chichester Harbour | alan frost photography

Bosham harbour at dusk

Bosham is a very pretty village forming part of Chichester Harbour, not far from the City of Chichester along the South Coast in West Sussex.

As you can probably imagine its picturesque appearance attracts numerous visitors throughout the year, as well as many a photographer. It’s a location that when the weather, light and the tide are all right, you may not find you are on your own with a camera. This is one of those scenes which has to be part of your photo library but I am all too aware that thousands of people before me will have been there and taken pictures of the setting sun; however it is too beautiful to dismiss just because of its popularity. In fact if it wasn’t for the tide then the tripod holes where I was standing to take this image would be very evident! Despite all of these comments it’s a scene that is hard to resist even if it lacks originality.

This was one of those rare occasions when my Leica M9-P and 90mm lens were attached to a tripod. The exposure time was several seconds long, as the there was little or no light to speak of and I wanted a slow exposure to smooth the water in the foreground and introduce a little movement in the veil of clouds over the church spire. The fact that lights in the houses fronting the water were just being switched on adds another element of interest to the shot.

For those of you who are not familiar with this area, you might like to know that Bosham is in fact pronounced ‘Bozam’ and not ‘Bosh-ham’.

Do click on the image to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Early morning at Dell Quay

Looking back through my last few posts it is evident that I have been doing more colour work recently. This has not been intentional and I am enjoying the variety, but monochrome is still my first love.

This image of Dell Quay, taken early one morning a few days ago, when the tide was very low, reminds me of why black and white photography is favoured not just by me but so many photographers. The artistic interpretation of a scene holds greater possibilities in mono than it would in colour. I enjoy the whole process of increasing or reducing contrast in certain areas of the image; thereby creating mood and atmosphere in the picture, whilst providing a sense of depth and a focal point of interest.

Like so many images this one really needs to be viewed large as there is in fact a lot of detail in the scene. The masts in the boat yard, the three sailing boats to the right and a lone person standing on the jetty. There are also a few swans in the water and a gull flying into the frame from the right hand side. I have yet to print this photograph but I am looking forward to doing so. Do click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Dell Quay forms part of Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is popular with sailors, birdwatchers, walkers and artists; in fact anyone seeking some relaxation in some truly beautiful and unspoilt surroundings.

A selection of hulls at Dell Quay

Hulls come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common – to keep the vessel afloat in water. When not immersed in water the true shape and size of the hull can be seen. The three images in this entry each portray a different style of hull and they were all shot as the sun started to set at Dell Quay, a small sailing club and marina which forms part of Chichester Harbour.

Do click on any of the images to see a larger version.

Just having fun – processing an iPhone image of Dell Quay

Having ‘processing’ fun at Dell Quay

It’s very rare that I post anything other than black and white images on this blog. However sometimes it’s fun to play with a photograph, particularly if it’s one captured on a smartphone – in this case an iPhone5. Using a combination of Lightroom and Colour Efex, I made this rather moody, almost painterly picture of light falling on the sailing boats at Dell Quay in Chichester Harbour. Nothing is really sharp and the soft, desaturated appearance have worked together to produce a rather interesting and to my eyes at least, a pleasing result. It makes me think I should take more colour images and be a little more experimental with my work, but monochrome is still my first love. Nevertheless from time to time it’s good to play and just see what happens.

Do click on the image to view a larger version.