Return to the Lake District

I can be a lucky 'so and so' at times. At the beginning of this week I found myself back behind the camera in the heart of the English Lake District National Park, capturing images for my forthcoming 'Spirit of Cumbria' book to be published by Halsgrove at the start of 2009.

The incredibly early start to the day is the only real disadvantage of practicing landscape photography during the summer months. I scouted the location for this dawn shot of Windermere the evening before, ensuring that I did not stop still long enough to provide a feast to the local midges! After a failed sunset shoot at Wray Castle (two hours standing on the spot waiting for the cloud to break!), I finally crawled into my tent at 10.30pm, only to be rudely awoken by my alarm clock at 4am. Ouch! However, the scene that unfolded before my eyes was definitely a good enough reason for leaving my snug sleeping bag!

This was my first photography trip back in the Lakes since our epic around the world adventure, and I have naturally found myself comparing my images from The Cumbria Way to my latest images. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me is that I am now using my Canon 70-200mm lens almost as much as my super-wide 17-40, and I am delighted with the results I am getting!

Aira Force, is a classic location where the use of a telephoto lens is incredibly beneficial. Not only does the increased magnification help you to isolate the features of the location, it also helps you to avoid capturing a stray tourist in your composition - and lets face it there are plenty in the Lake District! Joking aside, Aira Force has been photographed numerous times so with this image I tried to capture something a little bit different. I would have preferred to have used an even longer focal length to crop the waterfall further still - maybe next time.

All in all, the first dedicated trip working on the 'Spirit of Cumbria' was a great success. The new images will fit in nicely with my first picks from my library of Cumbria photographs and I am really excited about the prospect of watching this book take shape.

My next trip to the Lakes (after my wedding to Lynette on the 7th June of course), will be on the 23rd June when I will also be hosting a beginners photography workshop at Elterwater. There are plenty of places left if you would like to join me - I can't promise you great weather but I can promise you a lot of fun in the finest of all English landscapes!

Last chance for Wharfedale workshop

It's not too late for you to join Outdoor Photography magazine regular contributor Andy Latham and myself in (hopefully) sunny Wharfedale this Saturday. This is a rare chance to join Andy in his beloved Yorkshire - home to the subjects of a number of his award winning images.

There are only two places left so if you are interested, please take a look here!

Free Scottish Borders Screensaver!

To celebrate the forthcoming launch of my 'Portrait of the Borders' book, I am giving all you PC users a chance to use some of my favourite images from the new publication on your computer as the Screensaver and wallpaper.

So how do you get the Screensaver? Simply by clicking here! To install just double click on the downloaded file.

As much as it irritates me, I have to tell you that the Screensaver is PC only - Sorry Mac users...

'Portrait of the Borders' available to order from Amazon!

The release of my next book is nearly here, and I am delighted to announce that Amazon.co.uk have now started to take advance orders for 'Portrait of the Borders'. This, my third book is due to be released in the UK by Halsgrove at the end of this month.

I am very excited by the forthcoming release of this book, the first of four new titles for this publisher. The next books will see my revisiting Cumbria, exploring Tyneside and also scouting the streets of Edinburgh through the hours of darkness.

What more can I say? Apart from of course, click here to pre-order the book! If you would prefer a signed copy for £14.99 (UK only), please click here for a sneak preview of the images and to order the book!