Nabs Woods by night

These pictures were taken in and around Nabs Woods in the Parish of Silkstone Common in United Kingdom.  The former owners of the woodland lived in Knabbes Hall and the Knabbes name link to the woods comes from the name of the hall and of Knabbes Road.  The hall has been reputed to bear the Royal Coat of Arms in recognition for the allegiance shown by the owners of the hall.  The family is said to have helped to hide the Prince who was later to become King Charles II when he was a fugitive on his journey to France after the English Civil War.  This story has been printed in several histories and it is a pleasant historic tale to share whether it is true of false.  The English Heritage description of the Grade II listed building does mention the Coat of Arms.

Kanbbes Wood, or Nabs Wood is the recorded site of the House Carr Colliery drift mine.  The sloping drift entrance is sometimes called an adit or day hole.  The local accent rendered the colliery’s name as Huskar.  The Huskar pit is remembered for the disaster of 4^th July 1838 in which 26 children died.  The mine where the children were working was flooded after a great deluge of hailstones melted quickly.  A memorial to commemorate the mining disaster is situated close to the roadside entrance of Nabs Wood.  It is said that there are two capped mineshafts and the drift mine entrance present within the wood.

These pictures were an absolute pleasure to take as the woods offered shelter from the harsh winter conditions that night.  Some of the pictures combine ambient lighting and fill in flash.  The two lighting sources help to create more colour combinations within the finished images.  The street lighting near the Huskar Colliery Monumuent casts a red and yellow glow on the trees and on the snow.  The flash when used brings a clear white light on to the snow.  The light from the flash illuminates the foliage close to the lens and helps to build the perceived depth of the images as the more distant trees are darker.

Silkstone - The Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkstone

Silkstone Parish Council History of Silkstone & Silkstone Common

http://www.silkstoneparishcouncil.gov.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=936&SiteExtra=19148120&TopNavId=464&NavSideId=13210

The Woodland Trust - Nabs Wood

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/our-woods/Pages/about-this-wood.aspx?wood=4155

Knabbes Hall

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-334295-knabbe-s-hall-silkstone

©2010 PHH Sykes

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies

http://www.phhsykes.co.uk

A comparison between Under the stars in the snow 101 and 102

The first two pictures of my Flickr set titled Under the stars in the snow are a comparison of photo editing techniques.  Under the stars in the snow numbers 101 and 102 were created from a single digital photographic exposure.  After the camera sensor had collected the light on the scene for 30 seconds an image file was created on my CF memory card.  The details of the creation of the image are recorded in the Exif data.  The Exif details are available to view in Flickr if the photographer has allowed them to be seen.  The details for my images are available on Flickr if you use the drop down menu from the, “Actions,” tab you will see the option to, “View Exif info.”

Under the stars in the snow 101 - Exif details - (some not all)

Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Exposure 30 seconds

Aperture f/9.0

Focal Length 16 mm

ISO Speed 800

Exposure Bias 0 EV

Date and Time 17 December 2010, 9:47:31 PM

This original image was then processed in two separate ways.  Under the stars in the snow101 has had Vibrance, Gamma and Brightness increased to create a greater glow all along the horizon than that presented in Under the stars in the snow 102.  In the midst of the dark night scene the glow of Under the stars in the snow 101 is rather bright indeed.  Under the stars in the snow 102 has had less of increase and it more closely resembles the view as seen by my eyes.  In general I only load one version of any single exposure.  Often I will show more than one exposure when I have altered the camera settings between exposures.  It is good to compare the effects of shutter speed, light sensitivity and aperture settings on pictures that are taken in a single photo session.  Sometimes it is also good to see just how basic differences in photo editing settings completely change a scene.

Pictures on Flickr

Under the stars in the snow 101

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/5270538537/in/set-72157625623425930/

Under the stars in the snow 102

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/5271137360/in/set-72157625623425930/

©2010 PHH Sykes

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies

http://www.phhsykes.co.uk

Under the stars in the snow Dec 2010

The snow always transforms a landscape and makes many wondrous changes that you cannot imagine.  The familiar view is altered and that which you have previously overlooked takes on a new prominence.  These few shots are part of a series that were taken on a single journey through the snow. Although I have seen these scenes many times before they are made magical by the snow and the stars.  Not everyone takes to the road when the snows fall and even fewer venture forth when the stars are sparkling.  Some of these pictures may form a view of the other side of the page, they are the hidden underside of the day lit snowy landscape photographs.

On a cold frosty night I was thrilled to be under the stars out in the snow.  Each stop involved a quick set up for a few long exposures.  As I waited for the light to form an image I took to my heels and toes to dance a warming jig.  Each exposure was between 10 and 30 seconds long and the dances of were each terminated by the awakening of the preview image.  If you should happen across a well wrapped man dancing strangely in the frozen landscape who stops to view the images being created by his camera don’t pause to see if the dancing gets better.  The dances are not of any great artistic merit I hope that the pictures make up for the bad shuffles and the icy stumbles.  Without the dances I would not have stayed out so long so these images are my record of my dancing under the Stars in the snow.

Pictures on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157625623425930/with/5271199764/ 


©2010 PHH Sykes
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies 
http://www.phhsykes.co.uk

Snowy Silkstone December 2010

Here are a few examples of the glorious images that the snow creates.  I have chosen several compositions here that are made into photo opportunities by the snow.  Without snow and icicles some of these settings would not being photographed and uploaded.  I enjoy recording something that would often be overlooked, or undervalued.  When the snow falls it creates great vibrant images in so many unusual places and it also enhances scenes that were spectacular before the snowfall.  I am sure that most people want to see the stunning snowscapes that show us the splendours of the winter landscape.  I am not so sure that there is a wide audience for my less breath taking images.

The snow does pose several challenges and I am trying to preserve my delicate health so I have not ventured far into the white wonders that have been beautifully laid out all around me.  It is quite frustrating to be missing out on some of the stunning scenes that have been so close by but just out of reach for me.  I do however enjoy offering up my photographs of guttering, soffits and fascias as these would not have been my chosen subjects without the snow and ice.

If you are struggling through the winter conditions and not enjoying the cold snap at all then I still hope that you can see the beauty in the seasonal transformations.  I have some big journeys to make soon through the worst of the snows soon and I am not looking forward to those planed work trips that are becoming expeditions.  Instead of a packing extra fruit and a drink to make sure the journeys are going to be good I am packing crampons, sleeping bags, arctic stoves and ensuring I have food to last for a few days.  Right that’s me off now to test out the mobile electrics and see if anyone has hints on husky powered locomotion, or tips for troika steering.

Pictures on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157625550097674/

2010 PHH Sykes

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies

http://www.phhsykes.co.uk

http://phhsykes.blogspot.com