Well, what can I say about this photograph of my darling Izzy!? I was walking behind her, and just as she stepped into some dappled light I asked her to turn around and give me a smile, and this was what she decided to do. I wouldnt change her for the world!!
Livvy was on “form” too……..
So, what can I say about todays photograph? Well, we only had an hour this mornng to get out and about, so we decided to stay local and head to Helsby Quarry Woodlnd Park, for a walk, somewhere we hadn’t been before.
As its name suggests, this site was once a working quarry called Mountskill Quarry. Sandstone was extracted on the site from the early 1800s until the 1920s. As I’ve been exploring more and more, I’ve come to learn that the area between Helsby Hill and Frodsham Hill is all sandstone, and its what gives rise to the interesting landscape and geology in the area, and of course the hills themsleves.
Its a lovely short walk, consisting of sandtone rocks and cliffs, lush woodland and some interesting clearings with the occasional cave thrown in.
The site had its own tramway when it was in use as a quarry, which brought the stone to Ince Pier and on to barges bound for Liverpool. Once quarrying ceased on the site it was used as a tip until it was reclaimed and transformed in the late 1980s. The site was acquired by the Borough Council in 1988 and was formally opened in 1990.
We let the girls lead the way, and although she loves dinosoars, Izzy was a little concerned we might meet one! The sign at the entrance had a picture of a dinosoar, along with writing about how the sandstone was formed some 250-280 million years ago. The imagination of a child is such a precious thing.
Normally the chief adventurer, Izzy was aprehensive of going through the cave, incase there were dinosoars in there, so Livvy led the way and Holly held Izzys hand to reassure her. All made it through without any dinosaour incidents. Livvy even went back through for more!
Learnings – I decided to just stick to my 50mm lens today, becasue I think it fits in with family days out beautifully. With its big wide aperture letting loads of light in, and fixed focal length there is no need to be setting a tripod up and fine tuning shots, its just a case of seeing something beautiful, setting the aperture and dialing the shutter speed in.
That means more time to enjoy the actual walk with my family, and at the same time capture some nice portraits, and some interesting shots with that nice shallow depth of field you can get at f/1.8.
Onegav 