The list of locations that I'd like to reshoot is only ever growing, one of the locations I was most frustrated with was Thor's Cave and that was because it was entirely my fault that the image didn't come out right (I accidentally left the camera turned on in the bag so had almost no battery, then left the Vibration Reduction turned on on my lens which ruined the sharpness of the photo).
More misty conditions had been forecast for the morning so I decided to go for it. Tracy didn't join me for this one because she was exhausted from the last few days was about to return to work the next day; a 4 a.m. get-up wasn't what she needed. I'll admit that I struggled to get up and if it wasn't for the fact that I was meeting James Pedlar I probably would have turned the alarm off and gone back to sleep. I met James in Hulme End and followed him to a lay-by. I'd love to tell you where it was but I have absolutely no idea, I was entirely focused on following him and not falling asleep at the wheel. What I can tell you, is that you can see Thor's Cave from there. So helpful.
It was a bit of a risk because mist doesn't reliably form in the valley, today however the mist was in full flow, the risk had been worth it. We got there in plenty of time and setup for the sunrise. Actually, James set up, I just sat there catching my breath and rubbing my calf muscles, they felt like they were on fire. I also made sure that I had a cloth at hand to wipe the lens often, I didn't want a repeat of Mam Tor with weird smears and smudges from the condensation (one of the many things I have learnt doing 73in73).
The first series of shots I setup were facing away from the cave as that's where the sun was rising from. I have too many shots to post at full size so please check out the gallery below:
The morning was turning out to be just as wonderful as our trip to Mam Tor but I hadn't even taken a shot of Thor's Cave yet, it was easy to get carried away as so much was happening around us. I tried a few different compositions out, some worked and some didn't, the mist lingered for a lot longer than we thought it would, it was great because it meant I could just take my time and enjoy it. These are some of the shots that actually include the viewpoint I was there to re-shoot:
One thing is for sure, these are all better than the original shot taken at this location. We can happily bin that one and use one of these instead, a morning well spent! Massive thanks to James as there was no way I could have got that viewpoint without his help! I got home by about 9 a.m. and got a few hours sleep ready for what turned out to be one of the most incredible afternoons ever! To be continued...