Shooting the Milky Way – If at first you don’t succeed… Pack up your bags and go back another night! That’s what happened with our legendary Brimham Rocks workshop this year – the first run was a wash-out no sign of a star, never mind the milky way. Horizontal rain, cold, and no shelter anywhere […]
The Amazing Milky Way at Brimham Rocks Read More »
September 2015 In september we :- Ran our first night workshop in Leeds Did some headshots for a CEO Helped Xpand Marketing with their new location and rebrand photography Ran a workshop in Ribblesdale, ending at Ribblehead Viaduct at sunset Photographed Salford Quays at night Shoot down at Yorkshire Sculpture Park Create product photos for
2015 Photography Review 9 – September Read More »
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
See How Easily Focus Stacking You Gives Ultimate Sharpness In Your Landscape Photos Read More »
Ever travel long distances as a passenger? I do – as a member of a touring band, we sometimes cover hundreds of miles – and a few weeks ago, that involved going from Leeds to Inverness… and back! Naturally I took the camera – for photos of the lovely Scottish city, but also to capture
Travel Photography – Literally! Read More »
How to Create That Vintage Look in LIGHTROOM In this short tutorial video, we look at editing a beach shot at Alnwick, Northumberland. It was a bright day with strong clouds, so lots of mid tones and some crisp shadows to play with. There are many ways to process such a shot, in this session we’ll
Creating Vintage Photos Made Easy in LIGHTROOM Read More »
Snow Photography at Settle and Malham It’s not been the snowiest of winters, but on a trip out with Richard Spurdens, we were treated to some great Snow Photography opportunities. Add to that fast moving clouds and ever changing light, you get infinite variety of snow photography without having to move far at all. The
Snow Photography in the Yorkshire Dales Read More »
England’s Biggest Waterfall is High Force – Teesdale! It may only be 70 feet tall, minute compared to the giants in Yosemite or South America, but High Force, high up in Teesdale, is very impressive in flood – as it was on this day! With it being winter, you can see the falls from the
England’s Biggest Waterfall Read More »
Last Ditch Pitstop! The Dales Experience workshop was somewhat spoiled by ice – the 3 roads to get to our favourite spots were impassible! So rather than panic, we grabbed loads of great shots elsewhere and on the way back to base, I remembered these trees on the side of the road near Airton I
Lightroom Landscape Workflow – 3 Minute Mono! Read More »
Landscape Video… If you’re into landscapes, here are some cool tips in a short video – well medium, it’s 8 minutes long. Photographer Antony Spencer teamed up with Phase One last year to share inspirational tips on how to shoot better landscape images. But these aren’t necessarily any ordinary tips that you’ve heard before.
10 Inspiring Tips for Better Landscape Photos Read More »
NIK EFEX Define – the best Noise Reduction Software Available? There are a lot out there, Lightroom and Photoshop have filters to do this for you, so why use NIK EFEX version? One reason I use NIK EFEX it is the extra control you have in choosing “noise”. On the screen shot above, you’ll see a
GOOGLE NIK EFEX Guide – 2 DEFINE Noise Reduction Read More »
Saddleworth Moor to Scammonden Bridge May seems to be throwing up some amazing sunsets Missing quite a few of them, I decided it was time to hit the road an get a few shots from the moors between Huddersfield and Oldham – loads of variety and drama there. So here are a selection from the
13 Yorkshire Sunset Shots Read More »
End to end screen recording, with strange northern narration, of a dull day photo in Stainforth, North Yorkshire.
LIGHTROOM – Creating a Black and White Landscape Read More »
Sleep Deprivation Up well before the lark, usually 2 hours before the sun rises, so they can drive an hour and walk 40 minutes to be in “that” position for the sunrise they’ve planned for the last 4 years. They say a prayer before bed – “Please god, let the light be good this year”
4 – Die Hard Landscaper Read More »
The Grande Finale! We started a series of Night Workshops back in November 2013 – 15 workshops taking people from Nidderdale in the north to Huddersfield in the west, Parks and moors, city centres and saw dozens of photos edited for the attendees. The final night was thankfully a dry one, one with hazy moon
Fire on the Moors! Read More »
Read about our trip east to enjoy The Humber Bridge Bridlington Flamborough North Landing Flamborough Head Lighthouse http://www.mcfade.co.uk/training/flamborough-head-review/ Here are a few of our photos from the day… more if you follow the above link
Flamborough Head Workshop Read More »
2013 is no more… I needed some new shots so on Thursday 2nd of Jan, 2014 I hit the road over to Ferrybridge to see if the sun was hitting the steam clouds over the cooling towers. It was to an extent, my usual spot by the canal gave some reasonable long exposure shots
5 Shots of Ferrybridge Read More »
December’s night workshop was at Brimham Rocks so I decided to head up there early to get some shots of the valley… little did I realise the clouds would be inverted, with the valley full of mist and the sky clear… here are some shots from one of the best days of 2013.
Amazed in Nidderdale… Read More »
Visiting Yorkshire? The coast is well worth a visit for anyone, especially photographers. Here are 5 places to call into with your camera. All these photos were taken on one day – Sunday 1st December 2013 – during a McFade Photography workshop, proving you can get a huge variety of subject in 20 miles of
5 Yorkshire Coast Photography Locations Read More »
The lakes in Austria tend to be green – a bluey, greeny Jade kine of colour. But on an overcast day, they weren’t really shouting “colour” at us – so I decided to create a series of black and white images from our morning walk around the lake on the German border. The passers by
Austria Workshop – The Lake at Kufstein Read More »
Snow Blind? I’ve used the term “snow blind” a lot recently – it’s refers to that moment when you’ve been shooting the same thing over and over again, to try to get that “perfect” shot – usually for an art director or designer who’s looking on. You’ve tried all sorts, move the lights, changed the
Photographic Therapy Read More »
Wind farms are, by definition, positioned in windy, desolate places. This makes for truly atmospheric shots – given the right lighting conditions. The best time is sunset or sunrise, because the sun light comes in low and lights 1/2 of the turbine, leaving the other half in shadow. It gives a 3D feel to them.
Wind Farm Workshop with McFade Training Read More »
Coming from Ribblesdale, this is one I’d been looking forward to leading. The Ribble is around 70 miles long – we were at the source, I’m from about 35 miles downstream… so it wasn’t really “my hood” – but I’ve been around Horton, Settle and Ribblehead many times so knew a few gems to show
5 Photos from Ribblesdale – the McFade Workshop Read More »
Where in the Yorkshire Dales is Deepdale? Deepdale is long valley in The Yorkshire Dales which borders Whernside and drops into Dentdale, in the western Yorkshire Dales. Why’ve I not heard of it? It’s dominated by the near by Dentdale, Deepdale is an offshoot which leads steeply into Kingsdale. Deepdale could easily be confused for
Yorkshire Dales Photography – 17 from Deepdale Read More »
Where in the Yorkshire Dales is Ribblesdale? It’s one of the major ones, with a west watershed, that starts at Ribblehead then goes via Settle into East Lancashire – ending up at Preston where it enters the Irish Sea. Most people think of Ribblesdale as a limestone heavy location, with the 3 Peaks all around
22 Yorkshire Dales Photos – Ribblesdale Read More »
Where in the Yorkshire Dales is Kingsdale? It’s that long valley which goes up the west side of Whernside, in the Yorkshire Dales. Why’ve I not heard of it? You’ve probably not heard of it, it’s not one of the main dales – it’s probably counted as part of the Ribblesdale region. What’s it like?
15 Photos of Kingsdale Read More »
Grim Day… Day 1 of the summer series of workshops and we get a winter night…. in may…. It wasn’t raining too much when we got to the reservoir, so I showed a couple of new people how to expose using a meter. Here’s the shot I got – 4 seconds, histogram told me that
Lightroom Rescue in under 10 minutes… Read More »
5 Dales – Perfect Yorkshire Photo Locations I’d been in Northumberland for a few days and had nothing major planned for the last day, so journey back to Leeds became a 10 hour epic, taking in 5 great Yorkshire Photo Locations, rather than 2 hours down the A1(M). I’m obsessed with Yorkshire Dales pass roads, the
Yorkshire Photo Locations – 5 Great Dales Read More »
Bah T’at Most people go Bah T’at on Ilkley Moor, subject of this Yorkshire Photo Locations post, these days – except the climbers in their helmets. The Cow and Calf is an outcrop of rock on Ilkley Moor, the Cow being a large rock, the calf being an boulder which stands a few feet away from
Yorkshire Photo Locations – Cow and Calf Read More »
Wensleydale’s Easy Access Waterfall Looking for an easy to shoot Yorkshire Photo Location? You can park and look at this waterfall from the car… it’s that easy to see! A real gem of a waterfall, like another great Yorkshire Photo Location, High Force, it cascades over a large fault in the rock. It creates this
Yorkshire Photo Locations – West Burton Force Read More »
The Best of the Lot? Well A.Wainwright of Lakeland fame thought Swaldale to be the best, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s a narrow, steep sided valley with over 1000 barns, the lovely Ure flowing in the valley bottom and many amazing vista points if you get off the main road and venture higher. The
Yorkshire Dales Photo Locations – Swaledale Read More »
McFade Training hits Wensleydale Our 2013 Landscape trips have been a cold affair so far – wensleydale was no exception with show and ice in just about every shot. Meeting near Skipton then traversing Wharfdale via Kilnsey Cragg and the waterfalls near Cray, we started at West Burton Force. Its setting is as beautiful as
Discover Wensleydale Read More »
Famous for it’s monumental prison and a gyratory, Armley isn’t the first Leeds suburb you’d go shooting alone in – let alone on an incredibly dull February day. I took to the canal first first, to see how the graffiti artists are doing – these walls change regularly. Then down to the river Aire and over the
HDR Photography in Leeds… Armley Read More »
The cold doesn’t stop us. We wrapped up warm and forged our way to Malham in the Yorkshire Dales and created great images anyway. Our group of 5 intrepid explorers on the McFade Training “Discover Malham” workshop visited the full range of highlights the area has on offer – Scalebar Force, Highland Cattle, Janet’s Foss,
Discovering Malham Read More »
A thick Hoar Frost looks amazing. It only happens now and then, so you really need to make the most of it when it happens. One of the downfalls of this frost is that the sky can be very dull on such days, so your usual landscapes can lack impact. So how to add
How To Shoot Ice & Snow – With Flash Read More »
Yorkshire photography – Wet, cold, miserable, overcast…. Today was all of the above, so time to head to a stream and make the most of the low light conditions. Luckily the river was abnormally high so lots of white water and unusual flow patterns. Ideal for creating a milky, surreal effect. We’ll be taking
Malham Sneak Preview…. Read More »
The Lake District is famous for walking and it’s stunning views over hill and lakes, perfect for the active person. However, it’s possible to get great shots without and enjoy a relaxing, sedate day out – all of these shots were taken within 1/4 mile of the road. 1 – Haweswater The eastern side of the
5 Amazing Lake District Locations Read More »
Yorkshire’s never short of water, it rarely stops raining for long, so Yorkshire’s Waterfalls are a great subject for anyone into photography. Waterfalls are abound so we thought we’d show you a few of our favourites from across the region. 1 – Scalebar Force, Settle This is the prettiest of the lot in many ways,
5 Great Yorkshire Waterfalls Read More »
Cropping a shot is a great exercise – you can find completely new images within an existing frame. Here’s a shot with lots going on, probably too much to be an effective shot on its own. We have a few rocks in the foreground and lots of lines and circles from the moving foamy water. It
5 Tips on Cropping Photos Read More »
Yorkshire Landscape Photography – A Perfect Place To Practice Your Art! Yorkshire is a paradise for landscape photographers. It’s accessible, stunning, and full of variety, offering endless opportunities to capture the natural beauty of the North. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just starting out, Yorkshire landscape photography is a rewarding subject to explore. Why
Return to the Land – Yorkshire Landscape Photography Read More »
Austrian Landscape Photography Holiday McFade Photography’s “Austrian Photography Holiday & Workshop” took 5 photographers over to the stunning Tirol area of Austria in the middle of October 2012, an area of outstanding mountains, lakes and gorges. A long weekend, from Thursday to Monday, with 3 full photography days in stunning locations, fantastic food and accommodation with Keith and Manu
Austrian Landscape Photography Workshop – Day 1 at The Gorge Read More »
[singlepic id=675 float=] Just a few shots from the first Night Photography session. [nggallery id=32] We used Leeds as a base to learn the theory behind taking long exposures at night – how things like Aperture have more unusual effects than you’d think at night! We’ll be meeting to discuss each others images in a
Night Photography Programme Starts Read More »
Large Format Prints Transform Runcorn Office “We’ve got an office in Runcorn for you to shoot… and can you get some shots of the area and create some large format prints to put up in the main entrance area too….” [singlepic id=632 float=] Gauntlet firmly thrown down, over to Runcorn on a (rare) sunny day
Gauntlet Challenge…. Make Runcorn Look Great!!!! Read More »
Just been asked to do a piece for Ephotozine, on Landscape Photography. Thought it worth sharing on here with you all. It’s just 3 questions, with my ramblings on each. How did you get into landscape photography? I’m from the countryside originally, rural Lancashire by Pendle Hill, so was always at home there. When affordable
Landscape Interview…. Read More »
On Ilkley Moor Bah Tat A bright mid-morning trip up to the Cow and Calf is a lovely way to start a bank holiday Monday. Light breeze, nice patterned clouds and nice shadows were what we were greeted with. The ND Grad Problem Thing is, using ND Grad filters to keep detail in the sky would blacken
Ilkley Moor – Photographed in HDR Read More »
[singlepic id=259 w=700 h=700 float=center] Gordale Scar…. Can you do it justice? Going around “that corner” for the first time and seeing inside Gordale Scar is breathtaking. It’s as near as we get to Yosemite Valley in Yorkshire! The pleasant, flat walk along side the burbling stream doesn’t really prepare you for cavernous geological marvel that awaits
Yorkshire Landscape Photographers…. is Gordale Scar Impossible to Capture? Read More »
So many landscapes have these amazing sunsets, nuclear red skies with amazing orange hues…. Do you think they “really” looked like that when the photographer was there? Here’s a demo of how easy they are to fake in Lightroom 4…. Original Look Tone and Saturation changes Tidy up dust and lift the dark areas Lens
Fake that sunset in Lightroom 4 Read More »
You can’t always win 🙁 Some days were just not made for landscape photography, unfortunately my recent Northumberland trip had 3 consecutive days…. Not one to be defeated, I did clamber onto some rocks and get a few wave shots, but as you can see here there was little help from the ambient light. Also, I’d found
Lightroom 4 to the rescue! Read More »
Back to Cumbria – The Amazing Lake District Landscape I’ve not done that much “landscape” photography for a few years, concentrating more on developing styles with flash, architecture and cars. However, with it being Autumn, I decided to invest a few days in the wonderful Lake district and recapture my love of the place. It’s certainly the
McFade Returns to Cumbria Read More »
McFade Photography‘s friends down at Audi Bradford liked the A5 shots we took in August so much, they let us loose in a brand new, £60K A7! It’s one hell of a car to be fair – feels like you’re in a cockpit with all the controls around you… even the boot opens automatically! Again
Photographing Audi A7 in Bradford Read More »
