Sometimes you just get surprises. Finding beauty, light and a golden light along with arts at Shipley Country Park.

"If there is one month that needs a re-branding then it would have to be the month of January. For it is a month in which time slows down, a month which seems a slog to get through, and one that is known for being dank, dull, damp, rainy and largely grey. Yes you get some surprising days in January in which the sun appears, along with blue skies, but come on - surely it is now time to re-brand the worse month of any year."

Yes it goes without saying that January is a month in which it is known for being rather bland, and for photography it is a month in which it can be difficult to capture anything decent. But sometimes there is a break in the bland, in the grey weather and you end up getting surprises, and it was on Saturday the 17th of January 2026, that a break in the dull and grey, bland weather happened, and with that a walk at Shipley Country Park, just around Shipley Hill/Horsepool Hill was on the cards, and walking around, well what did I find? Beauty for a start, the woodlands bare, but light and a golden magical light that really did make the woodlands something else, almost akin to an art gallery, and below are the photos that I had managed to capture.

"The Veins of Trees."

"Finding the Bare Woodland, Winter Light a Glow."

"Bare is the Winter, Beauty of a dappled Light."

"Golden is the Woodland Glow."

"Light, Contrast and Gold."

"The Winter Woodland Glow."

"Winter Abstract Gold."

"Light, Beauty, Silver and Gold."

"Into the Engine of Life."

A crisp January Morning of Beautiful Views and Surprises.

"The month of January, a month that always seems that little bit grey, dull and bland." Or is it? Well for the longest time I have always disliked January, for yes it is the first month in any new year, yes it is Winter, but as a month goes it always seems bland, dull and boring, grey as well. However though January of 2026 has been somewhat surprising - just where is the grey? Instead it has been cold and crisp, beautiful Winter light has also provided a nice surprise, but it was on Friday the 2nd of January 2026, that I had noticed something, looking out the window I could see on the ground what appeared at first glances to be an incredibly hard and harsh frost, for there had been, but on top of that making things that little bit more magical, a dusting of snow had also fallen, and with that I managed to get the metaphorical flying tripod with the camera attached to it, and captured the following photos. 

"Early Morning Winter Glow."

"Suburbia and the magical Winter Glow."

"Glistening White, the Rooftops Below."

"The White on the Rooftops above The Town."

"Crisp, White Frozen Streets a Glow."

"The Stillness of Snow, a Magical January Sight."