Mist in the Cauldron

Winter is an excellent time for landscape photography. With that gorgeous low winter sun, misty mornings and the contrast in colours, that many wrongly believe aren’t there, it really is a delight. Making the effort to get out of the house and head into the countryside can be rewarded with some beautiful images.

The Christmas break afforded us the chance to get out more and I took full advantage with my camera. I branched out from the 15-45mm lens went with my 75-300mm zoom for a different perspective. I forget that this lens can produce some fantastic portraits and when used creatively some glorious landscapes too.

About this photograph

So this image, I’m calling it Mist in the Cauldron, was produced using that very 75-300m lens. It was a case of using what was attached to the camera at the time when we rounded a corner on the climb out of Hold Cauldron. The light, the mist and the contrast between the deciduous trees in the foreground and the evergreens in the background were, therefore, the taking. I didn’t want to waste time switching lenses so I found the best spot I could and clicked. I had been firing off shots of the dog in action so had actually forgotten I was in automatic mode, but I don’t believe using your camera in automatic is a bad thing, and it certainly doesn’t make you any less creative.

The shot is taken looking south-east with Hodge Beck to the left and the road climbing out of the valley to the right. I especially enjoy making landscapes at this focal length because of the compression you get in the image. For example, the trees in the foreground look close to those in the background, yet in reality, there was some distance between them.

Mist like this is something you usually get on a winters morning. It’s caused when warmer air rapidly warms the cooler air on the surface of the land. In this image, with the mist filtering between the trees, it’s made for a fantastic ethereal feel.

Hold Cauldron

Hold Cauldron Mill sits in a valley around 2 miles to the west of Kirkbymoorside in North Yorkshire. Records show a mill existing at this site since before 1704 when it was burnt down by a mill servant. The building sits adjacent to Hodge Beck. There’s a weir and remains of the mill race where the water would have turned its wheel. The mill ceased operating around 1920 and the entire building has since been converted into a residential property.

Technical details

• Camera: Canon EOS M50
• Lens: Canon 75-300mm (using the Canon EF-EOS M adapter)
• Exposure: ƒ/8 | 1/500sec | 75 mm | ISO1600
• Editing software: Adobe Lightroom