Foggy Morning on the Chase

Location: Adjacent to Camp Road, Cannock Chase

It hasn't been the greatest day's weather here in the West Midlands, but at least it started foggy.  I took an early walk over part of Cannock Chase, partly to continue a project to photograph an oak tree that has got a foothold within the deep conifer plantations but mainly to see what was on offer in the conditions.

What is it about a photographer and tripod?  As I'm passed nearly everyone who speaks to me supposes I'm there photographing some rare bird, or other wildlife.  I'm reminded of another photographer on Blipfoto who is asked more than most (he lives in the Lake District).  He usually answers 'the landscape' and is often met with a shrug of the shoulders and a dismissive, 'Oh, I see'.  And that's in the Lake District!

I've had other people who say 'it's not great conditions for taking photographs'.  If they're bothered I might just show them one or two of the images I've taken and briefly explain that conditions like those found this morning are manna from heaven for a landscape photographer.  It's always gratifying when someone takes interest and after complaining that their shots never come out like this, is happy to hear what they can do to improve the image.  Suffice to say every shot today was taken on a tripod, mainly using shutter speeds in excess of a second and over-exposing by as much as two stops.