{"id":4029,"date":"2014-03-22T12:30:03","date_gmt":"2014-03-22T12:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4029"},"modified":"2023-10-31T11:06:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T11:06:40","slug":"4-die-hard-landscaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/4-die-hard-landscaper\/%20","title":{"rendered":"4 – Die Hard Landscaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleep Deprivation<\/h1>\n

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.<\/p>\n

They say a prayer before bed – “Please god, let the light be good this year” – then in a leap of faith, they gamble a night’s sleep for an unlikely lovely nuclear sunrise.<\/p>\n

There better had be a great sunset – the last 50 times they’ve been there it’s never been right… they are persistent, they never give up till they get THAT shot.<\/p>\n

Tenacity<\/h1>\n

\"reflection<\/a>\"_MG_7194\"<\/a> \"_MG_7210\"<\/a> \"pool<\/a> \"ovenden_01\"<\/a> \"_MG_9289\"<\/a> \"_MG_9376\"<\/a><\/p>\n

They have been to the every UK location 10 times before, so have set their own “high bar” to beat.<\/p>\n

They go in summer, they go in winter – they know the location intimately and know where they best vantage points are.<\/p>\n

They know the composition which works best.<\/p>\n

They just have to go back over and over again on the off chance that they light will be a little different…<\/p>\n

Meticulous planning…<\/h1>\n

At one with sunrise charts and tide times – meticulous planning goes into each of their trips.\u00a0The best die hards love walking up hills and mountains, getting to places others never see; it gives them a unique advantage.<\/p>\n

“A Wainwright’s” pictorial guides to the Lake District are commonly used – though most will have memorised these in advance.<\/p>\n

Good Light or Nowt<\/h1>\n

20 minutes after sunrise the camera goes away – “bad light… can’t do anything till sunset now”.<\/p>\n

In fact – if the sunset ir rubbish, they won’t trouble their camera – only pressing the shutter if the light is perfect.<\/p>\n

Big Stoppa Lovers<\/h1>\n

Progressives may get out their Big Stoppa filter in the daytime… entering a brave new world of daylight long exposures, with their whooshing clouds and infinitely soft water.<\/p>\n

Yes – the brave few will let full daylight hit their cameras, usually in the presence of a waterfall or burbelling stream in a gorge – where the light will be dappled by overhead trees<\/p>\n

Tree Lovers<\/h1>\n

And finally – they LOVE trees… trees are gods focal points.<\/p>\n

They’ll go back to the same tree over and over again. The high up hills you go, the smaller they get – but you can still use them, in fact, you MUST use them at an cost.<\/p>\n

If you have gone past the tree line, where no trees grow, you then have to find a suitable rock instead. These ideally need to have good light and shadows – warm amber colours on one side, and dark, rich shadows on the other.<\/p>\n

The dream scenario is a wonderful rock formation AND a tree – and this is where Malham comes in. A tiny Yorkshire Dales<\/a> village with a tree about 3 miles above – this tree has perfect rocks which not only get “good light” at sunset AND sunrise, but their long cracks actually point at the tree….<\/p>\n

Here is a little game to end on…<\/p>\n

In the comment box below – please name the location of the following trees… if you get more than 2, you are a Die Hard God!<\/p>\n

1<\/h1>\n

\"IMG_3757\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/h1>\n

\"_MG_7931\"<\/a>3<\/h1>\n

\"_MG_4061\"<\/a><\/p>\n

4\"_MG_2626\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

5\"_MG_2605\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

6\"the<\/a><\/h1>\n

7\"path\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

8\"IMG_5322\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

9\"eggborough_flood_01\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

10\"dovestone_03\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

11\"buttermere<\/a><\/h1>\n

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<\/h1>\n

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