Mam Tor & the Great Ridge
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II - 70mm - 1/500 - f/16 - ISO 640
I have just finished editing a few select photos from an impromptu trip to Mam Tor, Peak District, and what a set they are!
It started the night before. I decided that I would like to go somewhere the next day for a sunrise shoot, nothing too far away, so that I could get some shots and get home to make breakfast for the family. Late breakfast. Brunch? So, a little bit of research, using my new books, of course, to get some inspiration, I settled on the Peaks, then had to decide where. Amongst this search, I started looking into the weather on Clear Outside, and noticed that we had fog forecast for early morning, and relatively no wind overnight. Was this the perfect storm for a temperature inversion?!
I continued my search into the Peaks with this in mind, and settled on the Edale/Hope valleys, with a couple of options, but Mam Tor was top of the list. For last-minute planning (it was pretty late already), I felt I already knew this area, and the car park is around a 10-minute hike from the summit, giving me a high time: reward ratio, and handy for a quick escape. So with fingers crossed, I packed my bag ready for the early start.
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II - 200mm - 1/13 - f/13 - ISO 100
The drive the next morning was so good, no one around, and when getting closer to the location, seeing the pockets of fog in the valleys was an encouraging sight, and my confidence grew that the weather was playing ball with the plan. I arrived in darkness, blue hour just creeping in, and the car park was busy with other hikers and photographers with the same idea, to watch the sun rise from the top. A short hike later, and I am just past the summit (lots of people), making my way down the path, taking some photos as I go, trying to find a good spot for sunrise. I didn’t research the exact spot I wanted, so I was winging it a little as I went, trying not to get into other photographers’ scenes.
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II - 200mm - 1/80 - f/16 - ISO 640
I found a position just as the sun was rising, and was rewarded with exactly what I had hoped for, a temperature (or cloud) inversion, where the tops of the hills poke above the fog that had gathered in the valleys surrounding them. I took my version of THE gate shot (someone put a massive sign right in the way! I am not sure I got the best of this location, but there will be other times to try I am sure), and spent the next hour or so wandering around and getting some tight shots as well as some wider ones, and a nice panoramic to seal the deal.
FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS - 35mm - 1/40 - f/16 - ISO 100
It was such a rewarding shoot, with most of my shots trying to capture how moody it felt, the soft contrast of shadows in the fog, buildings, trees, shrubbery (the Knights who say Ni, anyone…?), just catching glimpses as the fog rolled and shifted. The shot of the house in the middle of the fog was a fleeting second; as soon as I had taken it, it disappeared again. The likelihood of a good sunrise was pretty high for that morning, but the conditions we had were stunning, and I am glad the gamble paid off.
I could have spent another few hours up there, but I had a duty to deliver brunch to the troops back at home, and had already stayed past my allotted time. Grabbing a coffee and some sweet treats from the coffee van at the car park, enough brownies and carrot cake for the peace offering, I set off back home, knowing I had some gold on my memory card.
Whilst there is definitely room for improvement, I am happy with what I have, and look forward to the next inversion, wherever it may be.
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II - 70mm - 1/600 - f/16 - ISO 100
