It feels like ages since I’ve been to the Lakes, so with good weather forecast and some spare time I headed north.
Skiddaw
Skiddaw mountain stands at 3054 feet and provides great view across Keswick. I’ve walked up it many times with the hope of flying my drone from the top, but even without a breath of wind at the bottom, I normally had trouble standing up in the force 10 gale which always seems to lie in wait for me at the top!
Thankfully on this occasion I was in luck. It wasn’t just my drone I wanted to fly, I also wanted to take some telephoto shots of the surrounding fells, especially as I now have a 1.4x convertor for my 80-400mm lens. This means I have a reach of 560mm and opens up more possibilities than on previous visits. The two portrait images below were taken from just beneath Little Man, which is a fell next to Skiddaw. The panoramic image above is a stitched drone shot taken about half way up Little Man and features Latrigg Fell – the prominent fell on the left.
Ashness Bridge
Ashness Bridge is probably the most recognisable and photographed bridge in the Lake District. I’ve tried photographing it before from the ground, but never with much luck. It’s often in shade and I can never quite achieve a composition I’m happy with, although I did try again, see below. With this in mind I was keen to see if there was a better angle from higher up – out came the drone. After a bit of flying around it was soon obvious the road made an excellent lead-in line and the extra height was great for bringing Derwentwater into view. The car adds interest and gives the tiny bridge scale.
Brockle Beck
The images below (and one above) were taken from Brockle Beck, a fell to the east of Derwentwater. I think I’ve only been up there once before in bad weather and the view put me off going back in a hurry. I should have realised it was just the conditions and in the right light there are definitely some good photos to take up there. The landscape image showing Derwentwater and Borrowdale was really only a grab shot, but when I viewed it on the computer it really grew on me. It’s the colour and quality of light that I like.
Looking right from that image you can see down on to the Great Wood. Now although the sun was quite high by this point I loved the way it was catching the trees on the steep hillside. Like high up on Skiddaw, this is another great spot for some telephoto images.
Herdwick sheep
A native of the Lake District, I can’t resist snapping one if I can. It did cross my mind as I skulked around it, occasionally dropping to the ground to find the right angle I must have looked a bit like a geriatric sheepdog.
Keswick drone video – spring 2020
The below video was shot around all the places mentioned above. Like the stills, I just love the light and colour.
Whilst there, due to the coronavirus, the restrictions on movement increased and I had to cut the trip short. As much as I love photography, I don’t think it counts as essential travel.
I hope everyone stays well and we’re all talking about this outbreak in the past tense before we know it!
