We recently attended a talk at the Northern Underwater Photography Group (NUPG) by Rob Cuss about photography in the top 1m of water. Rob had ear troubles and could not dive, but did not let that put him off getting some innovative shots in amazing UK locations. One of the shots he showed at the talk was from Three Shires Head, where Cheshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire meet. So when our friend, Tony Gilbert, invited us, and John Spencer, to join him on a day trip, we jumped at the chance. This is how we ended up parked on a roadside, loaded down with drysuits, weightbelts, masks, snorkels and, of course, our underwater camera equipment, looking at the spectacular countryside asking "How far is it?"
The walk, through wonderful scenery, was about a mile! So after 20mins down a rocky path, we got our first glimpse of what we had come to shoot. The river Dane, here, comprises brown shallows, peaty waterfalls, and calm pools, topped by an ancient stone packhorse bridge. Our dog, Paddy, was in heaven. Repeatedly leaping up from the river bed through the ferns and swimming in the deeper pools.
The first shot Nick wanted to have a go at, was to use some remote strobes to light the inside of the small tunnel the river runs through. The picture below shows me setting up the lights for this shot: Paddy is, of course, helping.
The water tumbles down the larger rocks, and so with your camera safe in its housing, you can try some shots of the fast flowing water. In this shot I like the mask, snorkel and neoprene cover left on the dry rocks below a tree, and the water rushing down the falls and splashing back up.
We had hoped for blue skies, but this will only give us a reason to go back on another brighter day.
Of course, Paddy thought that this was a fantastic day out! And it was. No need for tanks and scuba gear, which is just as well given the walk. Here is Paddy swimming in the deepest pool, showing the rolling Cheshire hills in the background
This location was something completely new for Nick and I. It just shows that there are some wonderful locations to visit right on our doorstep - you just have to think a little differently. Thanks to Rob Cuss and Tony Gilbert for getting us there. Where shall we try next?
The walk, through wonderful scenery, was about a mile! So after 20mins down a rocky path, we got our first glimpse of what we had come to shoot. The river Dane, here, comprises brown shallows, peaty waterfalls, and calm pools, topped by an ancient stone packhorse bridge. Our dog, Paddy, was in heaven. Repeatedly leaping up from the river bed through the ferns and swimming in the deeper pools.
The first shot Nick wanted to have a go at, was to use some remote strobes to light the inside of the small tunnel the river runs through. The picture below shows me setting up the lights for this shot: Paddy is, of course, helping.
The water tumbles down the larger rocks, and so with your camera safe in its housing, you can try some shots of the fast flowing water. In this shot I like the mask, snorkel and neoprene cover left on the dry rocks below a tree, and the water rushing down the falls and splashing back up.
We had hoped for blue skies, but this will only give us a reason to go back on another brighter day.
This location was something completely new for Nick and I. It just shows that there are some wonderful locations to visit right on our doorstep - you just have to think a little differently. Thanks to Rob Cuss and Tony Gilbert for getting us there. Where shall we try next?
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