Whilst I have managed several days out for my own images this year as well as delivering my landscape photography workshops and courses, it has been a very busy summer in the National Parks. It has been great to see them being enjoyed by so many but it is fair to say that they have been ‘full’ at times. The congestion that was so evident is now beginning to abate with a sense of balance returning.

Many people have been introduced to the parks for the first time and hopefully it encourages return trips to further their appreciation of the landscape. It hasn’t all been positive though with some well documented negatives making headlines but thankfully, they have been outweighed by the pleasure that the majority have enjoyed.

From a personal perspective and like most like other pros out there, I have been working in the national parks but also squeezing in the aforementioned personal trips, visiting locations for my own portfolio and projects.

It is always good to try new spots and explore but I love returning to regular haunts to document their changes throughout the seasons. Sometimes I will decide to work with just one lens to get the best from myself as I find that helps with the development of skills. It has been a fruitful and rewarding time working alongside Vicki and as a result of the trips, I have now added a number of new images across the sections in my online shop.

We are now into Autumn when the days begin to ‘‘draw in,’ cool down and the colours begin to develop. I have seen ‘evidence’ of the change in a number of places but I find that in recent years, the Lakes in particular has still been verdant right into October. However, when the full colours begin to explode colouring the landscape. It is worth the wait.

This also means a return to warmer clothing with the kit bag getting heavier which is a small price to pay for the spectacle we are treated too. I regularly use my Billingham Bags, especially if I am travelling light on the lower slopes or on a workshop where my camera rarely comes out (normally to demonstrate something) but I find that my larger, more accommodating ‘f stop bag’ is needed as the year begins to close.

The misty, foggy mornings will return and dawn shoots are easier too ‘get up’ for. I am all for that as well! It is a time of year I have always loved and I look forward to the coming months working and exploring new places.

Wherever you go, enjoy your photography.