Autumn on the ground, Autumn from the air. A return to a park that I have not visited in a while, Heanor Memorial Park.

Upon first glances the Derbyshire town of Heanor might seem a little lets just say "ordinary looking." For it is a town that is situated at the top of a hill, aptly named Heanor Hill, but the town of Heanor itself, well it is located in a part of Derbyshire that is a little bit,

"Off the Tourist Track. For the town of Heanor itself is one that is built upon industry, and that industry of course is the industry that also existed at one time in and around its surroundings of the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border areas of The Erewash Valley, not to mention of course Shipley."

But of course the industry has gone, and instead now you are left with a town that is ordinary, that history can be seen - but sadly it seems quieter now that the old industry has gone, scars of old industry can still be seen as well. But despite Heanor seeming ordinary, when you delve deeper you can unearth and find out that it is anything but ordinary, and despite over the past year or so passing through Heanor, there is one location in Heanor that I had not visited for quite a while, and that of course is Heanor Memorial Park, a small but perfectly formed park that no matter what time of the year, always has a certain glow to it, the colours of the plants, and foliage of the trees, but this time around I wanted to do something a little bit different and that was to capture the glorious elements of Autumn from the ground, and here are those photographs that I had managed to capture, 

"The gentle elements of Autumn Glow."

"The Green Alien. The unusual elements of Fig."

"Autumn, Deep and Red."

"Layers, Elements, Beauty and Autumn."

"Parkland Light, the golden glow of Autumn."

"Autumn Layers, Autumn Colours a glow. The beauty of Acer."

"From Green, to Autumn, the colours of change, the arts of Autumn."

"Psychedelic Branches and Colours, a Portrait of Autumn."

"Autumn Parkland Glow."

"Pretty in Autumn Pink."

"Green, Yellow and Autumn Glow."

"Abstract Autumn Arts, the beauty of colours, and Layers."

But then of course I also wanted to try something a little different, and that was "to get a completely different perspective of Heanor Memorial Park, from the air" and how to do that? Well with a drone and again the drone not only allowed me to get some interesting perspectives of this delightful park from the air, but it also allowed me to capture the colours of Autumn on some trees, including a delightful and glorious Japanese Maple Tree/(Acer) again with some incredibly careful flying to enable the capturing of the abstract beauty of the colours of Autumn, from a slightly different angle as well, and below are the photos that I managed to capture with the drone. 

"The Light and the Town."

"Mood, Light and a Heanor Sense of Drama."

"The Abstract arts of the Autumn Memorial Park."

"Above the foliage of Autumn a Glow. The Memorial Park Below."

"Autumn Gold, a Tree a Glow."

"Elements and Colours."

"Shades and arts of Autumn Beauty."

"A Full Tree of Autumn Beauty."

A photo that got me 3rd place in the #ShareMondays2024 Photography Community. A photo entitled "In the footsteps of Monet."

June 2024 might seem a long time ago - but it is a time in which I remember very well, and why might that be? Because in June 2024 I had visited Peak Village, a shopping outlet situated between Matlock, Chatsworth House/The Chatsworth Estate and Bakewell, and it was after lunch that I ended up having a little walk around the beautiful nature reserve that is joined onto Peak Village and backs onto The River Derwent, as I was walking around what did I come across? Well a pond area that had been constructed and within that pond, a delightful Lilly that was in bloom, I had to stop for a moment and capture the following photo which I did, and I decided to call it quite simply, 

"In the footsteps of Monet."

Rather apt I think as it had a Monet like look to it. Either way I then uploaded the photo to Twitter (as it was back then.) and to Instagram using the #ShareMondays2024 tag, and the photo itself came 3rd in that particular weeks #ShareMondays contest, something that I am very proud of. Not only that but of course photographer Dylan Nardini has also published and created a series of #ShareMondays books, which showcase the various works by this fantastic photography community, and I am very pleased to say that this photo has indeed been published in the brand new #ShareMondays2024 book, which showcases the best photos from the #ShareMondays community. 

Of course if you are interested in a copy of the fantastic #ShareMondays2024 book it can be found here: https://amzn.eu/d/0QD8Wvw. And of course I must also say a massive congratulations to all the various photographers who have also been published in the fantastic #ShareMondays2024 book as well. 

"In the footsteps of Monet."

Taking a look at "Autumn of 2024." For Sherwood Forest was a true painting of colour. Yet in 2025, Autumn is slightly?

 "Autumn of 2025, for so far it has been slightly sporadic to say the least. From above there is some changes that can be seen, from down below, again the largely green foliage is providing a unique contrast to some incoming elements of Autumn colour. But it was around October 2024, that I had visited Sherwood Forest, and last year in 2024, well things seemed different, the woodlands and the landscape, well they were a true painting of colour."

Autumn eh? For it is a season of "beauty, delights and of course surprises." It is also a season that as a landscape photographer I just love - much like Spring, and that of course is the colour that the season of Spring and Autumn they bring with them. But as I look at the Autumn of 2025 that has seemingly arrived, what have I come across so far? Well a lot of green scenes, yes there is some Autumn colours, slowly beginning to encroach through, although that is because of well 1/. Global Warming and of course the demise of the planet that we call home, that demise being carried out by humans and 2/. An incredibly warm Spring and Summer, which of course down the lines has affected the way in which Autumn is working. 

Of course though it is also October 2025, and again going back in time, within a metaphorical time machine, it was in October of 2024, the same time of year, that I visited Sherwood Forest, in the North of Nottinghamshire, and just looking back at the photos from there, a difference can clearly be seen, for Sherwood Forest was a true painting of Autumn colour, and yet now in 2025, Autumn is slightly late. Yes sporadic elements can be seen, but compare that to last year, and I have a gut feeling that this Autumn yes, the colours will be spectacular, but slightly later than usual. 

However these photos were taken last year, October 2024. 

"The edge of the Forest, for Autumn is just awaiting to be seen."

"Ferns, Greens and Autumnal Tones."

"Elements and Beauty of Autumn Layers."

"Twisted elements, Silver and Autumn."

"Layers and Elements collide."

"Ferns, Branches and the Autumn Hue."

"A Pot of Autumn Gold."

"Autumn under the ancient Oaks."

"Into the Autumn Painting I see."

"The Autumn Kaleidoscope Before my Eyes."

"Red, Orange and Trees."

"As the green gives way to Autumn ahead."

"The Autumn and Silver."

"The Symphony Of Autumn, Arts And Colours A Glow."

"Laying silver on a bed of Red."

"Oak Elements and the Autumn Floor."

"Gold and Orange, the Arts of Sherwood."

"Rapture of Sherwood Gold."

"Silver dance and Gold."

"Framing the beauty of Colour."

When you "take a chance" with two bars of battery and hope for the best. Perhaps one of the best photographs that I have ever taken.

"Sometimes it is the best photographs which are taken within a moment, a split second even, a moment of observation and having a camera with you at the right time within the right place, well you end up with something truly magical and rewarding at the end of it."

And that is incredibly true, it was on Saturday the 14th of June 2025 that I was looking out the window at the clouds, for they had gone dark, and I knew that there was going to be something truly amazing - and surely enough there was, but what was it? I could see in the distance a beautiful Rainbow in the sky, but I just wanted to capture it, and get the entire rainbow in shot. So what did I have to do? Ah, that was of course get the drone, set it up and with only two bars of battery in the drone I sent it into the air, and captured the following photos. 

"A Pot of Gold perhaps in The Erewash Valley?"

"Beauty of The Rainbow, the view towards The Erewash."

"The arc of Colour, Beauty of Nature over Suburbia."

"From Urban to Countryside and maybe Gold?"

"Art in the sky from 400ft."

"A Panorama of Colour, the arts of the Rainbow."

From the archives: Sometimes we just need to look up at the artist called Nature when it paints the sky.

One of the most interesting things about landscape photography is "just how the sky, can make for an interesting subject within any landscape photo." And that in itself is true, a landscape with a glorious sky, a sunrise, a sunset, even just colours within it can make all the difference, but I as a photographer also have a certain thing for the observation of cloudscapes, and when there is a certain colour in the sky, or even glorious clouds being lit up, well I just have to capture them, and in August of 2022, I remember vividly the sky exploding into a symphony of colours, pinks and purple that looked as if they had been painted - maybe they had, but me, well I just had to capture them and in the end this is what I had managed to capture.

"Islands in Pink and Purple Glow."

"Through layers of grey, the painting of the sky."

"Swirls and Magical Cotton Layers a Glow."

"Finding Serenity in the Glow of Colours."

"As the sky becomes a work of Art."

"The Change."