Nottingham Outlaws Kit-Kat Break – Northumberland
It is the time of year again when the Outlaws pack their camera bags, suitcases and embark on a journey to a location in the UK chosen by the membership. We have visited many areas, from Suffolk in the east to Bangor in the west (North Wales), Torbay in the south but this year it was the turn of the North so we all headed off to Northumberland.
As is usual Lois produced a fantastic guide of photographic locations in Northumberland from the rugged coastline through to dark sky national parks. There are approximately 35 listed locations all supported by a printed map, this guide is available to review in the members area of the Outlaws website, obviously a lot of research and time has been invested to produce such a quality booklet.
The journey north offered the Outlaws opportunities to visit and photograph new locations as well as taking a break in the long journey for a well-deserved rest. Locations included Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, The Angel of The North and Souter Lighthouse to name but a few.
Once in Northumberland the teams would head out every day, some starting very early as they had sunrises in mind, others with a full agenda of locations that needed to be visited and one or maybe even two members considering night-time shoots to capture star filled skies or the Northern Lights. But all had one thing in common and that was to see and photograph Northumberland, ranging from its iconic castles, small coves and harbours, beautiful beaches through to stately homes and areas of dark skies to name but a few.
There were plenty of opportunities for social breaks, lunches and dinners together as well as evenings where they could discuss the day’s activities over a beer, something the Outlaws looked forward to.
Here are some photos of the intrepid Outlaws and some of the images they were taking;
Finally, the Outlaws visited the Sycamore Gap Tree that stands proud adjacent to Hadrian’s Wall, little did they know that this would be one of the last opportunities (for them and others) to photograph it, as within the forthcoming twenty-four hours it was felled by criminals and that iconic tree no longer stands. The Outlaws, the world of photography and the nation were horrified when they heard it broadcast on the news channels, a very sad ending for a very special tree.
