EAR BASHING - Bolton Abbey - Yorkshire

Ok, time for a bit of a story.

This image is from a location that I have work many many times. It’s a little spot that has a combination of elements that for some subconscious reason just resonate to stimulate my creative flow. I cannot walk past it without needing to jump down from the path and get to work.

Anyway, yesterday I was walking past on a ‘family’ outing, (which for any landscape photographer with a wife and kids means no photography). I was trying my best to stay with them and not deviate into distraction, but, as I walked past here, with every intention of letting it go, my eye was caught, attracted to a massive lobster sized multi-coloured crayfish. It was a monster! The kids just needed to see it and what followed was an attempt to catch it! “Pick it up”, said Elden “err no I think not”, said I! “Get me a stick”, I said. Anyway after 5 minutes I decided to let it be and accept the inevitable reality that we were second in the game of hide and seek! Anyway, as part of the game I just had to extend my tripod (as a crayfish prising device, honest) and just by chance it ended up in the water perfectly positioned to take advantage of a quick image making opportunity! So out I whipped my image making device and attached a suitable ND front end and teased out a bracketed 90 seconds of distracted time capturing. And as was inevitable, in such location with such conditions, one thing led to another and after laying down several assurances of momentary distraction, I quickly lost all sense of time and before I knew it the family was 20 minutes along the path. So, recognising my guilt, with hast I legged it along the river, through the woods and up the hill to the bird hide where my kin were relaxing not even questioning as to my whereabouts!

Well I’m not as fit as I use to be and anticipating an ear bashing, I had pushed it a bit hard. My chest was thumping and when I finally arrived back to the family, I must have looked a tad flustered. Their reaction was unexpected, and if I only would have anticipated the relaxed Hebden Bridge attitude, I would have focused a little more carefully and considered taking my boots off and getting my feet wet in the name of art, like I did that last time I was there. That said, last time I wasn’t aware of the looming danger to my delicate appendages and will most certainly don protective footwear next time I’m lured into this little area of photographic creativity!