A couple from the coast

[stroberaver]

Before the fun started with trying to fix my back focus, I went up the coast a couple of times to catch some morning scenes. Naturally the backfocussing I experienced was no barrier to landscapes with a small aperture. I'm not normally a morning person, but made the effort to get out, and I really enjoyed the peace and serenity of driving up the Northumberland coast in the night and wandering around at dawn.

I'm afraid the shots are nothing original, but I'm pleased to have my own in my collection.

Bamburgh Castle



Dunstanburgh Castle



Can't wait to get my mobility back (recovering from a small knee op) and get my camera sorted, and I'll hopefully be out again in the morning to take some scenes.

[David Kilpatrick]

While the Bamburgh shot is standard Practical Photography fare, the Dunstanburgh shot is relatively original in the colour and treatment. Both subjects are so overworked (at least one PP cover per year!) that it is difficult not to repeat the wide-angle, dawn, southward views. But both are as good as most, if you get what I mean. Though the castles are within an hour of home for me, I have never photographer Dunstanburgh and only photographed Bamburgh in a very different way, showing the dune structure and vegetation - or tourism. I have never sold any of the 'scenic' views of Bamburgh, but I have sold a shot of a tourist bus with the castle in the background a few times (rainy day, poor light, snapshot). That's because in the editorial stock field, what sells is pictures of things that happen, what people do - not places which are there. Another example, Guardian leisure supplement, one of Shirley's Alnmouth shots got used - not a view of Alnmouth, pretty though it is. A view of a family with a very small child pushing his mini-bicycle across the sands.

I noticed that Practical did a 'thing' on Alnmouth, but they missed half a dozen classic views including the cross on the hill and the best of the stranded old boats in the estuary marshlands.

David

[stroberaver]

Cheers David - yes I agree the shots are very much standard fare. In fact I'm pretty sure it was an issue of PP from a couple of years ago that originally made me aware of the standard "sunrise over [insert coastline castle here] and rocks" shot.

The Dunstanburgh shot was almost an accident when I knocked the WB slider, and realised I preferred the result. A bit more fiddling gave the ghostly, ethereal appearance of the castle and rock pools, with the sun just starting to bring a hint of warmth into the shot. Imo the image with the "correct" WB is very generic and not great lighting (wasn't ideal conditions that morning - too cloudy on the horizon).

At Bamburgh, I also took this a few minutes later which I also like:


Seems like there's an above average contingent of members from north england / borders here. Anyone got any other good tips or suggestions for locations? I'm not sure where my next sunrise trip will be. I was thinking something up looking over Kielder water.

[Dr. Harout]

I have to admit that I just love pictures of old castles.