Guiding Light

My last outing with my camera had been to a local woodland where I photographed fungi, which was very relaxing. A week later I found myself on the beach at New Brighton photographing the lighthouse and sea defences, which was also fun and relaxing. I didn't have a lot of time but fortunately despite a couple of light showers the weather and the light was very kind to me so I was able to get some nice shots.

I have photographed this lighthouse a few times in stormy weather and it really looks magnificent with waves crashing around it. However, this was the first time I had been down to see it with the tide at its lowest and on such a nice day. Whatever the weather I think it must be a welcome beacon to the shipping that comes into the River Mersey.

I experimented a little with a variable ND filter and longer exposures for some of these shots to  get the most out of the reflections and the sky. I have also mixed up some colour and black and white images for contrast.

Walking on the beach was pretty safe, but I often like to make things difficult for myself; (in the past I have waded into the middle of streams to get a better angle on a waterfall, or set up close to the edge of a cliff for a particular view), so why should this outing be any different. I wanted to get some shots of the sea defences which involved a bit of scrambling over some slippery rocks and it was a bit fiddly setting up my tripod and finding a safe foothold at the same time. I think the effort paid off. I have shot these in black and white because I think it creates a better image. In colour images the green seaweed coating on the concrete groynes is a bit too much and doesn't give as much definition or depth. I think the shot of the groynes which includes the lighthouse (the penultimate image) would have been better using my 17 - 40mm lens instead of the 24-105mm because 24mm just wasn't wide enough to get it all in as I had wanted. However, swapping lenses at that point was a risk too far. There is always next time...

Enjoy, and feel free to comment.

Misty Mornings

 

I recently spent just over three weeks in the USA, road tripping, visiting family and friends. It was amazing and of course I didn't miss any opportunity to take my camera out.

The first part of the trip was in California, I stayed just outside of San Martin and Morgan Hill where I had great views looking west across the valley towards Mount Madonna. It was nice to stand and take in the view early in the morning before the heat of the sun burnt off the clouds that gathered in the valley overnight which provided a lovely gentle backdrop for the lone tree that stood on the nearby ridge. One morning I even got to watch a coyote hunting in the long grass in the field closest to the house where I stayed.

About an hour away was Santa Cruz and the third image today is from a photo that I took from the beach in front of the boardwalk. Although it was getting towards lunchtime and most of the sky was clear there remained a stubborn bank of low cloud clinging to the coastline just south of the beach creating another misty backdrop that is in keeping with the first two images above.

I have a lot of photos to sort through and share so be sure to look out for the next post.  

On My Doorstep

 In my last post I mentioned how there are some places and subjects that I would never tire of photographing and I shared some images from my travels around Europe. Without a doubt I would be more than happy to spend days or even weeks photographing puffins or street scenes in Venice, Florence, Vienna or a host of other wonderful places. I also long to visit new locations, inspired by my own travels and by images shared online I know I would get so much pleasure exploring new places with my camera. However I have to be realistic, while there will be lots of opportunities to do this in future there will also long periods where I will have to stick to what is local or familiar.

I am privileged to live in a beautiful place, by the sea but close to varied landscapes, urban landscapes and  lots of wildlife. However when I look through my many files of photographs I realise that I have relatively few from my locality and I am missing opportunities to develop my skills and fulfil my passion here on my doorstep. Perhaps it is familiarity that means I sometimes fail to see the interest in what I see every day and that is a big error because the beauty  and interest is there and for people that I share those images with they will largely be new or unfamiliar so it must be worth me spending more time where I live. It doesn't matter if I go back several time to the same lake, lighthouse or park/reserve there will always be another angle or different light etc. So while I will dream of and look forward to travelling to new places I will also take more time to see what is on my doorstep.

Here are a few images of some of the wonderful places near me.

 

Liverpool waterfront and Albert Dock

West Kirby Marine Lake

Red Rocks

Meols shore

New Brighton Lighthouse

Faro (that's lighthouse)

Here is another one of my experimental long exposure shots. The lighthouse is at the entrance to the marina by the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore. I was using a long  exposure and variable ND filter so I could smooth out the surface of the water, there was a fair breeze so the lagoon was a little choppy. As I clicked the shutter a small boat passed in front of the camera, initially I was annoyed but when I saw the resulting image I was actually quite pleased because the blur of movement and the swirling water have added a really nice effect.
 

Across the Harbour and out to Sea

 Ostensibly these photos are all of the same view, taken from the same spot on the pier at the bottom of Tate Hill in Whitby. All were taken within the space of one hour, probably less, but you can see how dramatically the sky has changed in that time. Ok, so the black and white images may give the appearance of a more stormy sky than it actually was but the cloud cover was certainly much thicker in the earlier shots.

At the same time the sunlight from behind me remained fairly constant lighting up the wall of the east pier, and the two lighthouses.

I like the way the sunlight also catches the seagulls in the first image as they flock around the lighthouse, I think the birds, the people on the pier and the brooding clouds add a sense of drama to that image. I think the song "The  Seabirds" by The Triffids goes well with this first picture.

Lighthouse

 So not just one, but two different lighthouses and two what I initially thought were lighthouses or beacons but on closer inspection may be lookout posts. 

The harbour walls at Whitby, when seen from above resemble a whales' jawbones in reference to the towns long history as a whaling port. As well as their aesthetic appeal the walls play a crucial role in protecting the port itself from the ravages of the North Sea.

On each wall there is a stone built lighthouse the one on the north side of the harbour is taller that the one on the south side, and at the end of each pier/walkway there is a raised tower with a small cabin on top which offer views out to sea.

You can see from these images that the sky over the sea was threatening bad weather however for the duration of my visit (apart for one brief shower) the rain was kept at bay by a strong onshore breeze.

Light The Way

 

In the first of today's images you can see the lighthouse which stands at the end of Stanley Road in Hoylake, it overlooks Liverpool Bay, the Dee Estuary and the Royal Liverpool Golf Course. It is not an active lighthouse but is a replica of one of the four lighthouses that were built along the Wirral coastline to guide shipping into Liverpool (two were in Hoylake and two in Leasowe) none of which are  now active.

There is a small slipway onto the beach near Red Rocks which on a summer day (or any day for that matter) is a nice spot for a walk or to relax and enjoy the scenery. It is also a good spot on a clear night to observe, or even photograph the night sky, looking west out into the Irish Sea or south along the Dee estuary (although that direction does suffer with light pollution from the towns along the river's edge) there are so many stars to be seen..

The second image shows Hilbre Island, there is a small,  functioning lighthouse on the island but it is a simple white tower with a red LED beacon that can be seen up to 5 miles away.

The island has an interesting history and as a nature reserve it is designated a  Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Cut off by the high tide it is possible to walk across to the island when the tide goes out, to explore rock pools, observe the flocks of wading birds and watch the grey seals that live on a nearby sand bank and swim around the island. 

The island has been occupied on and off since the stone age, it has been a site of pilgrimage with a monastic cell established there between 1080 and 1550. The monks were responsible for maintaining a beacon for shipping and on the island in the late 1600's rock salt was produced on the island.

The two images were taken on the same day. The shot of Hilbre island was taken first and then a short while later as the weather conditions improved the second shot of the lighthouse and the reflections on the beach things appear so much brighter because of the low winter sun.

Night Skies 2

 

So here are two more night sky shots from South Stack Lighthouse. They were taken about an hour apart, the first one was a 20 second exposure (ISO 1600,  17mm  F6.3) and the second was a tracked shot with a 60 second exposure (ISO 1600, 17mm F/4.0)

The camera is pointed almost due west and you can see the constellations of Cancer (centre) Hydra (left of centre) and Leo  upper left.

Depending on how large you are viewing these images it is possible to make out a blue cluster of stars (Praesepe) about 3/4 of the way up just right of centre in the first image.

In the second image you can see how the constellations have moved further to the right as the night has progressed.

The bright white light on the horizon in the second image is a Holyhead to Dublin ferry.

Wet n Wild

Here are a few more images from my shoot yesterday down at the New Brighton seafront during storm Eunice.

The first shot shows the storm surge breaking against and over the wall of Fort Perch Rock, the walls range in height from 24 feet (7.3m) to 32 feet (9.8m)  and I think the corner in this photo is towards the higher part of that range so that gives a sense of how high the waves were, as the surge hit they got even higher and it was necessary to retreat to a safer spot.

The lighthouse is 94 feet (28.5m) and at times the waves obscured most of the building, which even allowing for perspective shows how high they were.

This last image is very similar to the one I shared yesterday, it was a little earlier in the sequence of shots, I love the curl of the wave as it retreats and is fighting against the wind. I have applied a mask to the sky to enhance the layers of cloud and help add emphasis to the foreground.

 

Storm Surge

Today we were visited by Storm Eunice, one of the worst storms in the UK for decades, the South & South West were worst affected with gusts of 122mph recorded on the Isle of Wight but here in the North West we have had winds of 60 - 80mph. With such strong winds combined with a high tide I was sure there would be some dramatic scenes along the coast and as you can see from this image I was not wrong.

The waves have churned up the sand on the beach adding some interesting colours to the waves and the heavy clouds create strong layers in the sky.

 I think the image works very well in black and white too, I have increased the black tones to increase the dramatic effect, let me know what you think.

The conditions were at times quite dreadful, and I almost didn't go out as the rain was coming sideways, not to mention the sleet and hail, but I am so glad I did and I look forward to sorting through all the images and no doubt I will share a few more with you.

I have to give a shout out to the coast guard who were out on duty today, probably slightly bemused by the number of photographers out in these awful conditions, but more so I am sure by the three people who thought it was a good idea to go swimming and the one idiot who kept walking towards the waves and who argued with the coast guard, despite their warnings about the imminent storm surge, telling them "You can't tell me what to do, I don't have to listen to you!" 

I was really grateful for the calm way they handled the whole situation and how they also allowed all the photographers to get in position for their shots but also gently shepherding everyone to safety as the conditions changed. Their experience was evident as their advice was timed to perfection and it was only the few people with unsuitable footwear that actually got wet as the surge broke over the promenade to where we were stood.

Tail End of the Storm

 Once again I brave the conditions so you don't have to...

This was New Brighton lighthouse as Storm Dudley came to an end earlier today. There were a few spectacular moments but none of the really big splashes that I had hoped for.

Oh well with Storm Eunice due to arrive tomorrow promising even worse conditions I will be out there again... 

Hurst Point Lighthouse

 This is Hurst Point Lighthouse which stands at Hurst Point near Lymington and guides shipping through the western approach to the Solent.

There has been a lighthouse here, as part of Hurst Castle since 1768 one of which can be seen in my "Still Standing" post from the other day. Due to shifting sandbanks over time a different array of lights was needed to safely guide shipping.

This is the High Lighthouse which was built in 1867, it is 26m tall and is still in use today. In 1997 it was converted to use electricity rather than acetylene.

Although the old lights (situated in the castle) remain in place they have been decommissioned and painted grey to avoid confusion for shipping.