November
November is a wonderful month, a turning point between the colourful days of autumn and the increasing darkness of winter. This year the autumn seems to have been very long and gradual, with the colours lingering much later than normal, and not too much wind. I always enjoy selecting images for the Seasons of Northumberland calendar every year, and November is an especially rich month for photography, with the a climax of autumn colour occurring in the first week of November and the last week of October in this part of the world. The North Tyne valley in Northumberland National Park has many scattered woodlands with a range of native species such as oak, birch and larch, as well as plantations of conifers. For details of woodlands, soft overcast light is ideal, as this kind of underrated photographic light is perfect for good colour saturation and the recording of detail. This image was made of medium format 6 x 7 cm transparency film in the pre-digital era, not all that long ago. It shows a beautiful maple tree at Sidwood near Greenhaugh in the Tarset valley, with the glorious colour of maple leaves contrasting with the subdued background of greys and greens. This image appears in the 2016 calendar.
