Cottongrass at Wast Water

@Vincent Bertrand: Thanks Vincent!...regarding your question on hyperfocal distance - I don't bother with this particular lens (Sigma 10-20 wide angle zoom) as it's depth of field is so huge, especially as the light was bright enough for f8 as on this particular shot. The focus was set to fully automatic.

@Anthony Lambert: Thanks very much Anthony.....it was very boggy ground as I should have realised from the tell-tale cottongrass which only grows in that kind of ground. The water was welling up the sides of my shoes and if I'd managed to get down any lower to the ground my bum would have been in the water too :-)

@Lorraine: Hi Lorraine.....I enjoy exploring new directions and ideas with my photos so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm back posting a higher proportion of colour photos again in a few months time...we'll see!

@Alfredo J. Martiz J.: Thanks for the link Alfredo....I don't know nearly enough about Ansel Adams but I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to get to an exhibition of his prints.

@IanSmith: Thanks Ian...that's a very good point about wide angle photos. The largest print I've produced up to now from one of these 6 megapixel D40 images is 30inches in the long dimension, It doesn't work for every image but when it does they look amazing.

I've just finished framing 6 photos as I'm exhibiting soon at my first informal community art exhibition. The prints varying in size from 18" to 24". It's so much better than just seeing them on a computer screen.

@Mirko Herzner: Thanks Mirko!....those cottongrass flowers are really beautiful and have a real delicacy to them.

@hugo poon: Thanks Hugo!.....I really liked the idea of photographing those delicate white flowers against the backdrop of the dramatic sky and mountains.

@amy: Thanks Amy!...flattery will get you everywhere :-)

@Alun Lambert: Thanks Alun!

@Stephen Phillips: Thanks Stephen.....I did a little dodging and burning in the grass to get a better and more realistic texture. I did use the new B&W conversion tool that you describe on this one and agree that it is a fantastic and easy way to convert to mono.....compared to Elements 5 which is the software I used to use, it is so much more subtle and controllable.

@gbe: Thanks very much Grant!

@DarkElf: Thanks very much...mono was the obvious way to go with these shots when the weather was so overcast with a very flat light. Also the clouds were very dramatic and mono can really bring out that sense of drama in a scene.

@Luis A. De Jesus R.: Thanks Luis.....I guess I've been slowly working at my B&W photos ever since I got my first digital camera about 18 months ago so I've had plenty of time to think about what I do and don't like in mono pics. It's only in the last few months since getting Photoshop CS3 that I've really got bitten by the B&W bug.

The Lake District in this photo and my recennt ones is about 90 minutes away by car but I do live on the edge of the Peak District National Park near Manchester which is also a beautiful area with rolling green hills, areas of woodland but also desolate swathes of moorland on the tops (not as dramatic scenery as this however!). England has to be one of the best places to live on earth if you are interested in photography!