Goodbye January 2021. A month that has been surprisingly interesting.

The month of January is one that if it was designed on paper, would have more than likely been drawn on the back of a cigarette packet. Now why do I use that way to describe this month? Well perhaps it is because January has to be one of the strangest months within a year. Gloomy and rather dull, drab even and come on - who actually likes the month of January? I certainly do not for sure - but like everyone else, biting the bullet that is this incredibly dull and drab month has bought us ever closer to February and one in which changes happen. Some major changes as the spring-time starts to flex or stretch its muscles and nature once again awakens after the big sleep of the winter.

Yet despite things being strange with yet another lockdown, January has been really quite surprising, almost a mixed bag really in terms of photography and whilst because of lockdown restrictions and measures what I have taken have remained slightly more unique, in some ways I have had to challenge myself more and experiment with various compositions. One of the first photographs of 2021 that I captured was of a family that was sitting on a bench at Shipley Park, and it is this photograph that I think sums up what January actually means - they were clearly pondering and thinking about things, but what exactly were they thinking about?

For what were they pondering upon?

A mixed bag though weather wise is what January has been, yes it has so far been quite dull, drab and boring, but in between that we have actually been blessed with some nice weather, not a lot but enough that somehow tricks the brain into thinking that it really will not be long before the first signs of spring start to appear.

The magic of January.

The simple lines.

The talking tree.

Everstanding.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Black and White).

The clear January air - (Colour).

The clear January air - (Black and White).

A lone tree.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Colour).

January has been one of those strange months and as you can see the weather has been kind. Perhaps too kind and has blessed us with some extra daylight, of course the extra daylight has meant that we get a little bit more in the way of sunshine - something which is a true blessing. Of course that also means that the winter skies of low sun, creating a stunning crisp sunset, that is something to behold, needless to say there is something about the winter that lends itself to landscape photography unlike any other season.

But of course January is the winter time and with that - cold weather has meant for snow. Gone are the days of having lots of snow during the winter but any that does fall is exciting to say the least and with the snowfall, I had to get out and capture the snowfall that had occurred. Crisp, bitter but pleasing in a strange way.

“Snow, oh the glorious snow. Somehow it transforms a photograph, could it be that snowfall brings out more beauty within a landscape?”

 for one think so, snow does have a magical quality that can add something else to a photograph or a landscape scene. And of course with lockdown and staying local I was fortunate enough to capture the following wintery scenes.

Down the lane - (Landscape).

Down the lane - (Portrait).

A Winter Contrast.

Winter by the Canal.

Contrasts of the canal.

The Winter Waterfall.

But even after the snow had melted, the month of January just kept on “giving” in a strange way, with its mystery and with that came a final surprise, a truly glorious evening sunset that just summed up the month of January and the season that is winter.

The January Calm - (Landscape).

The January Calm - (Portrait).

January Reflections.

Contrasting is perhaps the best way to describe January and it is a month that a lot of people understandably do not like, but it goes without saying that the month of January is one that can be full of surprises, for it is a month that prepares us for the year ahead, still though for what will the month of February hold? Signs of spring perhaps? I certainly hope so. But perhaps lockdown during the month of January has made me appreciate just what an interesting month it can be if you think outside of the box and explore the landscapes, the ones in which all seasons can be experienced within just one month. Unique yes and to me that is what January is.

Puzzled. A review of myphotopuzzle.

Figuring out what to get someone for Christmas or any other occasion such as a birthday can be quite difficult and very often we find ourselves purchasing the tried and tested kinds of presents such as chocolates, gift vouchers or occasionally presents that end up being re-gifted. But what happens when you think,

“Something unique is what that person would want for a present?”

Well at first it seems as if everything you try to find online or within shops are fairly standard items and unique and bespoke presents are all too often quite difficult to come by - however a simple bit of research eventually lead me to a rather minimal and simple website entitled “myphotopuzzle” Of course I had wanted a Christmas present for someone that was going to be both bespoke and unique, one of a kind that is the only one in existence.

Now the interesting thing about myphotopuzzle is just how easy it is to use and upon visiting the website with it’s .co.uk domain name you could be forgiven for thinking that it is based within England or somewhere within The UK, but looks can be deceiving and the .co.uk domain on there website is purely there because it is for the UK website. Although at the bottom of the website it does say “choose your country”. Regardless though myphotopuzzle are actually based in Germany and quite a lot of other photo printing labs are based in Germany. SAAL Digital are another print lab who are also based in Germany, a trend perhaps that high quality print labs are based in Germany? Who knows. 

Either way myphotopuzzle are a print service with a unique and bespoke difference that offers the chance for people to upload any photograph they want and have that photograph turned into a jigsaw puzzle, and on this occasion I decided to upload the following photograph that I had taken. The photograph itself is entitled “An autumn passage” and is perhaps one of the best photographs that I had taken in 2020.

"An autumn passage"

The website that you are greeted with when you visit myphotopuzzle is one that is minimal, clean and easy to navigate which is crucial to someone who is visiting for the first time, another bonus with myphotopuzzle is they do not get you to download any other software either meaning that it is simply a case of uploading the photograph that you want to get printed onto a jigsaw puzzle directly to the clever systems at myphotopuzzle.

Perhaps the most fantastic POS website. The "myphotopuzzle" website. Easy to navigate with a clean interface.

As a website goes it is one of the best POS or (Point of Sales) website that I have ever come across, all too often websites which feature e-commerce are too in depth or remain tricky to navigate, so another bonus to myphotopuzzle for creating a website that really is easy to use, that easy that someone who has never used a website for shopping can easily use this one. 

Digression over on the praising of the myphotopuzzle website.

With the photo in mind I had a look at what I wanted to order, a jigsaw puzzle that would be a Christmas present for someone and navigating around the website gave me some options of things that I could select, thus meaning that I could make this Jigsaw something perhaps a little bit more bespoke.

In the end I chose a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, which for the box - I decided to select a slightly dark red; almost maroon colour, the default and first option that I had come across and one that I thought reflected the photograph that I had selected, entitled simply “An autumnal passage”. After all the red packaging matched perfectly with the colours within the photograph.

I had also uploaded the photograph, and selected the design of the box along with the jigsaw, all that was then left to do, was wait until it got delivered. Thankfully the length in which the clever behind the scenes stuff at myphotopuzzle, does not take long and within a week a package arrived from Germany. All secured in some rather fantastic quality packaging, then again German precision means efficiency and efficient delivery plus protective packaging is another bonus for this fantastic company.

Something that is truly unique. A photographic puzzle, bespoke from myphotopuzzle.

Upon the opening of the packaging I was greeted with the puzzle itself, albeit in the box that contained the pieces, and I was blown away with just how good the quality was.

Of course it goes without saying that the recipient of this jigsaw puzzle was equally impressed with how good it was, and for a Christmas present, that is a wonderful feeling, to actually know the person in question appreciates it.

So the recipient not so long ago managed to challenge themselves, they like a challenge and this Jigsaw puzzle provided the perfect challenge, best of all the photograph that I had chosen also meant a lot to the recipient of the jigsaw puzzle.

The completed puzzle. Unique and truly stunning.

When something is completed and looks truly amazing. The finished Jigsaw puzzle from myphotopuzzle.

What really is fantastic is that myphotopuzzle, really does provide something well and truly unique for someone who is wanting to get a Christmas present or a present for any other occasion that is truly unique and bespoke. So is this perhaps one of the most unique companies around? I think so - and it is also bespoke, meaning that each puzzle that is ordered, not many others exist. All in all myphotopuzzle make searching for that unique present and creating a unique present that little bit easier, and that is something that a lot more retail should be offering, for present hunting and searching, something more bespoke, different that when someone opens it, they will love and cherish.

So if you are looking to get someone something unique, then why not get them a photographic puzzle from myphotopuzzle, a truly fantastic company who specialize in creating unique and bespoke jigsaw puzzles for any occasions in which a present or gift is required.

Time to sit and take a minute. For what were they pondering upon?

Perhaps a strange but accurate description for photography is the following,

“It is much like birdwatching. You have to have the patience of a saint as sometimes nothing is inspiring or worthy of photographing, yet the next moment something comes along that you just have to capture”.

Yes photography is very much like birdwatching and sometimes you can leave an area or location with no photographs or you can leave with a lot of photographs. That being said though - the month of January is about the most unphotogenic month of the year and why January even exists is beyond me, as it really is a (dull, drab and boring) month that serves no purpose other than to act as a bridge between December and February when things begin to turn more interesting and the first signs of spring appear.

Still though at the time of writing this, England is in yet another lockdown (of sorts) which is looking as if it will more than likely become more draconian. Basically if you are a landscape photographer and was planning on capturing some of the glorious January weather and landscapes, you can not as the government have prevented that from happening, all with their fantastic science that they have been following, still though the evidence behind these restrictions surrounding exercise etc, seems to be missing.

So therefore January is not looking like the best month to capture anything at all, not that it matters as staying local can provide some equally interesting scenes to capture thus also discovering - for exploring a local area can reveal clues and tell stories about the area that we live in.

Thankfully though the government has allowed us to exercise which is incredibly generous of them and only the other week did I have a delightful walk, at a local country park. Shipley Park is one of those places that throughout lockdown I have managed to capture and have seen so many changes especially with the seasons and that is something that as a photographer I shall cherish, the taking things slowly and seeing along with appreciating the smaller and finer details within life.

However though the other week - a short walk at Shipley Park, was one which I had planned on doing. But even that came with a photographic surprise when I noticed a bench, upon the top of a rather small hill, none the less the drama of the skies in the background was incredibly dramatic and I just had to take the following shot,

For what were they pondering upon?

A family sitting on a bench, thankfully I was at a distance from them and I just had to capture them sitting on this lonely and incredibly isolated bench with the dramatic dark clouds behind them. For those dark clouds had snow in them which eventually began to fall. But the question remains,

“What were they pondering upon?”

What was that family thinking about? Life perhaps being different at the moment or something else? Either way it was a scene that was incredibly thought provoking that remains possibly one of the best images that I have ever captured. A family sitting down pondering upon something and the simplicity of the photograph is something else that I like, all too often within photography simplicity is thrown out of the window for more complex photographs, yet simplicity is what you need at the best of times, and it is this simplicity that often results in the best photographs you can capture.

The other thing to mention is that within photography planning ahead really is not advisable, but no matter what, carry a camera with you and you will be rewarded no matter what.

A slice of Cornwall within The Peak District?

Located between the town of Bakewell and Monyash within the Peak District is something which resembles a “ghost of industrial past” A shell that is a reminder of the old industry that once operated in this somewhat desolate area. It is a place though that I had always wanted to visit but never got the chance to. But that all changed when the week before Christmas I took the plunge and decided to explore this fantastic and mysterious location.

Magpie Mine from a distance looks quite eerie, alien almost and does not fit in with the surroundings of the rest of The Peak District Landscape and upon the first sighting of it from the road which approaches the mine, my first thoughts were the following,

“Hold on a minute but that looks like an old Cornish tin mine”.

Yes from afar when you first see it from the road or even looking at photographs of Magpie Mine, it looks Cornish, you could almost be forgiven for thinking that this mine and it’s buildings have been lifted up from either The Cornish Coastline or the heaths and moorlands of Cornwall and placed within The Peak District. But this mine was used not for the mining of Tin but instead Lead, however Magpie Mine does have links to Cornwall though and this can be discovered with the history of the mine.

https://pdmhs.co.uk/magpie-mine-peak-district-history/

The engine house reflects that of a Cornish Tin Mine - why you might ask, well that is because in 1839 the Cornish Engineer, John Taylor was bought in to re-open Magpie Mine which now incorporated The Great Redsoil Workings.

However nowadays all that remains of this mine are it’s buildings and a replica Horse Gin located on The Redsoil Engine Shaft.

Parking at the mine is quite easy and it is a short walk up a gently winding path which leads to the first building that you will see, this to the untrained eye looks like a farmhouse which so happens to have a former Lead mine in the farmyard, but this unassuming building which still stands today is actually the former site office for the mine. Now it is used as a small shop that sells information about the mine. However due to the COVID crisis that is happening, it was closed.

Not that this mattered as being in the open is the perfect way in which to enjoy and explore this fantastic former industrial structure in all of it’s grandeur. And what with the dramatic peak district landscape as the background along with the big open skies for that extra dramatic atmosphere I just had to compose some shots.

A hybrid mixture of both landscape and architecture? Quite possibly and that is the joyful thing about Magpie Mine, that a lot of other locations within The Peak District do not have the ability to do, yet here it is all about thinking outside of the box. Yes you have the landscape surrounding you. But you also have an abandoned lead mine to contend with, but work with the environment and you can get some truly fantastic and interesting photographic results.

So what was the first photograph that I took? Well it was an old piece of rather small machinery, that was on the ground - abandoned but not moved since it was left, and low down was the best composition for this, the sky itself was slightly grey, surreal almost but with a truly stunning light to it. Well winter does have a habit of making interesting light conditions. So I had to take these photos using a slow shutter speed to blend the clouds together.

When the machines stopped working.

When the machines stopped working - (Black and White).

The silent parts.

The silent parts - (Black and White).

But those images are just merely scratching the surface. For walking around the land that this mine is located on reveals some interesting features that become revealed and you get a sense of this slightly lunar landscape that really should not exist in The Peak District, but does. Visible are the old heaps of rocks that are abandoned now with grass on them, some even exposed. And the next shots well they show the scale of this abandoned former industrial ghost.

A silent ship - (Black and White).

A silent ship - (Colour).

The ghost of the magpie - (Black and White).

The ghost of the magpie - (Colour).

Magpie Magic - (Black and White).

Magpie Magic - (Colour).

If you listen you can still hear - (Black and White)

If you listen you can still hear - (Colour).

Like a silhouette this old abandoned mine is perfect for any photographer who is wanting to challenge themselves, and you only have to look on Flickr, to see what others have also achieved. It really could be described as,

“A photographer's playground that just invites you to get creative. To work upon new ideas, angles, views and perspectives that can help you become a better photographer”.

And it really is a photographers playground, I just kept coming across new compositions all the time, some that were quite challenging, others that needed patience, but then this happened, a gorgeous light occurred and I had just had to take the following photographs,

Cornwall in The Peak District - (Black and White).

Cornwall in The Peak District - (Colour).

Atmosphere of light - (Black and White).

Atmosphere of light - (Colour).

The engine is on - (Black and White).

The engine is on - (Colour)

The other world - (Black and White).

The other world - (Colour).

The engine house of Magpie Mine, is one that is incredibly photogenic, it has a certain quality to it, and the light was just spectacular, attempting to break through the clouds and it had been trying to do this all day, but had failed. However that did not stop it looking dramatic, and a dramatic location deserves dramatic photos.

Perhaps these photographs are the best ones of 2020 that I had taken, I sure think that they are,

Again I continued to walk around this impressive location, and once around the other side of the main engine house, the old remains of the mine became more visible, old machinery which at one time stood proud, now remains silent, but you can still hear them somehow, mysterious yes but magical at the same time, and I had after taking the photos of the old engine building decided to take a short walk up to a flat piece of land, that had many other interesting elements to it, including old buildings now abandoned that at one time would have been buzzing with life and looked incredibly different from today.

The view from here - (Landscape).

The view from here - (Portrait).

The view from here - (Landscape/Black and White).

The view from the mine is rather impressive and the vista towards Monyash in the west is something to behold, I can imagine that the mine workers, when they came up to the surface admired the stunning vistas around them and had a minute to take it all in.

But even the smaller industrial scars including a rather small but perfectly formed headstock remain photogenic, and I just had to capture this.

The time machine - (Black and White).

The time machine - (Colour).

The technology from yesteryear - (Black and White).

The technology from yesteryear - (Colour).

A sense of awe is something that I experienced at Magpie Mine, and it is a location that I shall definitely return to for more photogenic adventures. But it is also a location for photography that has taught me to experiment more within photography and actually work with angles and perspectives to capture something unique.

Still though it really is a slice of Cornwall within The Peak District, and that in itself is something unique, for anyone visiting The Peak District should seek out these unique hidden places, they make for some truly unique photographic challenges that are sure to challenge any photographer.