A landscape smothered in bleak weather conditions can be one of the most challenging to photograph and yet one of the most rewarding. There are many good reasons why that is so but for me, being there on your own, the world to yourself and the freedom to look, wander and think without hinderance tops it all!
Most bods with camera's, a loose term but pretty relevant, will stay shackled up behind closed doors, reluctant to venture outside as they feel the lights not good enough to produce images. Not the case! OK, I accept the overall challenge increases, meaning we work harder, dig deeper into our knowledge banks and look beyond the given. But that all must be good. Right? Conditions create the mood, none more so than bad weather but that mood can be enhanced to produce a desired effect with your preferred computer software.
High up in Teesdale, the conditions were certainly bleak as we headed over to the nestled town of Stanhope. Rounding the bend and dropping gradually on the rain sodden tarmac, the barn presented itself as a 'must-have' image. Creating depth in flat lighting is a challenge forcing the photographer to look beyond the obvious. Various physical elements within the image help us to wander through to the barn i.e. the gate, the wall and a series of ditches. The light (enhanced slightly in Photoshop) gives a light, dark, light, dark recession, again adding depth. Grungy processing adds to the overall mood of a wet, sodden day.