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.

Defences

 I managed to get out again today for a few hours and I got a couple of shots of some birds I have never photographed before which was quite exciting for me. However I have yet to sort through my pictures before I can share anything with you but be prepared they are going to be special.

So for today I am sharing two more images from my "trip" last week and here they are.

I think they are quite dramatic images of the sea defences at New Brighton, what do you think?

Sea Defense

On the beach at Aberaeron these defense prevent erosion. It is interesting that the pebbles on the right hand side which is more exposed to the effects of the waves are small compared to the stones on the more sheltered left hand side which are much larger.

Barnacled Break Water

As promised here are a few more shots of the sea defences which I started with yesterday.

I like all of these pictures but I think the third and fourth shots are my favourite.

I really like the shapes, colours and textures and the variations in light and shade.

Do you have a favourite image from this selection?  If so what do you like about it?  Do you think the pictures work better in colour or black and white?

Coastal Defences

Here are four views of the sea defences near Derby Pool. These incredible barnacle encrusted concrete structures are a really interesting feature, breaking up the shore line at low tide and breaking up the waves when the tide comes in.

Although three of the pictures offer a similar view the different lighting and slightly different viewpoint show off this magnificent structure.  Tomorrow I will post a few more shots of the break water which will add a new perspective so do come back tomorrow.