I’m on a business trip in Sheffield for four weeks during the spring of 2024. I’m on a split shift with a colleague, so I have some time off. Some days, I’m off in the day; other days, I’m off in the evening.
One of my colleagues, who is local to the area, directed me to a few locations. Hope Valley is one of them. I’ve been around the area before, particularly the Derwent Valley and Ladybower Lake. It’s without a doubt a beautiful region. I’ve planned a walk around the area with my Nikon D7000, my 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and my travel tripod.
Once I’ve parked and loaded the OS map on my smartphone (why take paper maps when you can get them all digitally!), I make my way along the path. I’m prepared for some cold weather and maybe a bit of rain, but I’ll be honest—I’m a fair-weather photographer. If the weather is really bad, I’ll stay home, thank you very much.
I make my way along the path, snapping away as I go. I climb the gentle hill to the top of the valley and am bowled over by the view. It’s beautiful and very peaceful. I set up my camera and take a few shots. I know the sky isn’t perfect, but by shooting in RAW, I know I’ll have some latitude to adjust it in Lightroom using the tone curve. I go handheld and start walking along the path at the edge of the valley. I have a circuit planned, and I can see various points of interest in the distance.
One thing I wasn’t expecting was a couple hiking. Stopped for lunch, admiring the view. A picture here would give a sense of scale to the landscape. I stop to have a quick chat and ask if I can take a picture of them enjoying the scenery. Moving on, I continue further along the path.
The weather, sadly turns. It’s April, and it starts to snow—WTF! The climb to some rocks was tough, cold, and wet, but once again, the views were worth it.
I stop to take a quick selfie using my iPhone and the Snap Cam grip, which attaches to the phone and uses Bluetooth to trigger the shutter button in the Camera app. I mount the phone on its small tripod, take the Bluetooth shutter release button to another rock, and snap, snap.
I head back to the car with a few nice shots in the bag.
I’m drawn to a few rock formation and work the scene. I’m looking at the changeable angry sky with rocks in the foreground. I’m looking at the wider landscape too. I return to the car after a very long cold walk, but with some nice images on the memory card.
I’m planning to return one evening—maybe further down the road to Stanage Edge—to capture a sunset. But in the meantime, I have a shift to do in the evening, and a few shots to processes.
