I have not been walking in Snowdonia in winter for several years – perhaps because we no longer have good weather with snow on the ground. Here, as a change from the monochrome of the rest of this site, are a few colour images taken between 2007 and 2013.
The north ridge of Tryfan from the summit. The scale is given by the figure walking down the ridge. This was a beautiful hazy day in April – lovely diffused light illuminating all the details of the rocks.Panorama from the summit of Tryfan. From the left, the Bristly ridge of Glyder Fach faces the camera, with Glyder Fawr to the right, and Llyn Bochlwyd in the centre of the view. Next is Y Garn above Llyn Idwal, and then the ridge extending down the Ogwen Valley to Mynydd Perfedd and Bethesda. On the right is the end of Llyn Ogwen at the foot of Penyrole Wen.Glyder Fach and Tryfan from the top of the Miners’ Track on the west ridge of Glyder Fach.Tryfan from the top of the Miners’ Track on the west ridge of Glyder Fach.Pen yr Ole Wen from the Devil’s Kitchen, Cwm IdwalPreparing to ice climb in the Devil’s Kitchen, Cwm IdwalGlyder Fach at sunset.Sunset on Moel Siabod (the long ridge) in early December. I am near the summit of Glyder Fach, and stumbled down to the road an hour and a half after the sun set.Incline remains on Moel Siabod.Looking south, late afternoon, from Moel Siabod. Llyn Trawsfynydd can be seen on the right, with the closed nuclear power station just visible.Llyn y Foel from the summit ridge of Moel Siabod.Llyn y Foel from the summit ridge of Moel Siabod.Tryfan and the Carneddau from the summit ridge of Moel Siabod.Y Garn from the path to Cwm Bochlywd.Pen yr Ole Wen from Llyn Bochlywd.The Nant Ffrancon from Glyder Fach.Glyder Fach – Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fawr.Glyder Fach – Y Gribin and the Y Garn – Carnedd y Filiast ridge.Glyder Fach.Glyder Fach – Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fawr with Snowdon in the cloud.Glyder Fach and Tryfan from The Miner’s Track.
A bit about digital colour
These pictures were all taken using either a Leica M8 or a Leica M9, which had CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensors. A lot of nonsense was written on web sites about the colour rendition of CCD sensors compared to the CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) used by other camera manufacturers. The CCD sensor was claimed to give the images a unique look – perhaps wishful thinking by Leica aficionados who wanted an excuse to justify their expenditure? The sensor, whatever the underlying technology, only registers the presence of photons. It generates a monochrome image. The look of the end result, the image on the screen or page, is determined by the whole imaging chain: the lens, the Bayer filter, the UV/IR filter and cover glass on the sensor, the spectral response of the sensor, the imaging software in the camera, the image processing software in the computer, and finally the printer or monitor used to view the image. No, not finally – the image is interpreted by your brain, and your subjective experience may be entirely different from mine.
Image Gallery
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