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| Chasing shadows!Elusive time critical photo planned | Rate Topic |
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| Posted by Robert: Sat Feb 11th, 2017 11:11 | 1st Post |
| On Monday I am hoping to capture a special photograph at the southern end of Wastwater. Cam Crag is a prominence which is said to resemble a roman soldiers head, high above the Wasdale screes, at certain times of the year at sunset, it projects a striking shadow across the screes just before the Sun sets. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/29/long-wait-elusive-rock-wastwater-screes-lake-district The protruding rocks form a massive overhang which is not apparent from the opposite shore. Climbing the Cam Crag overhang is one of the holy grails of the rock climbing world, being one of the most difficult in the UK as I understand it. According to the Photographers Ephemeris, the shadow should be about right in mid February but if not I will get a good idea from Mondays images when I might get a better shot at it. Not only the timing but of course the weather has to be kind, with clear skies for an unobstructed sunset. http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=54.427597,-3.307310¢er=54.4303,-3.3012&dt=20170213071900%2B0000&z=14&spn=0.03,0.10 I plan to make the exposures from directly across the southern end of Wastwater, where the road makes a sharp turn away from the shore as can be seen in this close up photo of Cam Crag shows. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP20/newswire-birkett-camcrag-e9
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Sat Feb 11th, 2017 14:28 | 2nd Post |
| Photo opportunities predicted by Ephimeris are usually very accurate. I would cross your fingers and hope for clear skies and some nice clouds in the right place.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Sun Feb 12th, 2017 03:04 | 3rd Post |
| Thanks JK, the weather forecast continues to be very good for Monday only, although gales are now forecast, so my heavy tripod has moved onto the list of gear and a strap to tie it down! My Bronica s2a fell victim to a gust of wind, tripod blown over, the flash synch was damaged somehow, all I got was a narrow strip exposed at the bottom of the negative. Once bitten twice shy.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Sun Feb 12th, 2017 04:27 | 4th Post |
| Looking forward to seeing your results. Hope the weather stays fine for you.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Tue Feb 14th, 2017 03:37 | 5th Post |
| Well it didn't pan out as expected but we took over 900 pix between us. The wind was extreme. Wish I had taken my wind speed meter with me! The wind produced the most spectacular images. The shadows won't be ready until later in the year... Maybe a month? Still wading through the pix. Will post some later.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by Iain: Tue Feb 14th, 2017 08:12 | 6th Post |
| look forward to seeing them Robert.
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| Posted by Robert: Tue Feb 14th, 2017 18:17 | 7th Post |
| Sorry for the delay, have been a little under the weather... Am very tired today. The shadows which were the main objective weren't right, needs to be later in the year to get the angles right/ This was my main setup for the screes, but the wind was ferocious, as strong as I can remember. It swept down the valley and whipped up fans of spray from the waves it generated. There were some rainbows from the spray but hard to capture. I had to tie the tripod down in the lee of the car, standing up was a challenge. One visitor got out of his car to see the spectacle and his hat and scarf are whisked from him in an instant, he finally caught up with them about 100 yards up the road in a ditch next to my car.  This is one of the gusts of wind which tore spray from the waves. D3, Nikkor24-120 f4, 24mm, 1/800 Sec @ f6.3, ISO800  Another similar pic, showing the island rock battered by the waves and covered by the spray.  We stayed until about 8:30pm capturing the stars, I have been busy cleaning the aeroplane trails off the images. Will post them once I have processed them. We watched some climbers torchlight movements down from Scafell Pike in the dark. It will be interesting to see how the show up in the finished star trail image.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Tue Feb 14th, 2017 19:36 | 8th Post |
| You did say it was windy. Those waves on the lake are pretty impressive!
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Wed Feb 15th, 2017 17:28 | 9th Post |
| Well the wind didn't drop but it did go dark (ish). D3, M Mode, 32 Sec exposure, intervalometer set to 34 seconds, ISO800; battered Nikkor 20mm f2.8@ f2.8. This batch was compiled from 34 exposures. The star trails were created using StarStaX: http://www.markus-enzweiler.de/StarStaX/StarStaX.html#download  Second image a bit darker with more contrast and saturation.  The second two images were compiled from 72 exposures, both processed in Ps and StarStaX but on the second image I removed the foreground light trails. These two compilations were processed/adjusted in Ps CC, the first two were processed in Lr CC. I feel the second two images are richer and cleaner, it was of course darker and hadn't suffered gross light pollution from passing traffic as the first two images did.   I have removed the foreground trails in the fourth image but I think I prefer image 3, because it has more 'going on'. There is a little bit of a story here, while we were sitting in the car and the camera was taking the first batch of star trail exposures, we noticed there was a light flashing high up on Scafell, it was following the path towards the decent route, then it stopped moving and started flashing about from the same place. I watched it for about a quarter of an hour and it still hadn't made any progress down the mountain, I grew a little concerned, a car came by and I stopped it hoping they were locals, it was getting quite late and dark. They turned out to be experienced walkers who had come down that route about an hour earlier. They shared our concern because the lights weren't making progress down and it was getting on for eight O'clock. Thay took over the light watching and I got back to star photography. The first three batches having been ruined by the lights from cars. So I decided to make a new batch once the walkers left. The lights on Scafell started to descend so they must have been having a brew! If you look at the first two images you can see the lamp trail high on Scafell which meanders down and stops abruptly. The third image continues the trail to the valley bottom and the trail of their car as they drove away. Finally, one from the first batch of 'The Plough'. It was spectacularly distinctive in the clear sky. 
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by Robert: Thu Feb 16th, 2017 05:26 | 10th Post |
| Added to all this I think the photograph in the Guardian which started all this is of the wrong crag!!! Having studied many photographs of Cam Crag and checking my large scale OS maps, I am coming to the conclusion that the photographer who took that picture for the Guardian was looking and pointing his camera at the wrong crag. I believe the real Cam Crag is further up the Wasdale escarpment by about a Kilometre. Looking at photographs of Climbers on Cam Crag and lining up geographic features on the ground I am pretty sure it's as marked on the 1:25,000 OS Map, although to be honest, it's hard to recognise precisely. Seems moral of story is not to believe what you see on a single website. That said, Chris and I had a really exciting and eventful day in Wasdale and we intend to go back when we can to finish the quest. Hopefully without the gales.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Thu Feb 16th, 2017 08:45 | 11th Post |
| I will look at my Wainwright books when I get back to Spain. Remind me as I will be busy but dont let me forget.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Thu Feb 16th, 2017 09:11 | 12th Post |
| Thanks JK, I have been doing some triangulation and am pretty convinced we were on the wrong crag. A bit under the weather right now, have Chris for the half term but can't get out much because of the cold. I want to go back up to check this out with a compass and binoculars. It's a fair trek from here so it would be good to wait for a nicer day. Will take some long lens pix of the rocks on the top of the screes which form the escarpment of which Cam Crag is a part. With decent light and a 300mm lens I should be able to identify the exact place. Another expedition!
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Thu Feb 16th, 2017 13:48 | 13th Post |
| Been looking on line. It seems that that is a crag walk as well as a location and is very ill defined. Do you have a picture that you have seen and want to retake?
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Thu Feb 16th, 2017 17:25 | 14th Post |
| Well, I have been sort of sucked into this project. I saw a photograph on the BBC website of somebody with a full plate camera who had made a black and white, plate photograph of a climber on Cam Crag. The full plate camera immediately sparked my interest as you may imagine. I ran numerous searches which came up with a report on the Guardian website mentioning Cam Crag and the shadows which it projects on the screes. The links are in my first post of this topic. I would like to see and capture these shadows but first I need to identify Cam Crag. I have seen numerous photo's of it taken from the top looking down but none from the bottom looking up. This is the link to the original BBC item which aroused my interest originally. I don't like using their images directly I think it's better to provide links to other photographers images. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-38570618 The opposite shore of the lake below in the photograph is about where I took the star trail shots. With a little care and some triangulation I should be able to pinpoint Cam Crag from those images.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Fri Feb 17th, 2017 02:36 | 15th Post |
| OK Did a little Google Earth mapping and I think that the first image is actually taken on/at Yewbarrow towards the Wasdale Head end of Wasdale. The camera is pointing across the lake to a very distinct small triangular headland. Do you agree? When I get back to my dest machine in Spain next week. Time permitting, small amount only, I will take another look.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Graham Whistler: Sun Mar 26th, 2017 07:50 | 16th Post |
| I've been following this as I also know the area very well and have just finished mt 6th film of the little railway at Eskdale just behind your mountains. If you would like a dvd or BluRay copy of my new film Robert please e-mail your address. Attachment: RER2017 dvd Cover.jpg (Downloaded 21 times)
____________________ Graham Whistler |
| Posted by Robert: Mon Mar 27th, 2017 04:16 | 17th Post |
| That is most kind Graham, Li'le Ratty, (the pronunciation from South Cumbria!) is one of our favourite destinations. That and the Hardknot - Wrynose passes which provide a through route to Coniston by way of an alternative to the coastal access, although Muncaster and Gawthwaithe have their own charm! This is a photo I took a while back...  Another favourite, closer and much more affordable for us is the small but really enjoyable, Millerbeck railway at Newby Bridge.   Millerbeck is only open odd weekends and bank holidays I think but it's really nice and informal.  Millerbeck website: http://millerbeck.org.uk
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by Graham Whistler: Mon Mar 27th, 2017 05:08 | 18th Post |
| I first went to Ratty in 1947 with my father when I was 7 yrs old and have loved it ever since! They show my films in the waiting room and do well with sales in the two shops.
____________________ Graham Whistler |
| Posted by Robert: Thu Mar 30th, 2017 13:07 | 19th Post |
Well I was only born in 1947, making me 'nobut a youngster'! LOL  The Jiffybag plopped onto my porch floor earlier today. Many thanks Graham, I will have to wait a while before I can watch it, none of my computers have DVD/CD drives, I have a DVD player at the bottom of a large pile of 'stuff' temporally removed to make room to renovate my living room. I am looking forward to viewing it as soon as I can. 
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by Graham Whistler: Thu Mar 30th, 2017 19:19 | 20th Post |
| Glad it arrived OK.
____________________ Graham Whistler |
| Posted by Robert: Mon Apr 3rd, 2017 03:40 | 21st Post |
| Well, I believe I found the elusive Roman soldier's head and it's shadow. In full sunlight: Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-120 f4: 46mm, 1/1600sec at f8, ISO800  Just before sunset: Nikon D3, Nikkor 70-300 f4.5-5.6: 170mm, 1/400sec at f6.3, ISO800  It was a lovely day yesterday so after a frustrated morning, I threw down my welding torch and headed for the hills. If it IS Cam Crag, then I can see where it gets it's name. A cam stone is one term for rounded topped stones used for capping walls. The top if the 'head' is nicely rounded and resembles the profile I would expect for a cam stone. The original article in the Guardian which I linked to in the first post of this thread and raised my interest in this, was pointing his camera at the wrong lump of rock, it seems... Checking out the images I am convinced this is the rock outcrop I was seeking, This image, taken by Henry Iddon with a ten by eight full plate camera was what started this whole project for me.  Even the OS map seems to confirm it: 
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by Graham Whistler: Mon Apr 3rd, 2017 04:52 | 22nd Post |
| It looks like a nose and a chin well seen!
____________________ Graham Whistler |
| Posted by Robert: Mon Apr 3rd, 2017 05:00 | 23rd Post |
| If a rather large ear, which is more prominent to the eye than in the photograph. I saw it as soon as I rounded the corner which revealed the screes, the light was just right. I will return, now I have identified it, I'm sure under different lighting it will present differing characteristics.
____________________ Robert. |
| Posted by jk: Mon Apr 3rd, 2017 10:18 | 24th Post |
| Looks like you have it well located Robert. I do think someone must have had a full bottle of whisky and were seeing things when some of these things were named.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Robert: Fri Apr 7th, 2017 18:30 | 25th Post |
| I think there must be something wong with my computer, it doesn't always mark threads with the triangle to denote a new (unread) post. I agree JK, perhaps some magic mushroom? I hope to re-visit later in the year to get a range of lighting on the crag. Still working on the front room atm hopeful of getting out this next week. Skye would be nice but it will be knee deep in tourists with their phone cameras, as of course the Lake District will too.
____________________ Robert. |
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