site. All 32 images should be loaded and live for viewing in a day or two. In the meantime here is a taster with 3 of them. Hope you like them.

Dave Butcher

Article on Using Digital Cameras for Landscapes

I have just written a fourth article for my web site and sent it off to the company who run my web site. They are usually pretty quick at loading new files and images so shouldn't be long before it is available. All of the articles can also be downloaded as pdf files, the layout of these is better for printed documents.

They are mainly written for clients who have been on my courses and cover the main points introduced at these. However, they could be of use to others who want to improve their photography.

That makes a total of 4 articles:

• Using digital cameras for black and white landscape photography. This describes the functions and settings found on digital cameras and which ones to use for landscapes. Adjusting exposure using camera functions is described in some detail. It also provides a basic explanation of some of the terms commonly used in photography, such as aperture, stops, exposure compensation and bracketing, etc.
• Hill and mountain photography. Including composition, exposure, lighting, depth of field, infra-red, backpacking and mountaineering.
• Equipment for hill and mountain photography. This covers selection of cameras and lenses, tripods, cases, filters, batteries, clothing, rucsacs, trip planning.
• Hints and tips on darkroom printing techniques. This includes safelights, processing, enlargers, test strips, split-grade printing, pre-flash, printed borders.

Click on the link in the title of this blog post or the hot link here, www.davebutcher.co.uk/equipment, to go to the page for the articles. Hope you find them of use.

I am just starting to recover from a chest infection that has knocked me sideways for several days. Coughing through the night is not something I would recommend! Lots to do so can't stop.

Dave Butcher

Buxton Gallery in the Gardens Today

I'm in the Gallery in the Gardens in Buxton Pavilion Gardens until 5pm today. If you are able to drop by for a chat and see my small exhibition of fine art photographs. Dave Butcher

More Snowy Trees!

Just finished scanning and tweaking 14 new images from Utah. Mainly snowy trees.

They should be on the web site soon.

Dave Butcher

New Snowy Trees and Landscapes

Just completed some snowy tree landscape images for the web site (should be available for viewing from Tuesday).

Taken mainly around Boulder in Colorado they also include the Flatiron mountains (just on the edge of the city) under quite different conditions.

Finally finished processing the films from recent trips. These included the last few from Edinburgh as well as Northumberland castles and the Yorkshire Dales near Bolton Abbey. Will try and scan Edinburgh shots later this week.
Dave Butcher

Colorado Ski Resort Photographs

I have just scanned and tweaked 27 images taken at 4 ski resorts in America in January this year.

The weather was mixed so there are both sunny and misty shots. Lots of views including mountains like the Gore range, snowy trees and skiers.

The ski areas, all in Colorado, include Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone.

They should be on the web site on Tuesday. They will be under Skiing, Landscapes and Recent. Hope you can wait that long!
Dave Butcher

New Techical Advice on Web Site

I have written some new pages for my web site in the Technical Notes section. The first is on darkroom technique. If you have been on one of my darkroom printing workshops this will provide a few reminders to help you in your own darkroom. The notes are also written so that they can be of use by anyone trying to improve their darkroom skills.

I have also written pages on hill and mountain photography. This covers a lot of the advice covered on my landscape photography courses. It's always difficult to remember everything covered so I hope this is helpful. The advice is both for film and digital camera users and covers lots of the basics of exposure and composition.

As if that wasn't enough I have also added a page on equipment advice. This may help you in selecting a suitable camera, lenses and other equipment.

Hope you find these new pages of use. In the future I will add a page on using digital cameras that will cover the basic camera settings to use, and master if you can. Unfortunately, digital cameras have lots of features that are not needed for landscape photography and just confuse when first trying to get to grips with your new digital camera. They also have a lot of features that make life easy for you once learned so don't despair.
Dave Butcher

Processing Films

Spent part of the day processing my Ilford FP4 films from recent trips. Started off with the films from the Black and White Photography magazine photo course that I ran for the winners of my competition (taken in mid-July), then Lumsdale Falls near Matlock from the end of July. Finished off with coastal shots around Cramond and the start of the Edinburgh films (taken early August). 15 down only 33 to go!
Dave Butcher

Article in Black & White Photography Magazine

If you want to see some of my photos from my recent trip to Ireland and read a bit of the background to the trip then you need to read my article in the current issue (September 2009) of Black & White Photography magazine. It is 4 pages long, with 7 photographs, and describes the trip from the planning stage to returning to the UK after completing the whistle stop tour. It includes shots of Dublin at night, Carrauntoohil (Irelands highest mountain) and the Dingle Peninsula. Hope you enjoy reading it.
Dave Butcher

Pub time in Embsay

Having a nice day in the Yorkshire Dales. Blue sky and white fluffy clouds, great for photos - a dark yellow filter day to darken the sky and put some punch into the shots. More shots of the Strid gorge then on to Bolton Priory for shots including Fred Trueman's grave. I had no idea he was there until I tripped over it!

Caught the steam train from Bolton Abbey to Embsay (good pint of Pinnacle Porter on the train) and then walked to Elm Tree pub to meet lots of friends for lunch.

Building up to walk over hill to Appletreewick. Nice day to be on high fells.
Dave Butcher

Yorkshire Dales Photo Trip

Just in Yorkshire Dales for weekend near small village of Appletreewick. Today walked down Wharfedale past small gorge called the Strid. Good photo spot and lots of water rushing through the narrows.

Also took some shots from Simon Seat (top of local moors) to 3 Peaks in distance.

Off to the pub now for food and a few beers.

Took my first black and white photo on my Blackberry from door of b&b. Doesn't look great but may be a way to illustrate this blog since have to wait weeks for results of trip on film for processing.
Dave Butcher

Small prints now available online

At shows you have been able to buy small prints (30 x 24cm) for several years. These are now available online too. It will take another few days to complete the change.

The prints are all originals and are made using Resin Coated (RC) silver darkroom printing. They are not archival like my Fibre Based (FB) photographs but the known life is a very substantial 50 years.

The process is much faster and the smaller size means materials costs are less so I am able to offer the lower price.

I hope this gives more of you the chance to own my photographs or to give them as gifts.
Dave Butcher

Pennine Way and Northumberland Castles

Just on way home from Edinburgh via Northumberland coast.

Started off in Kirk Yetholm late morning. This is the end of the Pennine Way and I hadn't been here since finishing the walk in 1974. Took some photos before having a beer at the Border Hotel, the official end.

Then round to Wooler and a little road that took us to the foot of the Cheviot. Walked about 3 miles up the valley for photos then turned back for car.

Over to Bamburgh for afternoon shots of the castle with hay bales and sand dunes for company.

Then on to Alnwick and photographs of the castle from the footpath on the other side (north) of the river.circumnavigated the castle but the only photos were from river. Time marching on, past 5pm here.

Started to cloud over as I finished at Alnwick.but carried on to Warkworth Castle to end the day. Couldn't get photos around entrance, it was a campsite with delivery vans unloading for medieval day tomorrow. Light not that good now but found a few angles to keep me amused.

Now in the car on A1 near York and it will be late when we reach home. Then have to find time to process the 28 rolls of film and scan some negatives.

Dave Butcher

New Black and White photos of Les Arcs

I forgot to mention that I added some new shots taken from the Les Arcs ski area.
There are views of Mont Blanc, Grande Sassiere and Mont Pourri. Cloud inversion on all except Mont Pourri shot make for some dramatic views and a bit different from the usual images you may see.

Hope you like them.
Dave Butcher

Edinburgh Photo Trip

Nearing the end of our second full day in Edinburgh.Lots of sunshine and fluffy clouds.

Sunny spells and windy yesterday. Very wet when we arrived Friday so no pictures until yesterday. Started in coastal village of Cramond for views and boats then on to Victoria Street to meet friends (Bow Bar) and watched Mardi Gras jazz parade before heading off down Royal Mile to Holyrood Park and photos from the top of the crags over the city and Arthurs Seat (local hill). Then over to Calton Hill and Calton Cemetery before retiring to pub (Guild Ford, Cafe Royal and pub on Rose Street). Night shots of castle from the gardens below to finish the day.

Today we started back on Calton Hill as some of the shots work better in the morning. Then the castle from the gardens, this time in daylight. Then back to car and out to coast at Portobella and a few beach shots. Then in to Stockbridge for lunch with friends before walking along Wa(er of Leith to Dean village for some nice river shots and a weir.

Just writing this before joining friends for dinner in the local Indian.

Tomorrow if weather good we will go to Northumberland coast to see what pictures present themselves.before heading home.

So far looks like a good trip with 21 rolls exposed including some good ones. Watch this space for results.
Dave Butcher