coast | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘coast’

Cuckmere Haven alone in the mist

Regular readers will know that I am a great one for projects or bodies of work both large and small. Some last many months, even years and others are achieveable in only a day. They all have merit. Stand out single or what I like to call ‘Hero’ images do have their place but somehow the portrayal of a location and the prevailing conditions can really only be told in a series of pictures.

This selection of images were all taken during one visit to Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex.

I wanted to use my newly acquired Sony RX100 Mk3 compact camera to make a set of monochorme images for the first time and be able to assess the quality of the results. Very simply I decided beforehand to try and capture the location using no more than a dozen pictures; in fact there are eleven in this post.

I enjoy being in unfamiliar locations and taking photographs. My mind is fresh to the possibilities of what I might see and capture in camera. Weather plays a big part of course and I was fortunate on this particular occassion to find the area shrouded in low cloud and mist. These conditions are ideal for black and white photography. I can adjust the contrast to suit each image to portray not only what the eye saw but how the scene felt to me.

All the pictures are landscape in format with a 3 x 2 aspect ratio for consistency. I think this is important if a set of images is to be presented as a harmonious panel of work.

As I walked around the lagoon I found myself being drawn to some minimilist compositions which I rather like.

None more so than the picture below of a single post with the far bank just visible in the distance.

As for the Sony RX100 camera – well I have yet to make prints, but for the purposes of this blog, the quality of the RAW files is excellent.

Water, posts and reflections always have an appeal and these things all came together for my last image, with the added bonus of a sheep in the centre of the frame.

This part of East Sussex is a very popular with tourists visiting not just Cuckmere Haven but also the Seven Sister cliffs (the first image) and further to the east, Beachy Head. Although there were other people around, I felt quite alone here. Alone with nature – the mist largely obscuring my visibility of people or distractions I didn’t want or need to witness. I can easily imagine how this area might look bathed in sunshine with many people to be seen in every direction. Call me melanchonic but give me the mist and solitude any day of the week please.

To enjoy these images at their best, please click on each one to view a larger version.

Super wide angle in Eastbourne with Zeiss Distagon 18mm f4

Zeiss 18mm-3

For some time now I have been looking at various super wide angle lenses with a Leica M mount for my Leica Monochrom. My widest lens is 28mm and there have been many times in the past when a wider angle of view would have been welcome; either because I am working in confined spaces (church interiors for example) or to work more creatively. For landscapes a wider angle of view can also be invaluable but in all cases the ability to attach Neutral Density and ND Graduated filters is important to me. Yes I know using filters on a rangefinder is far from ideal. It also goes without saying that a separate viewfinder is also a requirement, as the frames lines in the camera’s viewfinder only extend to 28mm. Despite these limitations I still love my Monochrom to bits, so whilst my approach might be very unorthodox, it works for me and I’m sticking to it.

Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge

Yesterday I posted a few of my most recent images of Dorset. You can see this post here. I soon realised that I had not created a ‘Gallery Page’ for Dorset, so this morning I have done exactly that – click here to visit this new gallery.

As a taster here are a selection of images, some of which were taken a few years ago.

I have enjoyed revisiting them and I hope you enjoy them too.

Fields of Barley

Evening Light at Purbeck

St Oswalds Bay

Three very different views of the Jurassic Coast

Charmouth – Reflections of Light

Apart from my home county of West Sussex there are two other places I most like to visit. Top of the list is Scotland. Unfortunately it’s the best part of 400 miles just to cross the border, let alone reach the Highlands; not to mention the journey time by car of at least 6 hours and that doesn’t include hold ups or any stops. It’s therefore not very practical to go there on a regular basis.

Much closer to home is the county of Dorset and my wife and I are regular visitors. It offers a wonderful combination of varied countryside and a truly majestic coastline – or in other words The Jurassic Coast, which has been a World Heritage Site since 2001.

Photographic opportunities are in abundance. Here are just three images from our most recent visit to the area.

Charmouth – Towards Golden Cap

Jurassic Clifftops from White Nothe

Spectacular scenery and in many ways a more than adequate substitute for Scotland……and I can get there and back in one day, very comfortably!

Here are links to a few other posts which feature Dorset.

Portland Bill Lighthouse with the Leica M9-P

Colour of light on The Jurassic Coast

Alone on The Cobb

Whitesands Bay – The magical Golden Hour

17.09.47 – The Golden Hour begins

In the past couple of months I have been making more use of my Instagram account (@arfrost) and on it my profile reads – ‘A monochrome photographer with occasional colour lapses’. I think this sums up my approach to photography rather well, and this post is just that, a lapse into colour.

For many landscape photographers the ‘Golden Hour’ at the beginning or at the end of the day is one of the most popular times to be out with a camera. This set of images demonstrates rather well the reason why it can be a magical experience. The colour of the light is constantly changing and arguably the longer you wait, the greater the reward is likely to be.

17.24.03 Showing Potential

All of these images were taken from more or less the same position, looking out over Whitesands Bay in Pembrokeshire back in February this year. The first frame was taken at 17.10hrs and the last at just before 18.00hrs, a difference of just 50 minutes.

17.44.46 Jogger at dusk

17.54.10 Forty five minutes after the first frame

17.58.11 The Magical Golden Hour

As well as the glorious colour palettes the inclusion of people and in some cases their dogs as well, adds human interest to three of the five images, which appeals to me.

If you happen to find yourself in a wonderful location when the day is drawing to a close, and assuming you have the time to sit or stand and just wait; then there is no greater pleasure than to enjoy the ‘Golden Hour’. Whether you have a camera with you or not, the experience is hard to beat.