# Water Falls at Pont Burn, Co Durham



## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

visited an area near Stanley, Co Durham on Saturday where my wife used to take the dogs as a kid and its great for streams and small waterfalls. The main section is called Pont Burn and its beneath the Viaduct that is part of the Derwent Crossing and near The Gibside Chapel. I used an ND8 filter on my 18-55mm kit lens mainly along with Oloneo Tone Mapping on and PS5 to change the sky on number #6 as the sun was shining straight at me so the part above the water was blown big time!
Here goes....
#1








#2








#3








#4








#5








#6








All in all it was a great area but i need some wellies as its crazy trying to jump streams with camera gear and trainers on slippy stones etc! I need to be in the water low down to get the shots i had in mind.
Thanks for looking, 
Comments and advice most welcome, Phil


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## ChrisST (Jul 19, 2009)

Can't give you any advice but lovely pics Phil :thumb:


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

Been going there since a was a little kid, and never knew what it was called. Every day's a school day  Very nice place, only really known by the locals. 

Second one up I don't recognise.


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

butcher said:


> Been going there since a was a little kid, and never knew what it was called. Every day's a school day  Very nice place, only really known by the locals.
> 
> Second one up I don't recognise.


Haha, my lass lived in Dipton and used to walk down there as i say. If you mean #5 its just down from the house with the monkey puzzle tree and is near a bridge. Its a small bridge witha car park (waste land). Check this out i found on Flickr.

__
https://flic.kr/p/3953686965
Phil


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## fretfret (Jul 31, 2009)

Great shots Phil, very near to where I was born (a long long time ago)


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

GIZTO29 said:


> Haha, my lass lived in Dipton and used to walk down there as i say.


Same here. You're not going out with my sister are you? 



> If you mean #5 its just down from the house with the monkey puzzle tree and is near a bridge. Its a small bridge witha car park (waste land). Check this out i found on Flickr.
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/3953686965


I thought it might be. The yellow waters, I know it as. Didn't know it used to be like that, mind. Awesome pic there.


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## vectra ed (Feb 4, 2006)

Very nice photos there. Beautiful scenery too.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

I think you need even longer exposures to really soften the water up. There's also a WB inconsistency between pics.

Cloudy, dull days are the easiest for waterfalls as then there's minimal differences sky / water.

Good first attempt, now take your wellies and do it again (be careful of water on your camera, this kind of falls splash more than you might think!)

Bret


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## Dan J (Jun 18, 2008)

my favourites are #2 #4 #6 great shots phil


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

bretti_kivi said:


> I think you need even longer exposures to really soften the water up. There's also a WB inconsistency between pics.
> 
> Cloudy, dull days are the easiest for waterfalls as then there's minimal differences sky / water.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback Bret and i'll keep it in mind when i revisit but i live in Newcastle......its either sunny or p***ing down!:lol: Today was like the end of the world! I need to buy some wellies but will do that 2mrw. I did alter each image from RAW individually in ACR so that would explain that.



butcher said:


> Same here. You're not going out with my sister are you?
> 
> I thought it might be. The yellow waters, I know it as. Didn't know it used to be like that, mind. Awesome pic there.


My wife only has a sister so no Its great how theres so many little streams within a 50 foot radius and they seem to be seperate sources. Need to visit Gibside and revisit the Derwent Walk. :thumb:
Phil


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Great shots again, I particularly like #4, the way the water splays out towards the bottom of the frame.

Maybe a graduated (neutral density or coloured) filter may help to hold back the blown out sky and let you include it in the shot if you wanted.

I really must start exploring around there. I only live a couple of miles away but don't recognise it  - I've cycled the Derwent Walk 'round there countless times, but it's time, I think, to get off the beaten track and see what's on my doorstep! Might have a look down this afternoon.


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

David 1150 said:


> I really must start exploring around there. I only live a couple of miles away but don't recognise it  - I've cycled the Derwent Walk 'round there countless times, but it's time, I think, to get off the beaten track and see what's on my doorstep! Might have a look down this afternoon.


You should. I find the Derwent Walk a bit dull tbh. If you're traveling east to west, right after you cross the huge viaduct at Hamsterly Mill, the Derwent Walk crosses the road. Take a left down the road and follow for about a hundred yards and you'll see a private road on the right, with a little house. Take a wander down there. Not far along you'll come to a small bridge. If you veer off the road to your left right after it, you'll find that waterfall. Plenty of photo opportunities round there.

If you're in the car, walk straight across the road from the car park and follow the path.

There's also loads of nice woodland too. You can spend days wandering around there. Literally miles and miles of trails. But be prepared for plenty of mud and hills if you're cycling.


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

Nice shots Phil, what cam have you got ????

are you neglecting the Mito or is it all detailed up for the winter


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

David 1150 said:


> Great shots again, I particularly like #4, the way the water splays out towards the bottom of the frame.
> 
> Maybe a graduated (neutral density or coloured) filter may help to hold back the blown out sky and let you include it in the shot if you wanted.
> 
> I really must start exploring around there. I only live a couple of miles away but don't recognise it  - I've cycled the Derwent Walk 'round there countless times, but it's time, I think, to get off the beaten track and see what's on my doorstep! Might have a look down this afternoon.


Firstly thanks David, i honestly dont know if a grad filter wouldve worked as the sun was beaming straight at me on that photo. I'll post another to show what i mean. My wife took this one.










Heres the house we speak of and the main waterfall in photo #1 is behind the photographer.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/346499 To park if you see the road passing the house theres a small carpark down to the right so i had to actually run up the road to get to the house then walk up the path in the photo. Cars arent allowed in. Across from the house theres an entrance with old gate pillars where you can walk under the viaduct. For us to get here we go down by Rolands Gill in the car and over the small bridge near the Gibside Chapel and turn right before the top of the hill to Sunnyside. Theres a junction where its hard to see left. Turn right there and carry on along the road. I would normally turn left to go to Stanley but you carry on and will arrive at the house which is near Lintz Farm on that same road.:thumb:



butcher said:


> You should. I find the Derwent Walk a bit dull tbh. If you're traveling east to west, right after you cross the huge viaduct at Hamsterly Mill, the Derwent Walk crosses the road. Take a left down the road and follow for about a hundred yards and you'll see a private road on the right, with a little house. Take a wander down there. Not far along you'll come to a small bridge. If you veer off the road to your left right after it, you'll find that waterfall. Plenty of photo opportunities round there.
> 
> If you're in the car, walk straight across the road from the car park and follow the path.
> 
> There's also loads of nice woodland too. You can spend days wandering around there. Literally miles and miles of trails. But be prepared for plenty of mud and hills if you're cycling.


I need to get back down there but the weather sucks! Have you seen this Butcher? Its a postcard of the waterfall from my photo from back in 1910! Its just a wasteland now as you'll know and is where i parked. 

__
https://flic.kr/p/3953686965



Scotty Pro said:


> Nice shots Phil, what cam have you got ????
> 
> are you neglecting the Mito or is it all detailed up for the winter


Hi Scott, i have the Nikon D5000 with various lenses. I am ashamed to admit i have been neglecting the MiTo but hey, i have an excuse. We live in the North East! Infact my car nearly has no beading atall and the wheels are manky.


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

GIZTO29 said:


> I need to get back down there but the weather sucks! Have you seen this Butcher? Its a postcard of the waterfall from my photo from back in 1910! Its just a wasteland now as you'll know and is where i parked.
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/3953686965


Yup, seen it in your other post. Love it. And yeah, the weather's awful. Just got back in from the top end of the woods with the dog. Feet are squelching now.


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

I like #3 and #4 - both look like they could go up one or two points in saturation to bring out the colour in the leaves - but good composition and overall exposure is spot on!

A grad filter for #6 would have helped take the sky back a little without losing the detail in the main body of the shot but as the sun is so strong I think multiple exposures brought together in HDR would be your only other option!


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Thanks, Phil, I'm actually closer to this than I realised. If you select the interactive map instead of the OS map in the link you sent, just scroll right a bit along the B6310 'til you see Burnopfield. I'm just on the intersect between Syke Road and Birch Crescent. It's a classic example of somewhere I've driven / cycled past countless times, without stopping to look  I think this winter, while the m/bike is in hibernation, I'll start exploring closer to home instead of thinking anywhere interesting has to be a couple of hours' ride away!

Actually my niece keeps her pony just up the road from here, I'll suggest taking her hacking down there. Cheers!

An alternative to a grad filter is to take two frames (from your tripod), exposing one for the sky and one for the foreground, then combine them in editing software. I haven't tried it yet but it seems a good technique for capturing detail in the sky. Actually, seeing these shots has made me think a tripod should be on my krimbo pressy list!

Oops! Just seen Cheekeemonkey suggested the same thing!


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

cheekeemonkey said:


> I like #3 and #4 - both look like they could go up one or two points in saturation to bring out the colour in the leaves - but good composition and overall exposure is spot on!
> 
> A grad filter for #6 would have helped take the sky back a little without losing the detail in the main body of the shot but as the sun is so strong I think multiple exposures brought together in HDR would be your only other option!


Thanks Monkey. I'll have another play and see how they come out. Good idea on the multi exposure and i do have Photomatix so thats one to consider. For the record i was using an ND8
Phil



David 1150 said:


> Thanks, Phil, I'm actually closer to this than I realised. If you select the interactive map instead of the OS map in the link you sent, just scroll right a bit along the B6310 'til you see Burnopfield. I'm just on the intersect between Syke Road and Birch Crescent. It's a classic example of somewhere I've driven / cycled past countless times, without stopping to look  I think this winter, while the m/bike is in hibernation, I'll start exploring closer to home instead of thinking anywhere interesting has to be a couple of hours' ride away!
> 
> Actually my niece keeps her pony just up the road from here, I'll suggest taking her hacking down there. Cheers!
> 
> ...


Im the same and am discovering loads of interesting places! Had my wife not mentioned this place i would never had seen it.
I actually tried to use the Grad filter in Adobe Camera raw but i couldnt bring anything back atall I have 3 tripods atm. One is a Velbon from Jeesops which is ok but was only £25. The other is a Hama which i got for subscribing to Digital Photo magazine and the 3rd is a Gorrillapod SLR Zoom. I would like a good quality one myself. Maybe a Manfrotto for around £100. 
Phil


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Using the filter post processing won't work to recover (overexposed) detail, as the information is already lost. The way digital sensors work means that once you've overexposed at the right hand end of the histogram (i.e. the light end), there's no more detail available, it's always going to look blown out. Underexposure isn't quite so bad, you can usually get at least some detail back by tweaking the histogram sliders. It'd have to be a physical filter over the lens, to keep the exposure under control before it hits the sensor.

Yep, I think a Manfrotto would be a good one without spending too much, the 105 (?) always gets good reviews.

Dear Santa........


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

David 1150 said:


> Using the filter post processing won't work to recover (overexposed) detail, as the information is already lost. The way digital sensors work means that once you've overexposed at the right hand end of the histogram (i.e. the light end), there's no more detail available, it's always going to look blown out. Underexposure isn't quite so bad, you can usually get at least some detail back by tweaking the histogram sliders. It'd have to be a physical filter over the lens, to keep the exposure under control before it hits the sensor.
> 
> Yep, I think a Manfrotto would be a good one without spending too much, the 105 (?) always gets good reviews.
> 
> Dear Santa........


I need to start getting it right in the camera and not relying on PS! I need to ask Michael (R32_Dub) as he just bought one recently from Warehouse Express.


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