From the Harbour Wall

This view of Staithes was taken from a jetty just inside the harbour walls the other side of which the cold North Sea was battering with huge waves. Safe within the walls there was only a gentle swell so it was clear that the wall was performing a really important function.

I have tried something different with this image reducing the saturation of the foreground and background to highlight the colours of the houses in the village. I have slightly raised the saturation in the sky to add a little bit of colour.  I think it works quite well but if you have any comments please leave them below.
 

Grand Marais Harbour

For two days of our trip to Canada we went across the border into Minnesota to drive along the north shore of Lake Superior. One stop along the way was the town of Grand Marais which was a really nice spot with a harbour protecting the town and the boats from the extremes of the lake.

I like the lighthouse on the end of the harbour wall and even though it was a calm day you can't underestimate the importance of the lighthouse because the lake can be treacherous and many ships have been sunk after  crashing against the rocks along the shore.

I shot this scene in colour and in black and white. It was an overcast day with not a lot of strong colour so I thought that it would work well as a black and white image. I like both images but I think I prefer the colour image because it has a  warmth about it.

Guardians of the Sea

After my visit to see the Steam Locomotives at Grosmont (see previous blog posts) I went back to Whitby to take a short boat trip on the old Lifeboat which has been saved from decay and used as a pleasure boat and to promote the work of the RNLI.

As you leave the harbour you pass by the lifeboat station and the current lifeboat which was purchased at a cost of £1.2 million. The RNLI is a vital service run by volunteers and funded entirely via donations. Apparently this boat was paid for by a very generous donor who walked into the lifeboat station and asked how much a new boat would cost, she was told the cost and she promptly wrote a cheque for the full amount. What an amazing gift to the people of Whitby who will rely on this service to save lives at sea along this beautiful stretch of coast.

Totally Potty

A few of weeks ago I posted a couple of pictures of the lobster pots stacked on the quayside at Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast and then last weekend at New Quay on the Welsh Coast I found some more stacks of pots which are a reminder that although the town is a popular spot for visitors it is also a working harbour and part of the community depends upon these pots for their livelihood.

I do think that the stacks make interesting photographic subjects, I like the order, the patterns and the perspective and although some of the pots have coloured tags I think they look more interesting in black and white.