Two days into 2022 and already into the mountains - Slieve Bearnagh in particular, the fourth tallest in the Mournes. One of the steepest climbs to reach its peak, it took considerable effort to reach the top. Of course, the winter is a harsh time in these northern UK peaks, and we were cold on this dull day. I had been quite disappointed up until this point. Next to no photographs could be taken in the continuous grey. We often had little to no visibility. However, upon our march down the side of the mountain - not as steep as the march upwards, of course - we found that the cloud level had risen, and the landscape could be seen. I always enjoyed the view over to Slieve Corragh and Slieve Commedagh from Slieve Bearnagh, but today wasn't quite doing it for me. I continued my descent.
It wasn't long after, however, Corragh caught my eye. The landscape of the Mourne Mountains - as is the case for many - a mountain range - is extremely susceptible to changes of light. And, indeed, in the early afternoon, the low winter light somehow punched its way through the clouds and illuminated her southern slopes. I quickly grabbed the camera and took several exposures. I enjoy the challenge of hand-holding a relatively slow shutter speed, and the wind was favourable, so I punched down my ISO and slowed my shutter speed as much as possible. It still didn't give me enough light to narrow the aperture more than I already had. However, it was enough. I snapped only two images, and this one was the sharp one. I was ecstatic when I opened it in Lightroom and saw the potential.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor