After what seems like months and months, I finally found the enthusiasm to get out for a spring sunrise, I can’t remember the last time I made it to a sunrise, perhaps 3 months ago.
My plan was to locate a good Bluebell location to try and get some quality photos from this seasons Bluebell spectacle, last year was a bit of a damp squid with the Bluebells due to the extremely dry conditions we had in the Lake District.
The alarm woke me at the god unearthly hour of 4 am as I planned to visit the South Lake District to visit a wood which I know normally produces a good crop of Bluebells which was a hour’s drive to get too.
Has I drove past Grasmere and Rydal water, the conditions looks perfect for the forthcoming sunrise, swirling mists and a clear sky promised some ideal photography conditions, tempted to change my plans and pull up here to go and set up for the impending conditions, very tempted, but I decided to stick with plan “a” and go for the bluebells.
I then drove along the north shore of Windermere and the conditions were beautiful, what do I do, stop, or continue, continue was the call.
As I neared the woods that I was to visit, the river that runs alongside the road at this point had a gorgeous layer of mist above it, this time I did decide to change my mind, and headed for what I hoped would be similar conditions along the banks of the River Brathay further up the valley.
I arrived and parked the car, donned a coat, and set off along the path that would eventually get me to the flowing River Brathay, as I entered the meadows you could not see 20 feet in front of you, dense mist was everywhere, it was a true “pea-souper”
I was then second guessing, would the mist be too thick and linger for some time after the sun had risen, would I be able to get any photos from this location, should I sack this off and head for the Bluebells as originally planned, all these thoughts were racing through my head.
I trudged along the path looking to try and pick out any compositions, not having much luck with this, I decided to take stock of the situation, to wait until after sunrise to see how the conditions developed.
About 20 minutes after sunrise, the mist began to thin ever-so-much, but I would have to wait for around another 40 minutes for the rising sun to creep above the hills to the East to add some warmth to the area.
All this time I was the sole photographer about, but another 4 or 5 arrived at this time, they must have been aware of the timescales for the sun to make an impact of the scene. Whilst we waited, we had a general chat about the conditions, where we had been and where we planned to go next, then the business of photography began.
The sun was now beginning to peep over the hills and the golden clow of the sun’s rays began to illuminate the mist and add a little warmth to the area which thinned the mist in some areas.
The mist helped isolate trees from the background clutter which created new compositions, the sun was then illuminating some of this mist which added warmth and atmosphere to the images, a busy 20 minutes was had, picking out images from the constantly changing light and mist which became a ever changing canvas for me to photograph.
About 80 minutes after sunrise the mist began to disperse and the light was becoming quite harsh, at this time I captured a couple of photos across the lake with a lovely reflection on it, this was to be my last photos from this location due to the harsh light and disappearing mists, this was my time to revert to my original plan to get to the woods to view the Bluebells.
As I drove along the road, all the self-doubt began to surface in my head, would the light be too harsh now, had I missed the best conditions, would the flowers have bloomed, etc, etc.
Only one way to find out I told myself, lets get into the woods and see. As I passed through the gate, my worries about the flowers were forgotten as large areas of bluebells were visible on the lower slopes of the woods.
As I gained elevation more and more of the blue coloured carpet became visible, although the sun was well above the height that I would have liked, the newly grown leaf canopy of the trees created a soft light which would help me photograph the Bluebells.
I soon fell into the situation I have encountered many times before when photographing Bluebells, that is, picking out a composition that is pleasing to the eye and one which creates interest for the viewer. This just takes patience and time, so I initially concentrated on the wider vistas which would include elements of trees, flowers, and something to draw your eye into the photo.
As I climbed up the path, I took a photo here and there as I went, then what I saw made my draw drop, a sizable healthy tree had been broken in two from a height of about 6 meters or so above the ground, what could have caused this destruction, wind, lightening, I didn’t know but by god, did this subject create a original and unique item of interest for a photo or two.
I plodded around this scene for some time, conscious not to tread on Bluebells as I walked, hopefully I would have a couple of decent images once I could view them on the big screen when I got back home.
I reached the top of the woods then needed to re-trace my steps back to the bottom as I did so I began looking at more detailed images of the Bluebell flowers, as I took some of these images I notices that may of the flowers looked at though they were drooping, was this due to the dry spell we have had in the Lakes for the last couple of weeks, or does it mean the Bluebell flowers are coming to the end of their season at this location?
A couple of hours after I arrived, I found myself back at the car, unloading the gear and heading for a nice warm cup of coffee to set me up for the hour-long journey home, I must admit I had thoroughly enjoyed being out with the camera at this time of day, hopefully it will help re-ignite my enthusiasm for more photography adventures in the coming weeks and months.
Until next time, thank you for your support, take care.
