February proved to be a very frustrating month from a weather perspective. Much of the time the south of the country was covered in a blanket of low, unbroken dull cloud making for extremely flat lighting conditions. At times like these it is important to make the most of every opportunity that comes along, not easy when you are juggling commitments to commissioned work and a young family! I did however, manage to add some images to the River Thames project, most notably of the area around Cricklade in Wiltshire not far from the source including a stunning sunset panorama and some nice images of the church at Castle Eaton on the banks of the river. Closer to home, I also made the most of the snow drops that were starting to make their appearance and have added some images of the church at Kintbury in Berkshire and chapel at neighbouring Avington, in addition to some photographs long the Kennet and Avon Canal. The River Kennet at Newbury also makes an appearance with some lovely light around the West Mills area of the town and I managed a really nice panoramic of Market Place at dusk.
The best image of the month was taken on a day trip into the Brecon Beacons which is close on a 3 hour drive from my house. I left early in the morning to get a full day in and arrived to very indifferent weather - it was raining! I never discount these conditions as a break in the cloud can lead to some dramatic lighting and so I set off up the slope to the ridge that leads to Corn Du from the car park on the main road to Brecon. After an hours slog uphill, I arrived on the top of Corn Du, my aim being to photograph the neighbouring peak of Pen y Fan for my County Highs project. The tops were not only covered in snow but with low cloud as well with visibility down to a few feet. After three hours of rain, sleet, snow and biting winds I had to admit defeat and headed for the calmer lower slopes out of the force of the weather. It was at the lower levels that the weather started to break and I managed a cracking shot looking across the valley to the peak of Fan Fawr, this made the day's effort worthwhile and just goes to prove it is always wise to remain optomistic and take your chances when they present themselves.
As I write this, the weather has finally taken a turn for the better and the daffodils are starting to appear, so here's hoping for a more fruitful March with some excellent light.
