A Frosty Morning on Scamblesby Hill
As part of my job as a Call Connect Bus Driver, I pick up and drop off passengers to remote villages. One of the villages in my area is Scamblesby. To put some perspective to this picture, I live in a part of Lincolnshire called The Wolds, which is quite hilly. It's a popular location for cycling enthuiasts & Ramblers/Walkers. This photo was taken from the Bluestone Heath Road at the top of Scamblesby Hill, just before I drove my bus down there. It's usually an adventure around the Wolds during the winter.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f4 ~ 1/10 sec ~ ISO 200 ~ 40mm
Louth Clock Tower
Louth is a medium sized market town in the heart of The Lincolnshire Wolds. Like all towns and villages, Louth has changed significantly over many years. Many villages have lost their corner shops or post offices, Louth has lost many iconic establishments. I am pleased to say that the Old Market Hall is still in use - by Yorkshire Trading. The rear of the builing looks like an old railway station, and is still in-keeping with the town's architucture. The front adorns this amazing Clock Tower. This is a Listed Building, so it should be standing for many more years yet. I could have used the original colour of the legacy Red Bricks in this photo, but I feel the use of Monochrome gives the building more Grandeur, Impact, and defines the historic value of such a structure.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f3.9 ~ 1/20 sec ~ ISO 400 ~ 42mm
Aysgarth Church
Saint Andrews Church, in the village of Aysgarth is quite stunning against the backdrop of the rolling Yorkshire Dales. This Medievil church is a Grade II listed building, with a re-build being completed in 1536. Although I am not particularly a Church-going person, I really like church architecture - The Gothic style arches around the windows and doors, the Gargoyle details in the Eaves and the small Finial pieces on the sides of some spires. And, apparently, St. Andrews church has the largest churchyard in England. While I study and admire all these features, I can picture the original craftsmen chipping away at blocks of stone to create these perfectly crafted pieces of art. Even the stone-masons practicing their skills today, have my respect. The church was about 100 metres away, but I still managed to frame it well with the trees at 44mm.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f9 ~ 1/500 sec ~ ISO 400 ~ 44mm
Bolton Castle
Strictly speaking, this is not The Castle, but on a short walk just past the castle itself, there are some stunning views. Bolton Castle is near Leyburn, which is in the Wenslaydale region of Yorkshire, a place of rolling hills & structures made of local stone. After taking lots of pictures of the castle (& the Wild Boars, which they breed as part of the heritage aspect of the area), I noticed this abandoned house on the horizon. The contrast of the stone building against the pale backdrop of the sky, combined with the plain, scrub foreground & the lone tree - It was just begging to be framed in Monochrome. There are several of these houses dotted around the area, presumably old farm buildings.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f9 ~ 1/640 sec ~ ISO 800 ~ 60mm
Frosty Cobwebs
This is a recent photo, taken during the last frosts of 2022. This is the type of picture that photographers look out for at this time of year - mist or dew or frost on webs, frost on leaves and petals of flowers, ice crystals, these are great to find, and artistic to capture. Where do the cobwebs go when the frost & dew dissapear? The roof in this image is the Salvation Army building in Louth (I didn't need to travel far), and the roof tiles are red, but I still think this has more impact in Monochrome. The close proximity to the subject & the amount of light getting to the sensor at f4.5 was enough to slow the shutter down to 1/50th sec and use Image Stabilisation while shooting hand held.
Olympus PEN OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f4.5 ~ 1/50 sec ~ ISO 200 ~ 60mm
Orient Express
As I explained earlier, Monochrome photographs don't always have to be Black & White, as can be seen by this Sepia rendition. I have also added a slight Grainy effect to make it look authentic of the era. This Locomotive Train and the carriages are the ones used in the film set of Murder on the Orient Express, obviously, not the original version of the film, but the remake (with Johnny Depp, Kenneth Branagh, Judy Dench & Michelle Pfeiffer). It is located opposite Bassenthwaite Lake, on the A66 in Cumbria, & has a rarther splendid restuarant on-board. As the story goes, the Locomotive & carriages were supposed to be going to a buyer in Ireland, but it was found that the transport to get it there wasn't the correct size, so it was purchased by this company in Cumbria. I have eaten there twice, and the food & service is always First Class.
Olympus PEN E-PL5 ~ f5.3 ~ 1/250 sec ~ ISO 200 ~ 123mm
