Leeds - updated blog at 'The Cultured Blog'

Leeds is a City that's changing but wherever you are there are still strong links back to it's industrial heritage. It's a place that is moving with the times but is proud of it's Yorkshire heritage and involves this in new developments. 

To see the full set of these images, click the link to The Cultured Blog at my website. Hope to see you there! Cultured Photography

County Durham Heritage Coastline

County Durham's past of mining for coal and tin, amongst other natural resources, spawned lots of small communities to house the miners and their families. Over the years the closure of these mines left many of the villages in the County sparsely populated as people moved to the bigger towns nearby. In turn, these villages became neglected as unemployment rates increased and the desire for new people to move to these areas was low. Gradually, these areas are being invested in as the appreciation for the beauty of the area is being realised. Old pit sites are beingconverted into country parks and a popular new housing build on the old Vane Tempest coal mine site has brought a lot of new people to the area and with it, opportunities for local businesses and an increased interest in the nearby coastline. Seaham is part of the Durham Heritage Coastline which runs from the North of the County to Hartlepool in the South. One of the lesser-known beaches is situated at Blackhall Rocks, about 10 minutes drive south of Seaham. This is a rugged, pebbled beach with lots to explore and some days you have it all to yourself. The images below are all from Blackhall Rocks beach.

Images using only a few elements

Part of the philosophy I have around my images, is that I would like them to generate some kind of emotional attachment with the viewer. In keeping with this, I really enjoy capturing scenes which contain very few elements (Meaning, scenes which appear to be very sparse of movement, people or items). Upon first glance, the images appear very simple but correct use of main points of focus can allow the viewer to let their imagination wander as to what situation surrounds the image.


3 main elements in this shot. The lush, green grass and the roaming pathway that leads they eye to the resting point of the large rock.

The above shot was taken in a busy park during the middle of the day. however, the lack of movement and other distractions gives the impression of a private place for reflection and peace. Selective foreground blurring provides the element of distance and sharpening the rock itself helps lead the eye 'into' the picture.


The stones are the main focus here and everything else seems to 'blend' away.

In the original shot for the above, the sky was bland and grey. Adding a selective colour-faded filter in Lightroom has added interest without taking away from the main focus.

A Small boat on Ullswater. The poignancy of this, is that it was taken during terrible floods that ruined bridges, yet the boat remains calm and unaffected. Just sitting patiently and calmly

The key to capturing this type of image is looking at the scene and working out what it is that is important. A wider view showed the fence around the lake almost completely submerged but I felt that it distracted away from the peace that the boat was unaware of the chaos around it (Yes, I know it's an inanimate object, we're being philosophical here haha) once that is established, correct composition will allow the main elements to 'pop' out. It is less about putting elements into context and more about leaving the viewer wondering what the rest of the scene may look like.

A simple, large moon in the mid-afternoon winter sky.

In the above shot it was important to use a long focal length to make the moon larger and a low iso setting to keep the sky looking smooth and silky. Blue, cloudless skies can be hard to handle at higher iso's.

Hope that you enjoyed these images - Check back soon more updates on the way!

Google+