Most where content to stand or lay in the heat, but these two decided to have a grudge match right in front of me. I’m not sure if it was because the heat was driving them crazy or because they just wanted to prove which was stronger.

Bovines can be funny creatures at the best of times, but it didn’t stop me from getting a few shots before I prudently drove the ‘Bug’ in another direction. Just as well, as they started to run amok through the others; trampling, pushing and crashing about.

The things we do for a shot!

It is the Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), which is commonly found feeding on brambles, marjoram and ragwort. Being lighter in colour I would guess this one to be a female, but I could be wrong.

I took this shot at the now famous Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, home for the last few years for the BBC Spring Watch programme. A great place to get shots of birds and other wildlife set amongst lakes and gardens.

Then I spotted the rainbow that was slowly dissapearing, so I pulled over and grabbed my camera out of the boot and using the rear of the car for support, I got these two shots. The old adage of ‘always carry your camera’ comes to mind and one I thing I always carry now is a small pocket camera/HD video device – just in case I can’t get to my DSLR.

But after reading the leaflet and speaking to local climbers/adventurers, I just couldn’t go back to Norfolk without a visit to the How Stean Gorge. I had been told that the worst bits where narrow but mostly slippy due to the recent rain. So, leaving the ‘Bug’ up top and arming myself with my two poles, I descended.

It was quite easy as long as you can bend over for short areas and you have good stout/grippy walking/climbing boots, which I had. I also had the help of my two trsuty carers – wife and little daughter. We took our time and the effort was worth it, though the gorge itself was a little dissapointing in the fact that it was not as long as you would think.

Thankfully the gorge was not in flood and this enabled me to get some nice reflective shots and lovely stone sculptures created by a lifetime of water and rocks moving through the gorge.

I’m quite happy with the shots and here they are.

To find them you will need to travel to the Wensleydale area of North Yorkshire and go to Ingleton. There is a large car park and ‘Falls Cafe’ and you will need a minimum of 4 hours, depending on your walking ability. The waterfalls themselves are all located on a circular type walk and the going is quite tough with many ups and downs as well as steps. You will not be able to use any mobility devices other than sticks.

As with most waterfalls in this area, you get more of them after a good downpour. When I took these shots it had been raining on and off for the previous 2 days, so I was not dissapointed. At one stage I was taking the shots in the rain with my trusty camera rain-cover and good old waterproof lightweight clothing, with most folk heading back and giving up. If I could move faster, I might have been tempted to join them!

I took the majority of these shots in ‘shutter priority’ mode. This enabled me to choose the shutter speed according to the available light, to go as slow as required to get the ‘smokey water’ look. I must admit that I usually take 2 shots, one at a slow shutter and one at a faster setting. I know that takes up more memory and time, but it’s better to get the ‘shots in the bag’ than to return home some 260 miles only to think ‘I wish I had just’…

So here are the shots I managed to get.

To find them you will need to travel to the Wensleydale area of North Yorkshire and park in the Yorkshire Dales National Park carpark. This is a pay and display car park and you will need a minimum of 3 hours, depending on your walking ability. The waterfalls themselves are all well signposted and the going is not too bad, mostly on good walking paths.

As with most waterfalls in this area, you get more of them after a good downpour. When I took these shots it had been raining on and off for the previous 2 days, so I was not dissapointed. At one stage I was taking the shots in the rain with my trusty camera rain-cover and good old waterproof lightweight clothing, with most folk heading at a fast pace for their cars or the cafe. If I could move faster, I might have been tempted to join them!

I took the majority of these shots in ‘shutter priority’ mode. This enabled me to choose the shutter speed according to the available light, to go as slow as required to get the ‘smokey water’ look. I must admit that I usually take 2 shots, one at a slow shutter and one at a faster setting. I know that takes up more memory and time, but it’s better to get the ‘shots in the bag’ than to return home some 260 miles only to think ‘I wish I had just’…

So here are the shots I managed to get.

You see those wonderful images with flawless colours and you think to yourself “I’m going to try that”. That’s when it usually starts to become difficult, unless of course you are one of those people that uses the electronic gadgetry that does it all for you. Me I prefer to try and do things by experimentation, delving into the nitty-gritty of using what I have already. For instance, I have a full set of studio lights and all manner of reflectors, diffusers and gels, but not everyone has this stuff, so I decided to go back to basics and to inspire all those who want to try this on a low budget with minimal equipment.

From this image you can see what I used and how I set it up, and below is a complete list of equipment.

• Camera
• Flash
• Off camera flash cable
• Shutter release cable
• Boom stand
• Fairy liquid bottle
• Top of plastic coat-hanger
• Gaffer tape
• I.V. tubing (luxury item)
• Water container/tray
• Decorators clamps
• Paper clamps/clips
• Black back-cloth (optional)
• Various coloured card
• Water

I set all this up on the dining room table, so a studio setting is not really needed. I also shot in daylight with light from a kitchen entrance, backdoor and window – so you don’t need to grope around in the dark or use “Bulb” mode on the camera.

The only other thing I used was an I.V. tube and regulator to help me control the rate at which I let the drops fall. Now I know most people won’t have one of these, so I consider this a luxury item. I am fortunate enough to have a very good friend who is a veterinarian and he kindly let me have one. I removed the fluid bag and glued the I.V. directly into the Fairy liquid bottle top. This makes it a whole lot easier to refill and empty the bottle as I need. You could try the bottle on its own or use a short length of piping that is used for fuel on small model engines and use a small clamp to help regulate the flow/droplets.

The camera I fitted with a 24 – 105mm lens and shot at 105mm for most of the shots. The camera was set to “Manual” with an aperture of f8 and shutter speed of 200 to sinc with my Canon flash. Upon reflection afterwards, I think I will change the lens next time, as I felt the image focus was rather soft.

The flash unit I used is a Canon Speedlite 430 EX II and this was set to “Manual” mode with the power set at 1/4 - no diffuser was used. This was mounted on one of those cheap give-away tripods made more for compact cameras.

From the picture you can see that I then stood the coloured card at the rear of the water tray (an old (black) darkroom chemical tray works well) and this was held up by a stiff piece of cardboard which in turn was held upright with a couple of decorators clamps. The coloured card was held in place by a single paper clamp (bulldog type clip). The flash was placed to one side and aimed directly at the coloured card (not the water or drops) and was aproximately 12″ (30cm) away from the card.

Once all was set and ready, I simply set the water dripping and by luck more than judgement I kept taking shots until I figured I had got the best of the bunch. I must admit that after a while, you seem to get a sense as to when the water is going to hit the water surface, but the knack is still pressing the button on time!

Below is a small gallery of the shots I took. None have been modified in PS except for cropping and then saving at a lower resolution for the website. I hope you enjoy the images and I sincerely hope you will give this a try soon. Let me know how you get on or if you have another way of doing this that others could use.

I took this image the other evening around 6:30pm, it is of the Rackheath church and there was a man enjoying the setting sun on a borrowed wooden chair.

At the time of taking this picture I thought it was pretty nice having the human element and the sky was a very rich blue. But I also knew once on the computer monitor that it lent itself to something more and that is why I tried out converting it to a more vintage, french style of image.

So, armed with camera, picnic, the “Bug” and family; off we set.

We arrived at the NT car park at Sheringham Park (free for NT members – only 6 disabled parking bays though) about noon and decided to have the picnic first. Then we mooched through the sensory gardens and the bug hunt trail, before setting off through the park proper.

At this time of year it is gorgeous, the Rhododendrons are starting to bloom and give a wonderfully colourful display. Through the main park it is easily accessible as there are light shingle hard paths or tarmac. If you go off the beaten track as I do, you will need a good strong pusher or a larger type mobi-scooter. If you want to do the full walk to Weybourne Station then you will need a mobi-scooter such as mine or perhaps one of the 4 wheel drive type powerchairs due to the rougher terrain, I wouldn’t advise trying it in a standard wheelchair.

As I wandered off track a lot, I would guess the route (forgot my GPS this time) to be around 4 miles (using mapping software – here’s a rough route to download) there and back and anything from 500 yds to 1 mile if you stay in the park. You will also need to take note that the only toilets are at the main visitor centre or at the station at the other end.

As you can see from the pictures below, the scenery is lovely and well worth the effort to get there. By the way, you can park at the Weybourne Station and do this route in reverse in you so wished.

Just down a little lane near where I live, I came across this crop sprayer. I stopped and sat awhile taking it all in – the sun, cool breeze and the chemicals!

Then after going along 3 fields (using the wide edges – not the cropped area!), I came across a small wood (E 01°20’01.52″ N 52°40’14.80″). How beautiful it looked, everywhere as far as the eye could see, the floor was covered in Bluebells.

You simply can’t help but appreciate how beautiful they look, the colour so vibrant in the sunny patches. A little bit of paradise in the middle of nowhere.

But we mustn’t forget the other types of wild flowers, the ones that bring the hedgerows alive with colour and insect life.

The myriad of varieties and colour is wonderful, something I do try to re-create in my own small garden. Something for the insects and birds to enjoy, to help the poor old bee’s who are declining in the UK. We all need to do something to ensure that the future is protected, no matter how small it is, every effort is a plus.