Photographic competition

Adventures in the Uplands - photo competition top tips!

The Uplands of Great Britain provide us all with a fantastic opportunity for exploration and adventure. With the theme of ‘Adventures in the Uplands’ you have the opportunity to highlight exciting but responsible use of the wild places you explore - be they mountains, moorlands, upland woodlands or bogs.

Here are a few tips to help you on your way to creating images of your adventures:

1.    Find the lines

Many striking images rely on ‘lead-in lines’. This could be any kind of line that the observers eye can follow through the image, providing impact and focus to the picture. Footpaths are a great example to be found in the uplands.

2.    It’s all in the detail

A great photo of the uplands doesn’t have to be a landscape. Observe people’s activities and focus on the details of what they’re doing.  Maybe it’s the water splashes while playing in puddles or a climber’s grip as they hang on for dear life!

3.    Find the interesting perspective

 
Don’t be afraid to look at a scene from many angles and perspectives to make your picture stand out from the crowd. Also think about using the light to create interesting effects like silhouettes.

4.    Go wide

 
One of our favourite things about the uplands is the wide open views they provide. Consider creating panoramic pictures to take in the entire landscape.

5.    Shoot mono

 
Black and white images can help bring out the texture in a scene in a way colour images can’t. Try thinking in monochrome to create really eye-catching photos. 


To find out more and to enter the competition, visit the Moors for the Future Partnership website. Good luck!

Photo competition display - on tour!

Images on display in Bakewell Gallery

A display of the winning, runner-up and selected short-listed photos from our 'water in the uplands' themed photographic competition is now touring venues throughout the summer and into autumn. You can visit the exhibition at the venues below; and we will add more dates to the list when new venues are confirmed.

26th May - 9th June: Gallery Oldham
9th June - 23rd June: Totley Library
23rd June - 7th July - Bakewell Tourist Information Centre
7th July - 21st July - Sheffield Central Library
21st July - 4th August - Marsden Moor Exhibition Centre (National Trust)
4th August - 18th August - Brownhill Countryside Centre, Greater Manchester
18th August - 1st September - Hayfield Library
1st September - 15th September - University of Sheffield -Western Bank Library
15th September - 23rd September - Edale Visitor Centre and 'BogFest'

Top tips for entering our photography competition

Here are 6 top tips for those thinking of entering our 'Water in the Uplands' photo competition: http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/community-science/competition

1.  Slow the flow

Reduce your camera’s shutter speed to catch the dreamy effect of water in flow. 

A tripod is a handy piece of kit to keep your camera steady, but alternatively use a small bean bag or even a folded up jumper to sit your camera on. 

Use the self-timer function so you can go hands free, ensuring the camera doesn’t move while it’s recording the shot.


2. Beauty in the details


Look more closely at water and you’ll be amazed by some of the little details to be found.

Capture bubbles below a waterfall, reflections in puddles and get really close to discover the world of water droplets.










3. Water in the landscape


Consider the wider landscape and make water a part of the bigger picture.

Think how it has shaped its surroundings whether naturally or by the addition of man-made structures like bridges and weirs.





4. Go abstract

There’s so much potential for creating abstract images of water.

Create patterns from a flowing waterfall or focus on ripples in a calm pool.














5.  Winter wonderland

Winter is a great time to photograph water as the cold takes hold to create ice and snow.

Get out early after a cold night and capture incredible ice formations clinging to plants and rocks.

Alternatively take a break from sledging after a big snowfall and capture incredible winter scenery.







6.  Life giving water

There are many plant and animal species that rely on the habitats provided by the water in our uplands.

Capture beautiful creatures in their watery homes or look at plants like Sphagnum mosses that keep our blanket bogs saturated.

Tom Aspinall

Photo competition 2016 - 'Water in the Uplands'

We're very happy to announce that this year's Community Science photo competition is now open for entries.

The theme for entries this year is 'WATER IN THE UPLANDS'  - intended in part to draw attention to the wide-ranging positive effects of re-wetting blanket bogs. As ever you are free to interpret this theme as you see fit - using as much creativity and imagination as possible!

This year there are age-based categories for photographers to enter - 'Adults' or '15 and under', and we have kindly been donated some fantastic prizes:

The winner of the adults category will win this amazing HD nest box camera system worth £99 - donated by Gardenature.

The winner of the 15 and under category will win this (appropriately) waterproof camera worth £130 donated by Harrison Cameras.

The deadline for entries is 31st Dec 2016. For full details of how to enter, please see our webpage. Good luck!

Picture perfect

I was very pleased this week to officially announce the winner and runners up in our 2015 photography competition. Many fantastic entries were sent in, covering the theme of 'moorland and wildlife'.

A shortlist of 25 was narrowed down to 1 overall winner and 5 runners up.

The winning image was the beautiful photo below: Malcolm Mee's shot of a short-eared owl which has momentarily perched on a moorland fence post. 

Worth the wait: Malcolm Mee's winning image

As Malcolm explained; he had been visiting the same spot for about 4 years to watch these daytime hunting owls, and finally (from his car) he snapped this suberb photo. The judges, Kate MacRae (Wildlife Kate) and Paul Hobson praised the golden light, and the use of the background moorland which put the owl into context with its landscape.

To read more about the winning picture and see the runners up; please visit our website.

Photo Competition - Top Tips from Paul Hobson

This year's Community Science photo competition, themed 'Moorland and Wildlife' is now open for your entries.

Black Darter by Paul Hobson

Local wildlife photographer and author Paul Hobson has kindly donated one of the prizes  - a signed copy of his fantastic book 'Wild Derbyshire' -  and will be helping to judge the competition alongside Kate MacRae, also known as Wildlife Kate.

The prizes - 2 fabulous signed wildlife books worth over £40

To help give you some inspiration and ideas, Paul has provided 7 top-tips for entrants:

1. The background is as important as the subject. More images are ruined by a poor background than any other reason.

2. Use a tripod, it slows you down and allows fine tuning to your composition.

3. Make sure you understand depth of field and f numbers so you choose the best depth of field (dof) for your image. Landscapes tend to want big dof's at F16 or higher. Portraits of animals and plants can look great at lower dof's using f numbers like 4 or 5.6

Red Grouse in a Peak District landscape by Paul Hobson

 

4. Make sure you understand the basic rule of composition, the rule of thirds. At its most basic try to get the subject to one side of your image and looking into the space.

5. Try to get away from auto and use one of the main modes like aperture priority, this allows you a far greater control over your camera and images.

6. Don't copy other images, try to be original and create a style of your own.

7. You don't need to travel far, all my best images are taken close to home because I can repeatedly visit and perfect my images.

To find out more about Paul's photography, and to see details of his new book 'Wildlife Photography Field Skills and Techniques' head over to his website.  

To enter the photo competition, please head to the Community Science website.