Just before dark
I always welcome this time of year. Yes I know the clocks have gone back, so it’s dark well before you sit down for your evening meal. But the colder and shorter days bring great skies and once the leaves have fallen, the true splendour and skeletal shapes of a line of trees can be really be appreciated.
Do click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Clavell Tower at Kimmeridge Bay at the end of the day
The Jurassic Coast in Dorset is a World Heritage site, famous for its cliffs, beaches and fossils. Together they reveal the history of the earth over a period of 185 million years. Just jaw dropping. The area is also a rich source of photographic subjects and whilst it’s a challenge to take anything that hasn’t already been taken many times before, it’s no less appealing simply because of its popularity, particularly when the colour of the light is at its most favourable.
My wife and I have just returned from a short break in the area, staying at West Lane Cottage in Piddlehinton which is about 20 to 25 minutes drive from various parts of the coast. We chose to visit a number of different locations, mainly towards the end of the day and we were blessed with some fine weather and on one day in particular, a superb sunset.
By way of a change from my usual monochrome work, here are a selection of photographs captured on our trips to the coast.
Perhaps, just perhaps, maybe I should do a little more colour work in the future? Only time will tell.
Morning light on East Cliff near West Bay
Towards Golden Cap from West Bay
The cliffs at Hive Beach near Burton Bradstock
Looking east from Swyre as the sun starts to set
Sunset at Swyre – looking towards Golden Cap
Happisburgh Lighthouse
Happisburgh Lighthouse (pronounced ‘Haze-bruh’) is the oldest working light in East Anglia and the only one in Great Britain which is independently run and maintained through voluntary contributions. Built in 1790 and originally one of a pair, the lighthouse is 85ft tall and the lantern is 134ft above sea level. It overlooks the dramatic North Sea coastline which is constantly under threat from coastal erosion, and to this day threatens many seaside homes.
Interestingly the lighthouse was painted in bands in 1884 after the second lighthouse was demolished in the previous year. This was to distinguish the Happisburgh lighthouse from the tower at Winterton, a short distance along the coast.
Having enjoyed a good late afternoon walk along the beach, I drove from the car park back towards the centre of the village before turning into the lane which leads to the lighthouse. I was keen to see whether or not there was a good view with setting sun behind me. Standing proud on the hill, with the low angled sun light illuminating the field in the foreground, I was able to capture this image. I couldn’t have been more fortunate with the cloudscape, which provides a lovely backdrop to the main event.
The Norfolk Broads are a series of rivers and lakes (broads) most of which are navigable and together they form an area which has been called ‘Britain’s Magical Waterland’. The area is renowned for its big skies and windmills.
The drainage mill pictured in this post is Turf Fen Mill on the River Ant in Irstead and was taken from the river path at How Hill. Built in 1875 the mill ceased working in 1920, when cattle no longer grazed the marshes. Since 1976 the mill has been restored and maintained by the Norfolk Windmills Trust.
Agapanthus
In a break from my usual black and white photographs, I couldn’t resist posting this image of some flowers in our garden. I don’t profess to be a gardener but these plants are quite stunning and have given my wife and I a great deal of pleasure this year.
Agapanthus are an architectural plant originating from South Africa. These are growing in three pots on an area of decking immediately outside our living room. Without a great deal of care, they have produced forty stems, each about two to three feet long, topped with a ‘ball’ of intensely coloured flowers. They have such a long season of interest, from the moment the first stems start to appear, through to when their attractive seed heads form later in the year.
Simply beautiful and without question one of my favourite plants.
For those who are interested in the technical details, this photograph was taken with a Leica M9P and 35mm Summilux lens. It was shot at f2.0, 1/3000 sec at ISO 160. Cropped and with some processing in Lightroom, but the colours are just as the CCD sensor recorded them.
alan frost photography 