I often say that I like to leave my images for a few months before deciding on the ones I like. But this image I left over 6 years.
Why?
Because I had bed memories of the trip.
I remember heading out for the day with quite a lot of enthusiasm. The idea was to visit Curbar Edge despite the weather forecast being for heavy rain. For some reason that I can’t remember, Steve and I had decided we liked bad weather and thought we might get some good shots.
By the time we arrived at Curbar Edge the heavens had opened, and it was pouring with rain. We sat in the car for a while trying to keep our enthusiasm up, but it was hard without being able to shoot.
Finally, in the afternoon, the rain eased, and we made it onto the edge. I can remember distinctly the shafts of light coming through the clouds all around. But the wind was howling, and we were having to shelter behind large boulder from both the wind and rain.
Eventually, the sun set on the day and the rain stopped. Making our way back to the car I took a few shots of the path. There was a lovely blue/pink colour to the light, and it was reflecting off the puddles on the path.
This isn’t the amazing shot that I had hoped for, but it has something that I like, a lot. If I deleted all my “failed shots” quickly because the memory of the day was strong, I would have lost this image.
Olympus EM5 with Olympus 9-18 lens. Handheld exposure of 1/10″ at f/7.1 and ISO200. Post-processing with the Nik Collection. I don’t have any notes from the day, but I suspect I would have used a 2 stop ND Grad filter on the sky.
Samyang 12mm Lens Review
Last week I mentioned my Samyang 12mm lens and that after more than 12 months use, I would be writing a review. If you were waiting for the review, you’ll find it on my Lenscraft website.
I hope you like this week’s images and have a great weekend.
The Lightweight Photographer 
HI, Robin,
I always look forward to seeing your pictures!
Could you tell me how the saturation was originally compared to the saturation in both the final images?
Thank you,
Barbara
Thank you.
The original image is a RAW file so it’s a little flat but all I’ve done that would affect the saturation is apply contrast. I haven’t used any vibrance or saturation. I find the blue hour has wonderful saturaation. Rain also tends to increase saturation and make colours stronger.
I’ve developed a rewarding fondness for not deleting immediately images that seem to have any potential for at least goodness, if not greatness, and I also really enjoy revisiting them at a later date, although I admit that I rarely wait a few months before deciding on the ones I like. And the ones that do eventually rear their lovely heads after maturing in the archival crypt I like to call buried treasures. -Gary
I agree. It takes some discipline but it’s a good habit. Just don’t leave them too long.
Hi Robin,
Loved the muted hues and the sky in this Curbar Edge shot.
To my mind if you come back with a shot like this then the day definitely was not wasted.
Thank you and I absolutely agree. It just takes a bit of time and distance from the event to realise what you have.