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.

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.

Lighthouse Exposed

 

I have had a much needed and even if I say it myself, a well earned day off work and I decided to get out for a couple of hours with my camera. I stayed fairly local just driving the few miles to New Brighton and even that seemed like quite an adventure in these peculiar times. The last time I actually left the house with my camera (in daylight at least) was 3rd January which was before the current lockdown restrictions were put in place and I have not been able to justify taking photographs as "essential" so my gear has been left idle for too long.

I actually wondered why I had bothered restricting myself because today there were a few other photographers out as well as a large number of people fishing from the shore and a model boat club having some kind of mini regatta. I guess if those activities can pass as essential or come under the umbrella of "exercise" then I felt pretty safe in my decision to go out today. 

Anyway I got a mixture of shots including landscape, seascape and wildlife and today I am sharing a few images of the lighthouse at Perch Rock.

Although it was dry and mild there was very little colour in the sky and so I decided to shoot mostly in black and white because I felt this would create more dramatic images, I have included one colour image for some balance.

I used a variable ND filter to use long exposures and flatten out the sea somewhat as the tide was coming in. I have used exposures of 2.5 seconds up to 6 seconds which as well as smoothing out the water has also added a little movement to the clouds. 

I am going to say that the first image and the third image are my favourites. I hope you like them too.

I will be sharing some more pictures over the next few days and now that I have been out once I am sure I will head out more often in the coming weeks and hopefully start to get some more nice images.

Guiding Light

The River Mersey is an incredibly busy shipping lane as ships arrive from all around the world, including oil tankers bound for the refinery at Stanlow and the container port at Seaforth as well as the freight terminal at 12 Quays. The river also hosts some of the worlds biggest cruise liners that call in at Liverpool's Pier Head in the shadow of its Three Graces; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of the bigger ships like this Greek registered tanker need a little help to navigate the channels into port so the river pilot will guide them in. 

In times past the Lighthouse would have also played its part in marking the safe passage into the river from the often stormy Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea.

 

Windy Promenade

In spite of the miserable conditions there were plenty of people out "taking the air". Perhaps in some ways it actually was the wild conditions which drew people to the shore to watch the crashing waves. 

When I was on my way back to my car I turned and saw the distant clouds rising up and rolling in. I thought they made a dramatic image especially with the white highlights.

The Rock...

...Perch Rock to be exact.

This is the fort and lighthouse at New Brighton on a very wild and windy Saturday

Wild Weather

I dont think it matters where in the world you are there has been some pretty wild weather conditions and here on the North West coast we've taken a bit of a battering. 

We didn't get the now that was forecast but we've had really strong winds, heavy rain and it has been bitterly cold. Add to that a full moon and a 10 metre high tide it made for some pretty dramatic conditions.

I had been down to the riverside to take some pictures of the Liverpool waterfront and I then headed off to New Brighton to look out to where the Mersey joins Liverpool Bay in the Irish Sea. The lighthouse is the Fort Perch Rock Lighthouse and it was taking a bit of a battering. The sea, as you can see was really wild and the clouds make quite a dramatic picture.

The wind was bitingly cold and it has taken the rest of the day for me to get warm enough to sort through my pictures and do this post. Hope you enjoy it.

Sundown at the beach

The late afternoon sun on the beach was perfect for these atmospheric shots looking towards the North Wales coast in the far distance.  I love living so close to the sea and I am happy to share these lovely images to show what a beautiful place I live in.

Wonderful Wirral.

Kite Surfing is Awesome

The watery theme continues although when I started out today I had no idea what I would be posting. The weather this morning was dreadful and I didn't think I would get a chance to get any new pictures at all.  After lunch though things started looking up and I set out with my camera and as I was driving along near New Brighton I caught a glimpse of these kite surfers on Derby Pool. The wind was pretty strong and these guys were getting some high speeds and literally flying at times, it was really impressive and I will be keeping my eyes open for more opportunities like this. 

I have never tried taking shots like these before  but I think I have managed to get a few decent pictures and I will share a few more over the next few days along with some of the other shots from my afternoon on the beach.