This was one of my recent planned photographs. Firstly in the summer I took the photo, but obviously without the snow. At the time I was happy with it, but looking at what I captured more recently the above is much better in my opinion. You can judge for yourself with the original below. The snow covered version took two attempts because the first time I walked to Dunham Massey there was a lot of snow, but the sun was coming through the trees, which cast huge shadows all across the building and made for a very distracting final image. So a couple of weeks ago, when more snow came, I was back there with my camera. I knew that where I needed to stand was on a very steep slope down towards the stream and so I took my tripod to give both myself and the camera some extra support. I would love to know which out of the two photographs you prefer? (please comment below)

The above photo is more than a little experimental, even for me. It was coming to the end of the day and it was a day that had involved a lot of walking. I looked up and noticed an interesting sky and saw the old village sign post and hoped to combine the two elements. Well after about five or ten minutes of playing around this was the result. It isn’t great, but it is the best I could get at the time. I had to use the pop-up flash on my camera to give a little light onto the sign as my external speed light was sat at home. I often have to make the call between taking all my gear and not going as far or seeing as much, or leaving some equipment at home but being able to walk and explore more. Recently I have been choosing the second option, although I have a lot more planned photo shoots than ever before coming in the next three or four months.

Often I find myself in a fantastic location where nearly everything is perfect for the photograph I want to capture. I still take the shot but I stubbornly seek to get the perfect image. I will be first to admit that most of the pictures I make aren’t perfect, but in this case with Dunham Massey Hall and the lake in front, this is as good as I can get without getting into a boat or stepping on the ice. Two weeks ago I walked to this park and conditions weren’t perfect. Two days ago when the above photograph was taken the light and snow were fantastic. Just what I was looking for and I hope some of you reading this enjoy the above picture as much as I do.

Before Christmas on my walk around the Altrincham and Dunham areas I came across this water fountain in the wonderful grounds of Dunham Massey Hall. It shows a lovely contrast between the snow, ice and water. The late afternoon sun streaming through the trees and lighting up the spray of water makes it even more special. You can find this fountain by looking to the right on the path between the main car park and the house, opposite the main lake.