Dark Remnant

The slate miners and thier familys that inhabited these dwellings must

have been hardy folk, no electricity, no hot water and no shops for

miles, and the only way to get to the village was down the steep

mountain track. I suppose one of the small consolations was the peace

and serenity of thier surroundings.... The light was changing rapidly, one

minute cloudy next minute rain, I was waiting for the wind to drop and

eventually it did, of course then started the rain. This was to be the last

shot of the day. As I packed my camera away the rain turned to

hailstones, and I sheltered in one of the old ruins ........slate roof still

works It kept me dry. Your thoughts and comments are always

appreciated. Thank You.

An excellent capture Alf! Love the old ruins, and the distorted reflection in the water.Nicely composed, and superbly exposed. Great contrast between the old building, and the surrounding greenery. Looks like a lovely, peaceful place to spend the day. Did you have to hike in to this area?

All the best,
Neil

Alf...  A moody and demonstrative reminder of this bittersweet lifestyle... Fine detail and color... Mike

Lovely capture, Alf...wonderful colors...my best

Alf,

  Beautiful capture with wonderful colors & details.  Thanks for the history on this wonderful scene.  Take care, Patsy

Wonderful composition!

It seems you found your own ruins Alf.  Nice shot.  I like the ghostly reflection which i find quite befitting the subject and mood. Nice work as usual.  Regards - michel

Hi Alf, I viewed this larger and found that it improves, not that it needs improving, but more details are revealed. You truly get a medievel atmosphere from this image. The comment about the ghostly reflection is right on as well. Take care.

Sincerely,

Holger

Very beautiful!!

Quite  scene, Alf.  There is so much to work with here.  If would be fun to get closer, inside etc.   Nicely done.

Hi Alf,

I am glad you used the facilities and stayed dry.  This is an interesting image with nice color and clarity.  Can you achieve more detail in the building?  The front seems a bit dark.  I'm trying to differentiate stone from window openings more. Viewed larger helps to see the image.  The rain does a funny job on the water too. Still, I like this image.  The stone at the top, tailings or whatever from the mine are most interesting.  I enjoy looking at your images, Alf.   Best to you.   Larry

It is a very nice landscape of/with  the past. Its grayness is well contrasted on the green/ rocky surrounding. When seen larger the details are beautifuly presented. Well executed despite the weather....;-))

Hi Alf,

Seems like you had a tough time with the weather! Your determination though paid off. Beautiful scene, well managed light and colours. Also really like your title, adds a gothic element to this scene.

Really nice work. Warm regards. Sarah

Extraordinary details and definition in larger version, with very good composition and so balanced light. Your perfect description about this place completed it even more. I think the right side of this capture is more or less featureless and adds no more beauty to overall scene, and what about considering a vertical format only including the main structure and its reflection. Just a humble suggestion, though, to an excellent photo. Compliments,

Hamid.

At first look, it's lovely, but, like your title, closer inspection shows a ravaged area where even the tree cannot stand up straight.  My fingers want to block out the structure and imagine something whole and cozy, but then there's the slate scattered everywhere above like a bully forever poised to strike.  Also, the rocks that sprout from the hills lean, as if in precarious collapse.  Even the watery reflections are marred on a pockmarked surface.  With an alluring green and hints of splendorous possibilities, it is more the reality than what one dreams.  

Worth the effort and your patience. One can really appreciate the excellence of this image when viewed larger. I toyed with the idea of less water and more hill. In addition I thought about more water and less hill. In addition, I also thought about putting the camera in portrait mode and doing a series of images that would result in a larger and panoramic image. In the end you chose the perfect shot. Time and weather permitting, I might have tried all of these options but based on the imminent hailing from above, neither you nor I would have had the time and opportunity. My congrats on a very fine shot 'as is'.

All the best and thank you for sharing your fine photographic talent and constructive critiques.

I wish there was a hut like that on top of Helvellyn,the rain comes horizontal there.This is a well thought composition with very decent light,i like how you included the bottom of the slate hip at the top,it shows  what the  cottages were there for.colour wise,very good considering a very drab day,very nice work Alf,my regards and thanks for the recent visit and comment

Thanks for sharing the story behind the photo; I can't wait to visit this part of the world and take in my own history lessons! Very pretty scene; I really like the soft blurry reflection contrasted with the rough old stone. Thank you for sharing. :)

This is a beautiful capture with nice colour tones and nice view.The title fit perfect to your shot,also!Best regards(Bobby).

A beautiful landscape-shot with very nice details, Alf!

NEIL

Many Thanks, I really appreciate your comments. It was that reflection in the water that I was seeking to capture, but the wind and rain were not playing ball. Everything up here is made from slate, slate houses, slate fences, even slate gate posts, and the houses have no mortar or cement, the walls on the house you can see are about 2 - 3 ft thick. The timber framework that was covered in slate tiles, long ago rotted away. It is a short hike (about 20 -30 mins) but up a very steep slope. There are lots of old dwellings dotted about up here, and an old chapel, but I like the shape of this one.

Cheers Neil!

Alf

MIKE

Many thanks for your interest and your thoughts. "Moody" is perhaps the best adjective to summarise this place, it has loads of it, bit tricky trying to capture it though, so I'm pleased it come across that way.

Cheers Mike!

Alf

KALLOL

Thank you for your interest and kind words, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

PATSY

Thank you so much! There is a wealth of history attached to this place and the surrounding mining communities that once lived here. I think the last occupant of the village moved out in 1957......it's a fascinating place.

Take Care

Alf

MAURIZIO

Sincere Thanks!

Alf

MIICHEL

Many Thanks for your interest and encouraging words. My original thoughts / idea's were to try and capture dwelling with a clear reflection and moody sky, and then convert the image to B & W, but things seldom go to plan with british weather. But I still quite liked the result.

Cheers Michel!

Alf

HOLGER

Many thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, very much appreciated. Its interesting that you noticed the improvement in the larger view, this is more than likely due to the sharpness being geared to the larger image. Medievel is another great adjective to describe this place, I'm really pleased the atmosphere has transmitted through the image.

Best Regards

Alf

ALBERTO

Thank you so much, I'm very pleased you like it.

Best Regards

Alf

STEVE

Many thanks for your interest and positive feedback. There are many of these dwellings dotted about the mountain side, and the edge of the lake, but the back drop on some is so grey that they become extremely difficult to photograph.  Getting closer and is an option, and one that I have tried, the patterns of the slate walls make a great abstract, but ....I'm not really into abstracts......though I do like viewing other peoples. I did get inside one when I was sheltering from the hail storm, but the only shots I took had  tiny water droplets on the lens.........maybe next time.

Cheers Steve!

Alf

LARRY

Many Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback, very much appreciated. The slate is very dark and much depends on the direction of the light. The detail / sharpness has been geared to the larger view, so it should be fairly clear. The wind stopped, but typically as soon as it did the rain started, my initial idea was to get a smooth reflection, but had to settle for rain drops. The whole area is scattered with this discarded slate, I  think they are perfectly usable, but probably expensive to cut and process for use and couldn't compete in terms of cost, with modern tiles, but I know which material I'd rather have. I'm really pleased you enjoyed viewing this one Larry.

Best Regards

Alf

PNINA

Sincere thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated. You have summarised the nature of the photograph very well. "Grayness" of the buildings amongst the green and rocky hills are precisely what the image is about. The weather is a british thing, if we waited for the weather, we would never do anything.

Cheers Pnina!

Alf

SARAH

Many thanks for looking in and sharing your thoughts, very much appreciated. I always seem to be having a hard time with the weather lately, wind, rain and now hailstones too! I'm beginning to think we had the British summer time in March : - ) "Gothic" now theres another fine descriptive analogy for this scene and area in general. I'll try and find a shot with some area of the sky to post next.....it gives an idea of the weather.

Warm Regards

Alf

HAMID

Good to hear from you, I hope ypou are keeping well.  The larger view will perhaps look sharper and more detailed as thats how it was arranged. I like your suggestion regarding the crop, and it does work, but whilst its attractive, it does miss out soem elements I quite like.....the tree on the right, and the rocks upper left, the best I can make it is square format, and I'm not keen on squares, but in all fairness, a thoroughly sound suggestion worthy of exploration. Sincere thanks for your imput and positive feedback, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

DONNA

You are very perceptive of mood and detail, indeed the area does look picturesque at first glance, but the scars of mans intrusions will remain forever. It can be the most bleakest of places to visit, yet still look inviting, to me at least. It is mans representation of occupation in the garden of Eden.  My sincere thanks for your most eloquent dialogue.

Best Regards

Alf

TONY

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback. Like yourself I try to weigh up every possibility in terms of composition, but concede that this wasn't one of those times. I had perhaps 20 seconds between the wind dropping and the rain starting in earnest, and managed to get 2 shots both very similar but with slightly different exposure levels. One thing that has struck me of late when composing a shot like this, is the  percentage of area allowed for the main subject balanced against the surroundings, ......a difficult shot to call sometimes, but I think I got it right in this one. Portrait mode wasn't a bad idea, I did try it as a crop as suggested by Hamid, but it missed out a few of the surrouding elements that I liked. I do like the panoramic suggestion though.......I'd love to try that........maybe one day I will.

Cheers Tony!

Alf

HARRY

Many Thanks for your positive feedback and encouragement. I know exactly what you mean about Helvellyn, its more like being sprayed with a pressure washer than rain! The light was quite nice......and the clouds very transient, so the sun would appear briefly before another cloud covered it, when the rain / hail started properly though, you couldn't see more than a few feet ahead.

Cheers Harry!

Alf

TRISHA

Sincere thanks for your visit and positive feedback, much appreciated. I think you may have to take at least 6 months vacation when you visit here, to get round all the places you want to see and photograph, just bring plenty of memory cards, and I'll show you the sights : - )

Best Regards

Alf

BOBBY

Many thanks for your interest and kind words. The view is perhaps the one consolation the resident miners had when they lived in these harsh conditions.

Take Care

Alf

RUUD

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback.

Best Regards

Alf

 

Fantastic view in large. Nice details and the clarity. Light and exposure is perfect. Thanks for sharing.
All the best to you. Warm Regards.

This picture tells a story about hardship, very well done. 

The only suggestion I can think of to make it even stronger is to soften the white dots in the water.  I find it takes away the focus from the hardship. 

I could not resist and did a quick test.  I used the fast fixing tool in PSE.  What do you think?  Better ?

Ben

This is a beautiful image Alf with very nice colors and tones to it, and what an excellent view you have here.... regards Grant.

No doubt larger view looks excellent with details so well seen,the tree that is so green comes to give life in a way to all this ruins.I like point of view you chosen and light balance you have here.

RC