I couldn't resist another trip to Harboro Rocks in Derbyshire's Peak District again. The weather was forecast to be clearing and possibly even misty. I am never one to pass on a chance to shoot in fog or mist with the cinematic possibilities so driving 40 miles isn't really a chore.
I arrived before dark with the aim of taking a look around the Rocks in daylight. It seemed to me I was probably missing quite a lot of the best bits to shoot so arriving early made sense. Early also gives me a chance to figure the best ways around the place without the risk of falling off a cliff in the dark!
This is a mixed set of images shot before and after dark, the dark being my favourite so that goes first. The second part are images of record for potential ideas in the dark on another trip.
It turns out, I am the Fifth Element
These concrete pillars were part of a mining structure on site carrying ore down a hill but left abandoned years ago. The pillars' shapes were reminiscent of the stones from the movie, The Fifth Element. It weirdly didn't occur to me at first but once I saw the resemblance, I added myself in as the fifth.
The beam was created by using an Olight Marauder Mini flashlight laid on the ground behind a red gelled flashgun and pointed skywards. The uneven ground meant I had to reposition a few times to get the beam just so.
The fog caught the red from the flash and the beam. I also used a custom white balance to make the sky appear bluer in the dark rather than the muddy orange light polluted sky. It all came together nicely once I'd got the technical stuff sorted.
Messianic Megalomaniac
I switched the Olight Marauder Mini flashlight to emit a wider beam and this is the result. I experimented with different exposure times and more than one pop of flash until I got a result I liked.
Cave Dweller
I ended up inside this cave as it was getting dark and messed around with LED panel lights to illuminate the insides. I added a bare flashgun outside the cave entrance so as to light some of the insides and mix white with orange.
I think I spent way too long with the lighting set up inside the cave for my own good because by the time I'd finished messing around it was pitch black outside!
Moody
On the walk back to my car, I spotted this light emitting from the factory next to Harboro Rocks. I love how the mist creates beams of light like this so I quickly captured this on my iPhone. It was at this point I was too tired to unpack my "real" camera and shoot it properly. For a phone image shot in the dark, it's not half bad!
Why is this place not more popular than it is?
The Peak District is like a magnet for day trippers from Manchester and Sheffield on both sides of the Pennines. You can't move for parked cars in some areas of the Peaks.
I travelled to Harboro Rocks in daylight half expecting that I would be unable to find a place to park let alone walk up to the Rocks. So I was quite surprised to see only a handful of cars with plenty of space left.
This is the view half way up to the top. Why is Stanage Edge, for example, more popular than this? Strange!
A planned shot for next time
I visited in daylight so as to find new points of view to shoot and to see if any ideas sparked.
This may not be much to look at in daylight but the pointed rocks on the right is due north which I can line up with Polaris. The cave on the bottom left may well have a light emanating from within.
This may not be the final composition I end up with but it will be near enough.
Moonlit night landscape potential
This old generator house and it's setting with the electrical lines looks to me like a potential shot for a moonlit night. The conditions have to be right, some clouds but not too many will add to the composition if I get lucky with the wind direction. I will most probably place a light inside the building to draw the viewers eye and possibly make it look more sinister with a red gelled flashgun. Maybe.....
Sparking ideas
Sometimes I like to think in reverse. By that I mean don't go for the obvious image everyone else has probably shot and maybe go behind the structure to see what alternative point of view I might get. I currently don't have a shot in mind yet but I took this snap for later perusal to see if an idea catches light. (Probably literally!)
Valves
One of those objects I look at and think I could light that up in the dark to see what happens. I will probably spend way too much time shooting this....
Tree Hugger
Being a Sherwood Forester, I'm a big fan of trees. This one caught my eye for lighting up in the dark, possibly with a drone light from above. It's on the list!
One thing is for sure, I'll be back here sometime soon!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex, landscape and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; the social side of photography is always good!
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