Shadows of the past, a photo from Cumbria, England

Photographer's Note

Disused sheepfold near Mosedale.

In the quiet open country north of Skiddaw there are few signs of human habitation these days, but every now and then you come across signs of a more populous past - a tumbledown stonewall here, the remains of a farmhouse there.
Although overgrown, this old sheepfold was in a good state of repair, but it obviously hadn't been used for many years. Who knows how old it was - a few centuries at least, although it could have been well over a thousand years old.

I was coming to the end of a long walk, twenty miles down and six to go, and after enduring terrible weather for much of the day I was rewarded with beautiful evening light for the remainder of my walk. It was quite spectacular.

portmanndominic, macondo, ktanska, pasternak, dlevy23, john_c, Wanda1, saylan-cb, dougie, cherryripe, Budapestman, ryno, feather, kevinos trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

macondo (20449) 2007-10-09 5:23

First shot on first page of the gallery for me tonight, Ben! Good one, too. Fantastic shadows, great sunlight, fine sky and interesting and beautifully lit ancient enclosure. Terrific detail in the grass and stones of the pen, and incredible cloud shadow on the slope. Really dazzling sort of shot. However old this pen might be, it's in unbelievably good condition; it looks completely intact.
Regards,
Andrew

portmanndominic (2400) 2007-10-09 5:24

hello Ben

good composition , beautiful light and contrast may be liitle better with more ground and little less sky ?

Paolo (41258) 2007-10-09 5:24

Hi Ben, excllent one, with wodnerful light and a fantastic capture of the cloud shadow on the hill.
high quality and excellent exposue too.
thanks, ciao

ktanska (44766) 2007-10-09 5:31

Hi Ben,
Very strong 3D feeling with those low flying clouds and the shadow. Interesting. I see that stone fences in England come in all possible forms. Strong but convincing saturation.
Kari

mathiasmo (1759) 2007-10-09 5:34

great picture, everything is well composed, in the right place. Excelent timing also. Reflects to me the most typical English landscape. Cheers.

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2007-10-09 5:35

Hi Ben.

The colours are...amazing. A nice contrast with the sky, the sheepfold as an introduction is lovely.

My compliments!

Rgs, Oscar

captainsgirl (3450) 2007-10-09 5:47

HI Ben,
First off I really love the vivid colors, the sharpness and the depth of your photo. The POV is perfect to show the rolling hillsides and the stonework made by someone long ago. What hard work that must have been, and amazing it still stands. Perfect title ...:o) TFS
Donna:o)

pitboy (231) 2007-10-09 5:54

Hi Ben,
very nice colors and perfect composition. Good shadows and good contrast.
Thanks for sharing.
Fabio.

Cormac (26565) 2007-10-09 7:18

Great landscape! I like the simplicity or minimalism of this, with the open fields and the huge sky above. I like the mixed sun and shadow on the hills too, which is fascinating to look at. The circular stone wall is a bit eerie and thought provoking, and makes a good focal point. Great work!

testmaniac (13508) 2007-10-09 7:52

Hi Ben, interesting and good photo and nice place. The clouds make this photo very attractive.

TFS

Philip

partha (14023) 2007-10-09 9:14

Simple and exotic shot. Wonderful pleasing green colourtone and the light and shadow looks wonderful.
Regards.
partha

dlevy23 (2018) 2007-10-09 10:11

Hi Ben, great photo. Nice colors and composition.
I like the shadow of the cloud on the fields.
Good job.

Daniel

dkeus31 (27739) 2007-10-09 10:41

hello Ben,
nice light on the stones and the fields, creating a good image.
regards
didier

Wanda1 (15142) 2007-10-09 22:35

Hi Ben,
The colours of bright blue sky and green rolling hills, and the white fluffy clouds almost look like something out of tellytubby land. Wonderful light and I like the details and textures of the stone wall and grass. A lovely country scene well captured.
Regards
Wanda

bantonbuju (51815) 2007-10-10 0:09

hey ben,
superb work, i think that you acquired a great post processing technique where you present us with intensively saturated colours, the light is so that i'd associate this place with northern africa rather than the uk...:-))
best, j.

pasternak (15185) 2007-10-10 2:17

Hi Ben, great landscape photo here, with nice light punctuating the circle of old stones and providing the cloud shadow to enliven the slope on the left. Good sky with interesting patterns of clouds and lines. The only drawback may be the 1:1 frame division between the earth and the sky, which takes away some of the depth, but I understand that it was hard to frame it differently.

Cheers
Alexander

Leonie (8809) 2007-10-10 2:50

Hi Ben,
Another shot that reminds me of Ireland's beautiful landscapes..I must go some day to this area of England. The light is fantastic! Cheers, Léonie

Angshu (56760) 2007-10-10 3:03

Hi Ben
The circular stone wall actually provides a lot of interest here. But what draws my attention first is the shadow of the cloud on the slopes. The light you captured here is wonderful, which gives us the lovely colour tones & the light/shadow effect on the stones in the wall. I am liking these good, bright shots from you Ben.
Regards
Angshu

saylan-cb (12738) 2007-10-10 5:23

Hi Ben
Superb view!A very good composition and great colours,light..
Excellent work...
TFS/Regards

dougie (2523) 2007-10-10 7:21

Hi,
I been looking at some sheepfolds around here and your picture has rekindled my interest. This is a nicely positioned one and well lit too. The shadow on the hill was well timed, breaking up the big green space that would have been there otherwise and balancing the dark area on the right. Nice one. Thanks.
Dougie.

john_c (24666) 2007-10-10 7:38

Hi Ben,
You caught the fine light here nicely, with superb shadow effects. I like the balance of foreground and sky here, as well as the crisp clear detail of the stone. There seems to be a fine art to preserving the quality of grasses and leaves without oversharpening and this photo is successful in that regard. I would love to have a limit of 250kb on TE to play with in order to better present landscape shots...Cheers.
John

cherryripe (21033) 2007-10-10 10:06

Hi Ben
What a stunning light here to highlight the perfectly round wall and surround wild landscape. The different light and shadows adds atmosphere and the clouds are amazing. It was worth the bad weather you had to put up with.
Regards
Nikki

anesugur (18789) 2007-10-10 12:14

Hi Ben,
Very good composition and excellent colors and quality.
Thanks and best wishes. Uğur

Budapestman (82620) 2007-10-11 2:20

Dear Ben,
Beautiful image, colours and lights are picturesque. I like the interesting note and the impressive realization, creative and fine photo, Great! Have a nice day
George

ryno (6869) 2007-10-12 6:29

Hi Ben, I like this one a lot. Nothing fancy to it, just a beautiful place, excellent light and a good composition. The cloud shadow against the hill adds interest and the ancient stone wall contributes a hint of mystery to the photo. Good work!
Cheers,
Ryno

feather (51130) 2007-10-13 3:36

Amazing to find such a well preserved but unused structure in the middle of nowhere. Those old dry-stone walls were built to last. The light certainly in the star in this shot, for the colour tones, the contrast and the shadow of the cloud on the hillside. A just reward for the long walk.
Kath

kevinos (7517) 2007-10-15 9:12

This one is popular and not surprisingly so, it has such dramatic colour, varied textures and a frame full of incident. The sheep pen is a lovely and historic structure and it's great to see it so well preserved. It nestles nicely in the folds of the hills and you have it all capped of by a really decorative sky. There is something essentially English about this view. However, if have to say I find the color to brash, it look over saturated to me and too yellow. The sky color looks more Disneyland than Cumbria and the light areas of the grassland too harshly yellow. I assume that you have zapped up the saturation or contrast and this robs it of something of its gentle English character.I stuck it on Photoshop and desaturated it a tad and moved the colour balance away from the yellow and , do you know, I really liked the result? It became less exciting; less demanding perhaps but more natural and agreeable to me anyway. Also, because of the great pattern and the good contrast,it looks wonderful as a B&W too. Either way, it is a picture that I enjoy looking at and deserves its high rating. regards kevin

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