"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"

Overnight accommodation was booked to enable two days of photography in the environs of the upper Tywi catchment in the Cambrian Mountains. On the journey there plenty of stunning autumnal colour was passed until entering the Twyi valley, where irrespective of the woodland facing aspect or elevation the majority of oak trees were bare of leaves. Hopes of images capturing valleys mantled with autumnal oak canopies juxtaposed against open moorland were shelved for another year. C'est la vie.

The first day was leaden skies. negligible wind and 'damp' so photography ambitions were instead lowered to riparian woodland and the morphology of oak trees contorted by past events and the necessity for leaves to access sunlight. Considering the morphology and growing habitat some of the trees must be of some age.

High annual rainfall, high humidity, relatively low levels of atmospheric pollution and ancient woodland creates an ideal habitat for epiphytic bryophyte and lichens, so the opportunity was taken to photograph some of the more accessible communities.

Barnacle lichen (Thelotrema lepadinum) and Tamarisk Scalewort (Frullania tamarisci)

Crottle (Parmelia saxatilis)

The sunset vigil was spent above the tree line and hopes of a sunset were briefly raised by breaking cloud on the western horizon and then dashed as the breaks closed. Nevertheless the time spent waiting allowed an appreciation of the surrounding plateau surfaces dissected by valleys and exposed bedrock indicated folding on the northern flank of the Tywi Lineament.

The following day saw the wind increase and the weather forecast predicted cloud would briefly break up before closing, a circuitous walk through the woods and up onto the plateau was opted for. The plateau surfaces posed their usual photography challenge: a distinct lack of inspiration, so photography efforts were concentrated down on the plateau slope edge where woodland was naturally regenerating.

The cloud did eventually break up allowing fleeting patches of sunlight to play over the landscape, frustratingly though never the foreground and middle ground simultaneously during a tactical 'rest stop'. Back down in the valley and a viewpoint was chanced upon that I thought held some potential and then discovered the sun didn't quite clear the ridge, sigh.

With incoming cloud negating sunset, there ended the photography and yet another location to put on the list of places to return to one day.

Reflected and diffuse autumn light

Heavily shaded woodland environments benefit hugely from the illumination of an autumnal canopy that imparts 'warm' light and if a mist is rising then the light is diffused. The combination creates some very special lighting and is generally utilised for photographs of sun beams penetrating through breaks in the tree canopy.

A recent trip to a Scowles woodland was rewarded with the conditions and atmosphere for reflected and diffused lighting, that made venturing forth down into the darker realms a realistic photographic ambition. The lower perspective offers views of outsize tree roots flowing down over bedrock outcrops to form buttresses and the underside of gnarled veteran beech coppice stools with rot hollows that provide insight to their great age. The dense shade and higher humidity also creates the habitat for luxuriant mosses and bryophytes and for my aesthetic tastes the emerald greens contrasts well with the freshly fallen autumnal beech leaves. Whilst sun beams breaking through a canopy provide visual drama, it is well worth bearing in mind that the very same atmospheric conditions can be utilised to photograph more challenging subject matter.

An autumnal small leaved lime and upland oak wood

A weather forecast for the Brecon Beacons National Park stated fog/mist/low cloud, light rain and negligible wind, so it was with high hopes that I set off for Coed y Rhaiadr, there was fog, negligible wind and light drizzle all the way there until I dropped down to Hirwaun. Where there was no fog, mist or rain and the rotating blades of wind farm turbines indicated wind too. Still there are plenty of options in Coed y Rhaiadr with autumnal colour and I headed for an area of woodland high up the ravine slopes with photogenic veteran oaks. Passing the waterfalls the area is noted for indicated the the tree canopy that provide a backdrop had been stripped of leaves from the recent passage of Storm Ophelia. The oaks I had hoped to photograph were also denuded of leaves, so it was back down to the river.

The numerous waterfalls make it a magnet for photography workshops in the autumn and it hadn't taken long for the workshop providers and punters to stake out their claims. I didn't see anyone photographing the woodland sans waterfalls, which is a pity as the woodland is designated as a Special Area of Conservation. A riparian small leaved lime in autumnal colour provided the necessary inspiration and a native woodland tree that I've rarely found a) in autumn colour and b) suitably sited to make a photograph. From the chosen viewpoint the rain serendipitously broke up the river surface, mitigating the sky reflection. Whilst waiting for the wind to ease I watched a Dipper working its way downstream, diving and feeding from the riverbed. The wind eventually died down to make a photograph and the only audible sound was rain falling and dripping down through the canopy.

Another storm was forecast in a few days time so I made the decision to maximise my photography opportunities and cut short my excursion in Coed y Rhaiadr to visit a nearby upland wood that should have been relatively sheltered from the Storm Ophelia's winds. Some parts of the wood have a closed canopy whilst other parts are more open in nature and mature sessile oaks are spread along a steep sided valley, with crowns and branches shaped by the elements. A few oaks have layered their branches which are mantled with epiphytic lichens and well within tripod height.

Birch, alder, willow, holly, hazel, hawthorn, ash and rowan trees make up the rest of the woodland trees and with more time I would have photographed these, but the oaks were concentrated on for this visit. I do not know anything of the woodlands history, many of the oaks are pollarded and the hazel trees are coppice stools, hinting at a past management regime. The wood is not officially designated as ancient woodland, but is depicted on first edition 19th Century Ordnance Survey maps and some of the oaks appear to be of some age. The lack of regeneration indicates the woodland is overgrazed and has been so for many years.

Eventually the wind and driving rain brought an end to the excursion and a note made to revisit again in the future.

Early autumn in a Scowles woodland.

Autumnal colour in woodlands is a personal highlight in the landscape photography calendar and it usually heralds an invigorated jet stream lining up vigorous weather systems at the UK, sigh. So it was with some relief that a calm weather forecast coincided with beech leaves starting to change colour and a trip was made to a scowles woodland in the Forest of Dean. The woodland canopy is dominated by beech with yew dominating the understorey and occasional ash, holly, hazel, wych elm, whitebeam and lime. Beech trees in the ancient woodlands I am familiar with, rarely synchronise their autumnal colour. Instead it's a gradual roll out with a spectrum of hues from green to fiery orange/red and corresponding leaf fall punctuated by heavy falls in stormy weather. The colour hues shifting from greens to full autumn colour as the days shorten and nights lengthen.

On this visit there was enough early leaf fall to enliven the floor and enough leaves remaining to maintain a closed canopy and include some of the tree crowns in a composition. Some light rainfall had wetted surfaces to saturate colours and overhead cloud provided diffuse lighting. More importantly there was almost negligible wind as the composition hinges upon the lack of movement during a long exposure.  Suffice to type that I was satisfied with the photographic reward.

A Pembrokeshire bluebell wood

A weekend away in Pembrokeshire to catch up with friends and it is reasonable to suggest that the date was timed to coincide with the display of bluebells in Coed Tŷ Canol National Nature Reserve. I had last visited the Tŷ Canol woodlands at the end of March 2015  and this was my first visit in the month of May. Saturday dawned to a forecast of high wind and clear skies, sigh, nevertheless I had time for a recce to Tŷ Canol and ascertained that the woods were as atmospheric as ever, most of the sessile oaks were in leaf and bluebells were in flower, the harsh lighting and wind meant any meaningful photography was limited to recording the ground flora.

Enchanters nightshade, wood sorrel, hard fern, buckler fern and  bluebells.

On Sunday I persuaded Nic that we should visit Tŷ Canol on the journey home, coincidentally the weather was more photographically promising with lighter winds, showers, over head cloud with breaks for sunshine. The weather was amenable to making images of woodland in contrasting lighting with the quiet light of overhead cloud and intermittent sunshine allowing sunlit dappled woodland.

A far better appreciation and insight was gained into the habitats within Tŷ Canol with flora in leaf/flower denoting associations with deep shade, water logged ground, flushes and dry soils. The lichen and bryophyte communities for which Tŷ Canol is renowned for were once again pondered and once again a mental note made to make the effort to investigate these further. Nic summed up Tŷ Canol  perfectly in describing it as a 'special place' and 'nourishment for the soul'.

2017 Predictions

In December 2016 I made 3 predictions: A film's influence on landscape photography, an uncontroversial WPP awards and handheld photography. Here's how they turned out.

1. Although I enjoyed the Revenant story and scenery, the natural lighting employed wasn't quite what I had anticipated. From memory, the natural lighting seemed to be mostly courtesy of leaden skies. A compromise perhaps, for where scenes needed to be reshot or continuity of lighting was important. On the other hand, the film won plenty of accolades for directing and cinematography, so perhaps diffuse lighting was integral to the mise-en-scène? Despite the accolades, I do not believe the Revenant has had or will have any effect on landscape photographers abandoning composited skies etc. Time will tell if other film directors also choose natural lighting for their films too.

2. The WPP awards passed without notable controversy, radical proof that enforcing competition rules before announcing the winners, does actually work.

3. My prediction on handheld photography, I have no idea and no inclination to investigate further. I simply lost the will to monitor the landscape photography scene : It is far too insipid, hypocritical, narcissistic and wearing on the spirit.

Overall, really poor. Nonetheless, I'll try again and make another 3 wildly uninformed predictions.

1. Harsh Light, the new black

Business savvy landscape photography workshop providers, know there is an untapped market of wannabe landscape photographers to exploit, who are simply too feckless to make the effort needed for dawn and dusk excursions. Marketing abhors a vacuum, so the golden hours will be the new landscape photography workshop mantra : Mid day summer photography! Lighting added afterwards courtesy of digital software. The golden hours will be nothing to do with the quality of light, the feckless do not care about light quality in the field, only an end result that satisfies their delusion. The golden hours will refer to the filthy lucre made from exploiting individuals at their convenience. The photography media would champion this cause with relish, to fill out anaemic content and widen their dwindling audience. As a bonus, it will generate controversy too, as this time of day has traditionally been the preserve of middle aged males, typically Black and White landscape photographers, a demographic, vociferous in defending their artistic creative comfort zone. A google search of photography forums should easily confirm whether this has come to pass.

2. Post-truth landscape photography

The Brexit referendum and Trump election, have elevated making wildly inaccurate untruths as acceptable practice. I therefore predict a significant rise of untruthful statements* in the wider landscape photography community and a significant increase in the number of images, that will be underpinned by heroic challenges overcome, outpouring of pseudo emotive gibberish and spiritual epiphanies. Expect a backlash from some celebrity landscape photographers who will be threatened by this unwanted competition.

*A minor caveat though : post-truth has been prevalent in fine art landscape photography since its inception and widely deployed by some gear reviewers, with affiliate links for sales commission.

3. Landscape photography media

2017 will mark yet another year, when there is an absence of any commercial media not pandering to the lowest common denominator of landscape photographers  

3. Auteur theory

Finally a frankly ludicrous prediction and one I have so little faith in  a prediction for a positive development in landscape photography, where auteur theory is elucidated. This would encourage the not-so-confident landscape photographer to move away from the soulless bucket lists of iconic views and venture forth into the landscape, to apply their vision and knowledge of the landscape, weather and light quality, in creating images that underpin a narrative of their curiosity.