2017 in Review – Photography

Posted on January 9, 2018January 9, 2018 by Francis J Taylor

2017 has been a great year for my photography career, I’ve visited lots of new places and met some great new people.

My major highlights for the year have included a front cover for the UK’s best selling photography magazine and winning awards in 3 major competitions!

As my own harshest critic I never think my work is good enough, so it’s a real confidence booster to do so well in these prestigious competitions.

In early February I won an award in International Garden Photographer of the Year, achieving 3rd place with my image of Millstone Edge. In November I won the Wild Woods category of the British Wildlife Photography Awards and finally went on to achieve ‘Runner Up’ in Landscape Photographer of the Year!

Looking back at images from the last year I can once again see how my tastes are constantly changing, and how much the quality of my images has progressed.

As is tradition I’ve included a selection of some of my favourite images from the last year, here’s my top 17 for 2017!

Starting the year off with a very wintry image taken in mid January during the first snow of 2017. I reached the summit of Hitter Hill just in time to capture a blizzard that engulfed Chrome and Parkhouse hills, causing a complete whiteout. Although this image appears black and white, it’s actually full colour. This image was awarded ‘Runner up’ in Landscape Photographer of the Year.

This image was taken on an eerily beautiful afternoon in some ancient Peak District woodland. As much as I love vibrant sun rises and sets, dank murky days offer some great opportunities to expand my portfolio.

This was an image I’d had in mind for a long time, but had been waiting for the perfect conditions. It was absolutely freezing sat in -5 waiting for the cars to come by, every blade of grass was covered in thick frost and I could barely see anything in the thickest patches of drifting fog. Everything came together in the end though, and after capturing a few light trails I headed back home to the warmth.

Thick mist drifts through the silver birches at Bolehill Quarry in the Derbyshire Peak District National Park. This image won the ‘Wild Woods’ Category in the 2017 British Wildlife photography Awards.

When the days start to lengthen and become warmer I typically focus more and more on wildlife photography. 2017 was no different and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the moorland Adders as they emerged from hibernation.

Mountain Hares are another of my favourite species to work with. This hare was so comfortable with my presence it was happy for me to get lose enough to fill the frame. An unforgettable experience!

After months of searching over winter and early spring and many unproductive attempts, I eventually managed to locate an active sett on suitable land. After a few long nights sat staring at a bush pondering my sanity, the badgers finally emerged in daylight. This image is a reminder to me that perseverance really does pay! I can’t wait to photograph these badgers again this year.

I had been watching this barn owl as it hunted the meadow, flying tirelessly back and forth with mice and voles for his demanding young. Just as he was about to enter the nest with his latest prize, he pulled a graceful U turn and landed on this post to eat the mouse just a few metres away from me! With the subject in shade and background illuminated by bright evening sunshine, I got the best of both worlds, combining fantastic detail with vivid colour and contrast, a beautiful effect!

After discovering this family of little owls, I visited most evenings, using the car as a mobile hide to get close without causing disturbance. Although initially they were slightly cautious of the car, they quickly became accustomed to my presence offering some great photographic opportunities.

Whilst out photographing little owls one evening, I passed under some telegraph lines literally covered in starlings. The racket they were making was incredible! I’m never one to miss an opportunity, so I stopped to capture this very simple silhouette.

The forecast had predicted changeable weather, my absolute favourite conditions for landscape photography. For once the weather was spot on and I had rainbows, sunshine, rain and even a bit of hail at one point! This image was taken just after a heavy shower when the sun managed to peek through a tiny gap in the dark stormy clouds.

Roach End Barn. After photographing the dramatic golden hour light at Ramshaw Rocks, the sun eventually disappeared behind the Roaches and into a bank of thick cloud. With plenty of cloud still overhead, I bombed it over to the nearby Roach End Barn with the hopes of catching some afterglow. When I got there I could see a tiny gap under the cloud, so I sprinted up the hill and set up to wait. After what felt like an age, the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the sky lit up with a stunning array of colour.

Fairbrook Waterfall. This waterfall is part of a series of stunning cascades on the lower slopes of Kinder Scout. It’s a real scramble to get down the valley sides to the waterfall, but well worth the effort. I’d been waiting for a dramatic sky to visit and the weather didn’t let me down. Using my trusty CPL filter I was also able to bring out some of the colour in the peaty water.

This proud stag looked in tip top shape, stood amongst the Autumn colours. I really like the simplicity and incredible detail of this image.

Whilst down in London for the BWPA, I spent some time photographing the local wildlife. Although London may seem a strange choice for wildlife photography, it can actually provide some of the best opportunities as the wildlife is so habituated. This colourful Autumn portrait of a grey heron is one of my favourites from the trip. By ensuring the subject was in shade and the background illuminated, I was able get the best of both worlds; fantastic detail in the subject and a contrasting colourful background, a beautiful effect!

The road to Skye literally passes through Glencoe, so it would have been foolish not to stop and take in the stunning scenery. This is the iconic view towards Buachaille Etive Mòr, an imposing 1022m high mountain. Here I went for the classic composition using the falls as foreground for the snow capped peak. This was my first ever visit to this incredible place, somewhere I will definitely photograph again!

This was one of the last images taken in 2017, taken just before Christmas. This friendly little robin didn’t want to leave my side whilst I was sat waiting for sunrise, even coming to sit on my wellies at one point. I couldn’t resist taking a few images, especially with the fresh snowflakes on the end of his beak!

I hope you enjoyed looking back at some of my favourite images from 2017. It’s been an incredible year for me and I want to thank you all for the amazing support you’ve shown me over the past year and look forward to seeing what 2018 brings.

Looking to the year ahead I will be focusing primarily on expanding my wildlife photography portfolio. I will be photographing all the usual favourites and lots of target species that I haven’t yet managed to photograph. Watch this space! 🙂

Landscape Photographer of the Year 2017

Posted on October 26, 2017July 13, 2018 by Francis J Taylor

Following on from my success last year, I’m thrilled to announce that my image ‘Snowstorm Over The Dragon’s Back’ has been awarded 2nd place in the ‘Classic View’ category in Landscape Photographer of the Year. Winning me a place in the book, travelling exhibition and a cash prize. A second of my Peak District images titled ‘Twisted Old Trees’ was also commended in the same category and will appear in the book.

When I received the email I couldn’t have been more surprised, after the initial shortlisting process I hadn’t heard anything for a long time and had actually resigned myself to the fact that my entries hadn’t been successful. Just as I was about to enter one of the images into another competition though, I received an email to say that my entry had been awarded runner up in the ‘Classic View’ category, a great accolade!

‘Twisted Old Trees’ – Commended LPOTY 2017

I would just like to add that competitions are in no way the be all and end all of photography, there are many very talented photographers earning a living from photography that don’t even get shortlisted. Photography is very subjective and it comes down to what the judges like on the day. That said, it is a great accolade and always very rewarding to get some appreciation for the images we create!

Finally I would like to congratulate the rest of this years commended and award winning photographers in Landscape Photographer of the Year. The standard of images is truly incredible and it really motivates me to keep improving and progressing with my own work.

You can see more of this years winners and highly commended entries on the LPOTY website, the Guardian and the Daily Mail.

Forth Bridges, Firth of Forth, Scotland

Posted on October 9, 2017October 9, 2017 by Francis J Taylor

As part of my award in Landscape Photographer of the Year, I was treated to an exclusive all access visit to the Forth Rail Bridge. As it was a fair journey up to here from my home in Sheffield, I decided to extend the trip and visit some additional locations with my partner.

On the way up we made a stop at Beadnell with the plan to visit the Farne Islands and some of the surrounding coastline. Unfortunately we were hit by a summer storm and the visit to the Farne Islands had to be cancelled as the boats couldn’t land. Sadly The rain and high winds continued from here throughout my journey up to Scotland and so I still hadn’t managed any photography.

Thankfully on the day I visited the Forth bridge the wind and rain finally died down and I was able to enjoy the day!

My partner and I met up with Charlie, Diana and Scott at Queensferry train station and we headed down together to the bridge. Here we met with some of the engineers and after donning some very fashionable hard hats, we headed up to the top in the Engineers lift.

At the top there was a big platform offering some stunning views over the Firth of Forth and I had a great time creating some compositions.

Leading lines of the Forth Rail Bridge, looking towards South Queensferry.

View from the top of the Forth Rail Bridge, looking towards North Queensferry.

A boat in the North Queensferry Harbour.

View down to the railway tracks from the top of the Forth Rail Bridge, looking towards North Queensferry, Firth of Forth, Scotland.

After spending some time on the top, we headed back down and across to South Queensferry and walked underneath the bridge to the first platform. Here we had the opportunity to look right onto the tracks and watch the trains as they rattled along the tracks.

Finally we headed back along and said our goodbyes to the group at the station after what was truly memorable day!

After my visit to the top during the day, we headed into Edinburgh to capture some night scenes from Calton Hill, a great viewpoiunt in the centre of the city.

Princess Street from Calton Hill at Dusk.

After spending a couple of hours on Calton Hill we headed back to South Queensferry and photographed the forth road and rail bridges from the ground during the blue hour, I was really lucky to get a calm evening for some nice reflections!

The Forth Road and Rail bridges during the blue hour, I was really lucky to get a calm evening for some nice reflections!

The Forth Rail Bridge from the rocky bay, you can see the ongoing construction of the newest bridge in the background.

After my time in Queensferry it was time to head back down to Sheffield and as we had finally got some lovely warm weather, we decided to stop by the lovely St Abbs for a day on the coast.

Long exposure at St Abbs Head, showing the colour of the beautiful turquoise water.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about my trip, I’ve included some additional information about the Forth Bridges below:

About the Forth Bridges

Scotland’s three Forth Bridges stand side by side spanning the Firth of Forth, each bridge is unique, representing the best in engineering and design over the centuries.

Completed in early 1890, the iconic Cantilever design of the Forth Rail Bridge is recognised throughout the world as the first major steel structure. The bridge still holds the world record for the world’s longest cantilever bridge and represents a key point in the history of the modern railway. After the years had begun to take their toll on the structure, a full-scale restoration project to return the bridge to its original construction condition was completed in 2012. In July 2015, UNESCO inscribed the Forth Bridge as the sixth World Heritage site in Scotland.

The Forth Road Bridge is an impressive suspension bridge that spans the Forth 1006m between the two towers. Upon completion the bridge was the fourth longest in the world. From end to end the bridge is over 2.5 km long, constructed from an incredible 39,000 tonnes of steel and 125,000 cubic metres of concrete.

The final bridge, the Queensferry Crossing, is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world, spanning an incredible 1.7 miles. The innovative design of the cross spanning cables provides the extra strength and support which allows the towers and the deck to be more slender and elegant.

You can find more about the Forth Bridges here.

Landscape Photographer of the Year 2016

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Francis J Taylor

As I haven’t posted a blog entry for a while now I thought I would write a short post about my recent competition success in Landscape Photographer of the Year .

Alongside my highly commended image of Wyming Brook in this years British Wildlife Photography Awards, I am absolutely thrilled to have won an award in the 2016 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, winning this year’s Network Rail category. As a passionate landscape photographer it has been a long standing goal to be featured in this prestigious competition, so to win an award feels incredible!

To have my image of the Ribblehead viaduct chosen as the category winner is a real honour, as it is a location that has always inspired me. The sheer scale of the construction, the remarkable work that went into its completion and the stunning setting make this a top notch location for me.

The awards ceremony and following exhibition were held in Waterloo Station, London, with the exhibition staying on display in the station before moving around the country from February 5th 2017 on a nationwide tour.

Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards Ceremony:

I really enjoyed the evening, seeing a few familiar faces and lots of new ones with plenty of stunning work on show. I’ve included a few images from the evening below.

*PLEASE NOTE – All images were taken by the official event photographer and are not mine.

Scott Fisher announcing the Network Rail Award.

Award presentation with Charlie Waite, Julia Bradbury and Scott Fisher.

Sir Peter Hendy and Charlie Waite.

Waterloo Exhibition.

Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition in Waterloo Station.

Finally I would like to congratulate the rest of this years commended and award winning photographers. The standard of images is truly incredible and it really motivates me to keep improving and progressing with my own work.

To see a selection of this years images in the Guardian click here, with a full selection of winning and highly commended images on the Landscape Photographer of the year website here.

Thanks for looking, please feel free to share.