Late November and I moved to the West Midlands to start a new contract. From a landscape photography point of view it was a good move. I had the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire to explore and I was close to the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills.
The month of December
After settling in it was only into the month of December that I managed to get out at the weekends and start exploring my new habitat. A stranger in a strange land, I had my camera to keep me company, to keep me occupied and I had my legs to take me walking.
The month of December can be very cold with frosts and snow. December also contains the shortest day known as the winter solstice. On a bright sunny day in December visibility can be excellent with the sun low in the sky giving directional light.
Worcester, Worcestershire
I was renting a studio in Pershore Worcestershire 10 miles away from my work place in Tewkesbury Gloucestershire that I found on Spareroom UK. My first free weekend it was thick cloud overcast with the threat of rain so the Saturday morning decided to explore the nearby city of Worcester for the first time.
I enjoy exploring new cities come the weekend if the weather is not ideal. I dont take my DLSR though just my compact camera and a mini tripod. The river severn runs through the city of Worcester and the skyline is dominated by the cathedral.
Malvern Hills, Worcestershire
The following day was going to be a cold bright clear sunny December day, perfect weather for trekking across the Malvern Hills. I have already written about this walk in depth so follow the link.
What a glorious day walking the whole stretch to Worcester beacon and back. The Malvern Hills are beautiful and you must visit for a weekend and pack your walking boots and camera of course. The Malvern Hills are enchanting and I knew I would return here many times during my stay in the west Midlands.
Bredon Hill, Worcestershire
Across the Evesham vale from the Malverns Hills is Bredon hill close to my home in Pershore. Using the AA’s walking guide around Worcestershire so it was I took the walk around and over Bredon Hill.
The weather that day started good but as the walk and day progressed the clouds moved in and it started to drizzle. As you climb Bredon Hill looking west you can see the stretch of the Malvern Hills which I did the previous week.
Hereford, Herefordshire
Another gloomy weekend and Christmas was nearly upon us. I decided to visit another county city for the first time, this time Hereford in Herefordshire, again just taking along my compact camera.
Not only was it a gloomy December day in Hereford there was also fog in the air making any photography difficult at best. The river running through Hereford is the river wye.
Broadway, Cotswolds
Last but not least in December was a visit to Broadway buried in the Cotswolds Worcestershire. Alas another day that started promising but then turned gloomy and a bit foggy.
The transition from fair to foul weather can be good for landscape photography as here the low sun was still poking through the clouds highlighting the long grass in the foreground and the church and buildings of Broadway in the background. Dont only be a fair weathered photographer.
By now I was getting used to my new environment in the west midlands and it was no poor substitute for the south downs and my home I had alot of exploring to do around this beautiful part of England come the following months.