"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.

Autumn woodland - Forest of Dean and Wye Valley

With the 1st day of winter, this post is a retrospective of the autumn 2016 woodland photography, where I made a conscious decision to concentrate on the woodland of the Lower Wye Valley. Specifically the woodland growing on the steeper slopes of the upper gorge. The Lower Wye Valley is the habitat for some rare and uncommon trees. The challenge is : locating them, identifying them, finding photogenic specimens and lighting. Some species of Whitebeam are endemic to this area, the global population concentrated on crags along a few kilometres of the river Wye.

Whitebeam leaves and berries

Photographing Whitebeams, was an ignominious failure, identifying the species relied on determining subtle nuances in the morphology of the leaves and berries, I lost the will on that one. Whitebeans current habitat appears predominantly restricted to crags and their shrubby nature, proved too challenging for my idealised vision. I need to regroup and try another approach for the future.

Wild service leaves and berries

Wild Service trees, also proved equally challenging with photogenic specimens elusive.

Wild service bark

Ambitions for images of expansive views of the wooded river valley once again fell short and what I consider good lighting was used to illuminate the autumnal colour of the beech woodland on the slopes.

A wood amongst boulders of quartz conglomerate was also visited.  Harvesting operations a few years back, resulted in canopy gaps and deadwood on the ground, brambles that overran the woodland floor are being shaded out as the canopy once again closes over and saplings create an understorey.

A Scowles woodland, where I had high hopes for an image with a backdrop of autumnal beech trees never happened, the timing of my visit coincided with beech leaves having already fallen or were still green. The trip emphasised another indicator of ancient woodland, the heterogeneous rollout of autumnal colouration and leaf fall, amongst 'wild' tree populations.

The oak/beech woodland in the Dean, provided an image showing the intimate relationship between underplanted beech and oak timber trees.

A number of images were made for a couple of long term projects on decay in woodlands.

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 Only one trip coincided with autumnal mist.

And that was it until next year.

Isle of Skye - Woodland and Wildlife

After the week in Kinloch Rannoch, the following week was destined for the Isle of Skye. Nic, had a holiday bucket list of tour operators and guides, for kayaking, boat trips and wildlife watching ... Which was fine with me, as she could drop me off somewhere, whilst she went kayaking/boat tripping/wildlife watching. As always the plans were weather dependent.

After arriving at the holiday cottage, unloading and unpacking, there was enough time for an excursion. The weather was negligible wind, very low cloud, rain and a calm sea, that pointed to a wildlife excursion, which in turn threw up a candidate location in the Kyleakin Hills, that held the promise of otter spotting and coincidentally with nearby oak woodland designated as a Special Area of Conservation.

After parking up, there then followed some less than optimal map reading on my part, eventually Nic located a suitable vantage point for a wildlife watching vigil and was immediately rewarded, with an otter feeding on the shore. One pair of binoculars and two people, is never a satisfactory combination, so I went for a recce of the woods and on my return, was informed in hushed tones, that there were now two otters and clearly visible with the naked eye. A good start to the holiday, a few days of cloud and rain meant  this area was visited on further occasions and we were rewarded with more extended viewings of the two otters and also a large pod of dolphins.

 

The woodland contained older krummholz oak trees shaped by the wind and also a few wind thrown, uprooted oaks, still alive and adapting their canopy growth from their trunks horizontal orientation. It was also apparent that the woodland was regenerating, with seedlings and saplings of all the indigenous tree species present. The small downside was that the woodland grew over Torridonian sandstone, I have longed formed an opinion that Torridonian landscapes are some of more arduous to traverse and the woodland was no exception to that rule.



With the sea in close proximity, a high annual rainfall, the climate is decidedly Oceanic and the woodland appears an optimal habitat for communities of mosses, liverworts and lichens. The woodland certainly possessed an atmosphere, enhanced by autumnal colour in the canopy and field layer, rain wetted surfaces added vibrancy to the colours.



Heavy rainfall also posed problems with one excursion and streams in full spate, on a trip out to the Rubha an Dunain peninsula. The excursion was abandoned, when a safe fording point of an otherwise innocuous stream could not be found, without a tedious detour upstream and a look at the OS map indicated there was the prospect of fording a number of larger streams draining greater catchment areas. Every cloud has a silver lining though, on the return journey back to the car park, we watched a pair of white tailed eagles quartering the peninsula, before disappearing from view up into Cuillin Corries in Glen Brittle.

Heavy rainfall did ensure that waterfalls were impressive and the Black Cuillin had a certain atmospheric feel to them.

I'll cover some landscape photography and geology excursions, made in more clement weather, in the next post.

Picturesque vs photogenic views - Lower Wye Valley, Autumn 2015

In the 18th C the Wye Tour was a popular tourist attraction, essentially a boat trip downriver with stopping off points on the journey, to stretch the legs and take in the views. The picturesque status of the Lower Wye Valley scenery was sealed with the publication in 1782 of William Gilpin's "Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; Made in the Summer of the Year 1770". In more recent times the Lower Wye Valley has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and much of the native woodland designated a Special Area of Conservation. So, in theory, the Lower Wye valley should present no shortage of photography opportunities. In practice the Lower Wye Valley presents some challenges in photographing the scenery. The challenges to photography manifest themselves in the absence of the Lower Wye Valley as a destination on the landscape photography workshop circuit and neither do many landscape photographers portfolios or galleries feature images of the Lower Wye Valley. If they do, they tend to be from one of the signposted viewpoints that are regularly cleared of trees and foliage to provide unobstructed views.

Picturesque the Lower Wye Valley is without doubt, however its photogenic qualities are compromised by the very same trees and foliage that add so much to the scenery and sadly obstruct many views. Then there are; access restrictions; intensively cultivated fields; power lines; topography and conservation activities. Whilst the clear felling and restoration of planted ancient woodland sites (PAWS) and the return of coppicing, are positive conservation activities, their initial visual impact is not the best. It really does pay to scout the location shortly before photographing it, as it is surprising how quickly modern forestry operations are executed, the only time of stability is in the bird nesting season when cessation of forestry activities occurs.

From my own perspective, the novelty of making derivative images from the viewpoints soon wore off and venturing away from the viewpoints has been a long learning curve and more than once I've questioned if there's an inverse relationship between picturesque and photogenic scenery.

A primary aesthetic of the views overlooking the Wye valley is the perspective on the woodland. Ancient semi natural woodland with a diverse canopy and patchwork of colour. The colours are there in spring, but shades of green are no match for autumn, where the trees express their individuality through a colour palette that varies from vermilion, amber, russet and yellows.

Two dawn trips and one was rewarded with a magenta sky over a mist filled valley, long neglected hedegrows provided a lead in, to be honest I was hoping for a lot less mist in the valley and a different view.

The weather then deteriorated with days of fog and then the jet stream notable by its absence, returned with a vengeance, streaming low pressure systems over the UK for days on end, effectively ending autumnal interest until next year, when the challenge can again be resumed.

A different view of the woods

This year has been a vintage year for bracken growth in the Forest of Dean, in some parts the bracken stands well over head height, so without a step ladder and access to a 10' high tripod, the height of the bracken has proved compositionally challenging. It is also a mast year for acorns from some oaks and the resident wild boar population have 'ploughed' the woodland floor foraging for acorns, posing another compositional problem.

Taking a pragmatic approach, it seems sensible to eliminate the woodland floor entirely and use the topography to concentrate on perspectives of the woodland canopy.  It is reasonable to suggest that a woodland canopy is a visually complex environment, the architecture of the tree crowns, leaf densities and colours are the elements to draw inspiration from.

The tree crowns reveals the intense competition for access to sunlight and ultimately survival of the tree. The contrast between pure oak stands and mixed oak/beech trees, illustrates why planting beech with oak is desirable for premium grade timber. The time honoured approach of planting beech and oak in the ratio of 2:1 by the Deans foresters, was ignored by the early 19th C foresters who replanted the Dean, who employed a new approach for raising an oak forest covering ~11,000 acres and millions of trees. It was one of the more significant mistakes made in that exercise.