Ramblers first ever “Walking with your Camera” holiday in Northumberland was an instant success with the group of enthusiastic photographers. A mixture of sites of interest twinned with the magnificent landscapes of the Cheviot Hills, plus a comfortable hotel on the edge of the Northumberland National Park gave clients a rewarding and photographic experience.

The first evening and following morning was spent sorting out the settings of the many makes and sizes of cameras, everything from large DSLR’s with multiple lenses to small compacts which slip in your pocket. The suggestion to members of the group that they might like to try taking RAW images and come away from fully automatic settings which normally produce Jpegs didn’t go down very well at first.

Taking people out of their “comfort zone” is never easy and whilst several members readily accepted the change over a few others were unconvinced at first. The solution was to set each camera to take one RAW image and also one Jpeg which would allow them to experiment later after some instruction from myself. This way they still had a jpeg should they wish to use it…nothing lost and only possible gain!

Our first morning was spent in the Northumberland National Park visiting Harbottle Village and the Drake Stone in the scenic valley of Coquetdale. The morning was dry and bright with reasonably good lighting but with a slightly chilly wind. The first photographic stop was halfway to the Drake Stone in order to take some images of the small Village of Harbottle and the surrounding countryside.

Considerable time was spent giving one-to-one instruction to those who had chosen to work with new exposure settings; combined with information about general composition and the use of strong foreground features within an image, for every member of the group.

The introduction of the “Sunny 16 Rule” got everyone thinking and talking about the light and their aperture settings, shutter speeds and ISO setting. It even brought others out from their comfort zone and a few more cameras were changed over to semi-manual settings.

Then onwards and upwards to the Drake Stone and Harbottle Lake. At the Stone we had a quick elevenses break and further images were taken of the surrounding countryside. At the lake it was more questions and answers about slow shutter speeds and how to blur the water surface. We left the Lake as the clouds were rolling-in and with most of the group repeating the “Sunny 16 Rule” and adjusting their apertures to suit the new lighting conditions.

After completing the circular walk back to Harbottle Village, we enjoyed many stops for photographs along the way. We then had a spot of lunch as we waited for the coach to arrive and transport us back to the Hotel. Most of the conversation was about the new settings and how better their images looked. Small groups of two’s and three’s were reviewing and showing-off the images which they were happy with.

For the afternoon tutorial session the group was split; half to go for a short walk with Alan Paul the group leader and the other half were left to have instruction on processing both Jpeg and RAW images and the differences between them. The group enjoyed the afternoon tutorial and found that by using RAW files it was possible to produce much better quality images.

Wednesday morning. Up early and transported to Holy Island to capture Lindisfarne Castle at sunrise. The light was wonderful as we neared the Island but the clouds were rolling-in fast. A few of the group who were quick to set up tripods and cameras did manage to capture the last of the light before the sky went flat.

The only person who I feel a little sorry for was the amateur photographer who was already on the island when we arrived. Holy Island and Lindisfarne Castle is normally a very quiet place where one can more or less expect to be alone in the peace and quiet of the morning. That poor man must have wondered what on earth was happening when 14 photographers descended from nowhere and all began seeking out space to place their tripods and bags. My sincere apologies for disturbing your early morning solitude and I hope you were successful with your images.

Back to the Hotel for a spot of well-earned and needed breakfast. After which, I gave my processing tutorial to the second group whilst the others went off with Alan for a walk around Humbleton Hill. Once again the group enjoyed the tutorial and found that many more things were possible when processing RAW images.

After lunch we all headed off to the picturesque Harthope Valley to capture views of The Cheviot and the surrounding countryside. Some members of the group were happy to stay in the valley whilst others wanted to climb up to the lower crags of Hedgehope Hill. Alan and I split the group once again in order to suit everyone’s needs and whilst he took a party along the valley I took a small group up to the crags for some moody, atmospheric images of The Cheviot, the largest hill within the Northumbrian National Park.

That evening we were supposed to go out before dinner to capture the sunset, but due to the heavy overcast sky I proposed that I do another tutorial on image processing. This time I took one RAW image from everyone in the group and gave a small critique whilst processing the image and talking them through what I was doing. This was very successful and they were all asking questions about processing and processing packages. In fact, it was so successful that one of the party who had previously said that he wasn’t interested in processing his images has now been somewhat converted!

The following day we went off to Bamburgh Castle for the morning. Taking images of the castle from the sand dunes and other things of interest on the beach, including a few candid images of each other.

That afternoon we were transported to the causeway of Holy Island and we walked the 3.5 miles onto the island. The weather had changed and whilst the sky had some definition, it certainly was not the most inviting of skies for photography. After a discussion about their apertures and shutter speeds the group followed as I lead them around the island to some of the more interesting aspects.

© Maureen Paul 2011

After dinner, we had our final briefing and some feedback from the group. All had enjoyed the trip and had found it beneficial to their photographic skills and knowledge. It was certainly a good time had by all, easy bite-sized chunks of learning with lots of laughter and enjoyment on the photographic walks. I have already had several Thank You messages sent to me and I thank each and everyone for your kind remarks.

www.davidlewins.co.uk

Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.

The great fortification of Bamburgh Castle sits on an outcrop of volcanic dolerite. Known locally as whinstone for the sound it makes when hit by a stonemasons hammer, it provides a natural throne upon which the castle sits forty five metres above sea level.

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Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian’s Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks. The park lies entirely within Northumberland, covering about a quarter of the county.

The Cheviot – Harthope Burn

Humbleton Hill – Wooler

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This image was taken from the stern of the MS Balmoral, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines as we approached Lisbon.

The 25th of April Bridge, is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tejo river. It was inaugurated on August 6, 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999. Because of its similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. In fact, it was built by the same company (American Bridge Company) that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and not the Golden Gate, also explaining its similarity in design. With a total length of 2,277 m, it is the 20th largest suspension bridge in the world. The upper platform carries six car lanes, the lower platform two train tracks. Until 1974, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar).

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Stickle Tarn
Stickle Tarn is a small lake near Harrison Stickle in Lake District, England.The tarn was enlarged by the building of a stone dam in 1838 and is used to supply water for the inhabitants of Langdale.

Harrison Stickle
Harrison Stickle is the high point of the Langdale Pikes and its crags fall south and east from the summit, presenting an arresting view from the valley floor 2,000 ft below, or from further afield. To the north, the main ridge of the central fells passes over Thunacar Knott before climbing to High Raise. The craggy eastern face of this ridge continues north as far as Harrison’s near neighbour, Pavey Ark, visually the most impressive face in the area. The south western border of Harrison Stickle is formed by the deep ravine of Dungeon Ghyll, which cuts through the parapet of the Langdale Pikes and into the lower hinterland of Harrison Combe. Across the Ghyll westwards are Thorn Crag, Loft Crag and finally Pike of Stickle. Below the steep eastern face of Harrison Stickle lie Stickle Tarn and its Ghyll, thus ensuring that all drainage from the fell is to Great Langdale. The tarn is a water filled corrie about 50 ft deep, this being enhanced by a dam. The water is used for public consumption in Great Langdale.

Pavey Ark
Pavey Ark is 700 m (2,297 ft) high. The main face is a little over a quarter of a mile across and drops about 400 ft. To the south west it merges into the crags of Harrison Stickle, while the northern end peters out into the valley of Bright Beck. Stickle Tarn is wholly within the territory of the Ark, a corrie tarn which has been dammed to create additional capacity. The stone faced barage is low enough not to spoil the character of the pool, and the water is used for public consumption in the hotels and homes below. The tarn has a depth of around 50 ft.

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The first image shows a pre-sunrise glow over Derwent Water with the town of Keswick at it’s eastern end. The second image is of the spectacular Cairn which graces the summit of High Spy, the third image is the view looking back into Little Town from Robinson.

The town’s name comes from its location at the mouth of the Eye Water. The Berwickshire coastline consists of high cliffs over deep clear water, with sandy coves and picturesque harbours. A fishing port, Eyemouth celebrates an annual Herring Queen Festival. Notable buildings in the town include Gunsgreen House and a cemetery watch house built to stand guard against the Resurrectionists (body snatchers). Many of the features of a traditional fishing village are preserved in the narrow streets and vennels – giving shelter from the sea and well suited to the smuggling tradition of old.

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