Landscapes

A Sunset Serenade: Capturing Sharon Stacey at Winscar Reservoir

There’s an undeniable magic that happens when the universe conspires to bring together elements of raw nature, an artist’s passion, and the fleeting beauty of a setting sun. On the 19th of July, 2023, I had the pleasure of photographing the incredibly talented Sharon Stacey, as she serenaded the setting sun at Winscar Reservoir. Setting …

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Why do Photography? 9 Exploration and Adventure

Photography, at its essence, is an art of exploration. It’s a compass guiding us towards unseen landscapes, a passport granting us access to uncharted territories of beauty and wonder. Embarking on this photographic journey transforms us from passive observers to active adventurers, driven by the pursuit of captivating frames and moments. The Yorkshire Dales, with …

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Why do Photography? 5 Learning and Growth

Photography is an art form that evolves with time, as do the skills and perspectives of the person behind the camera. Far from being a static hobby, photography presents an unending journey of learning and growth, offering a rich tapestry of skills to master, styles to explore, and concepts to grasp. The initial plunge into …

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Why do Photography? 2 Stress Relief and Mindfulness through Photography

In today’s fast-paced world, finding peace and calm is important. With tons of information and stress bombarding us, we all crave a little oasis of serenity. And guess what? Photography, that thing we usually associate with capturing crazy moments and action, can actually help us achieve that tranquillity. For many, photography isn’t just a hobby …

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3 of The Wonderful Waterfalls of Wensleydale

Wensleydale, located in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is a picturesque valley filled with stunning landscapes and natural wonders. One of the most captivating features of this region is the numerous waterfalls that cascade down its rocky terrain. For photographers looking to capture the beauty and power of these waterfalls, Wensleydale provides …

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Top photography locations on the Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire Coast is a stunningly beautiful destination for photographers, with a rich history and a diverse range of landscapes to capture. Starting from Robinhoods Bay and travelling northwards towards Saltburn, there are plenty of opportunities to take some truly breathtaking shots. Robinhoods Bay Robinhoods Bay is a picturesque village with narrow winding streets and …

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Long Exposure Photography

Long exposure photography is a popular technique used by photographers to create stunning images that capture the beauty and essence of natural and urban landscapes – I love revisiting old places I’ve shot many times before to capture it through a different technique. The technique involves using strong neutral density (ND) filters to slow down …

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The Most Flexible Workshop EVER! – Littondale

Littondale… then the weather changed! I don’t have a crystal ball so you never quite know what the weather is going to be like in 6-months when you are scheduling workshops in the Dales.  This was to be a day in the beautiful littondale, a steep-sided Valley that branches off upper Wharfedale. The sides of …

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How to shoot and edit extra-long exposures with a 10-stop filter

  In advance of our Manchester workshop, where I was going to show the delegates how to shoot extra long exposures, using 10 stop (or even 15 stop) neutral density filters, I popped down to the beautiful world heritage site at Saltaire.    If you’ve not been, this is the site of a Victorian Mill, …

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How to get Maximum Sharpness with Focus Stacking

Sometimes you just cannot get everything in Focus in one shot… This happens a lot when you are photographing landscapes with a very close foreground, the background becomes blurry if you focus on the foreground, and vice versa. In this tutorial I show you two photos I took of the exact same scene, all the …

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Summer Night Photography Workshops – 2018 Review

Another series of Photography Workshops drew to an end in Manchester on the 26th September. It seems like ages since we started on our beginners evening in Leeds, which turned out to be the only evening where it rained! 2018 was amazingly dry and hot – it made the whole 10 workshops a joy.  So …

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How to make a soft, dreamy, black and white waterfall photograph in LIGHTROOM

Using LIGHTROOM to make a dreamy waterfall Here’s a shot from a recent workshop at Swaldale – it’s Crackpot Force, yes, that’s really a thing! The shot was underexposed, but I liked the shape – so gave it a go in Lightroom anyway. Things we explain:- black and white conversion basic controls like Highlights, Whites, Shadows  …

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A Stunning Yorkshire Dales Day – Ribblesdale and Malham

A 1-2-1 Workshop on a Perfect Yorkshire Dales Day You always book workshops in the Yorkshire Dales with a sense of trepidation, and prepare yourself to explain what each location looks like “when it’s not grey, raining and grim”. No such worries for this 1-2-1 session with Jonathan – perfect weather for afternoon landscapes. Perfect …

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LIGHTROOM tutorial – Landscape – Swaledale Waterfall

Is Swaledale the best Dale?  There are so many dales, all with different character, all with different features.  Swaledale is known for its steep sides, lead mines, waterfalls and 1000 barns – so lots to go at for the photographer We went up there yesterday – Richard Spurdens with his new Canon 5D mark 4 …

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Lightroom and Photoshop – Focus Stacking Tutorial

Front to back sharpness Here’s how it’s done! Even at F16 with a wide lens, you can struggle to get everything sharp in a photo. If you like getting a foreground object such as a boulder or stream in your shot – the background may get blurry – of the foreground may get blurry… it …

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Lightroom Tutorial – Landscape – Ribblehead Viaduct

Yorkshire Dales Lightroom Tutorial – Ribblehead Viaduct A sunset shot – without a great sunset So you’re driving up a long country road with no real signs of life apart from the odd farm or bird of prey, then all of a sudden this massive viaduct pops up! That’s Ribblesdale – it’s full of stuff to …

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Lightroom Tutorial – Landscape – Wilder Kaiser in Austria

Lightroom Landscape Tutorial – from Austria! The Wilder Kaiser, Tirol Here is a full editing Lightroom tutorial of an Austrian landscape – it’s the Wilder Kaiser range, which loom majestically over the farm we stop at on the McFade Austrian holiday which runs every October At the top of the ski slopes they have these little lakes …

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Editing a Landscape in LIGHTROOM – Zell am See, Austria

Lightroom Edit of Zell Am See – Austria Real-time Lightroom editing tutorial Here’s a 10 stop shot – taken with a very dark ND filter which makes the exposure 1000 times longer. This one has a 30-second exposure. The filter has a blue cast, so we show how to correct this – and work through …

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Ribblesdale – Yorkshire Dales Western Diamond

Ribblesdale – a fantastic photography destination Coming from Ribblesdale, I’m obviously biased – though I’m a good 20 miles downstream from most of these destinations The Ribble is 70 miles long, starting at Ribblehead and entering the Irish sea at Preston. It’s a stunning journey down the valley, past Settle, Clitheroe and Ribchester – though …

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Yorkshire’s Best Kept Secret – Knaresborough

Knaresborough Workshop Night Yorkshire is full of little market towns, each with their market square lined with pubs. Most would think of places like Thirsk, Bedale, Masham or Pickering – but there is one far closer to Leeds than all of those. Knaresborough is just outside Harrogate and has all of the above. The square …

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Summer Nights Workshop – 2016 Review

McFade Summer Nights Workshops 2016 A look back over 12 fantastic evenings – but first some background Where did the idea of Summer Nights Workshops come from? Ever since I took Photography seriously I’ve regularly gone out for smaller outings – usually with 1 or 2 friends. We’d find places to go, new things to try …

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Sky-Rocket Your Editing With LIGHTROOM GRAD Tool

Want great results FAST? Need to prep some preview images but don’t have time to go to town? With most landscape photos, you’ve got the sky and the foreground – and other great elements like foreground interest boulders, trees, water… So editing that lot individually can take a long time. How about splitting your shot into …

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See How Easily Focus Stacking You Gives Ultimate Sharpness In Your Landscape Photos

Focus Stacking in Landscape Photos If you like to get everything pin sharp in your landscapes, Focus Stacking is for you. If you shoot low with foregrounds which are very close to the lens, then it can be hard to get the background AND the foreground pin sharp. Focussing 1/3 of the way into a scene …

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