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A lot of my explorations of our local area are brief, especially when it comes to the amount of photographs I take, and not always particularly planned. One day in January 2022 we found ourselves on the very windy beach at Shoreham, just because that’s where we ended up that day.

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Such is often the way, especially with our first visits to places near us, we ended up there without a plan, and without any idea what we were doing. Plus, being a windy day in January, it was not exactly high season. We found somewhere to park in some residential area (not even near any touristy bits) and wandered towards the beach. It wasn’t long before something caught my eye.

1/1000sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 24mm

Being early 2022, I should probably add a few bits of context. Firstly, this was a point where I was not shooting very often, so I was probably a bit rusty – this might explain why my apertures are all over the place in this post. But by the same token, I also likely can’t remember what I was going for anyway. I still don’t quite understand how this was three years ago when it seems like January lasted five years.

1/500sec, f/11, ISO 100, 75mm

Windy as it was, the sun was still out, as you can see from shooting at f/11 and still getting a 1/500sec exposure.

There were a few people still braving the wind.

1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 105mm

We wandered along the beach, and soon reached the entrance to Shoreham Harbour.

1/500sec, f/4, ISO 100, 32mm

As I often do, I decided to take a long exposure, which is usually easier using the Spectre app on my phone.

3.2sec, iPhone 13 Pro back camera

I found a vantage point for a closeup.

1/125sec, f/8, ISO 100, 102mm

We got a bit closer, and I took another long exposure with my phone, this time going for a longer exposure and getting some pretty cloud movement.

9sec, iPhone 13 Pro back camera

We turned around and started wandering back in the direction we came. The wind was making the sea really choppy. Obviously I wasn’t keen on getting too close.

1/500sec, f/8, ISO 100, 70mm

Heading back in this direction I took some time to photograph the path along which we were walking.

1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mm

1/800sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

We ended up walking a decent amount, but eventually the cold got to us and we headed home.

Since then, as has often proven to be the case with our random visits to local places, I’ve only been back to Shoreham once, when I wandered in a completely different direction (when I was scouting a possible shooting location for when 35028 Clan Line would be making a rare pass through our part of the country.

As usual, this is a bit of an abbreviated set of images – the full collection is below.

#beach #camera #nature #Photography #sea #Shoreham #sussex #travel

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Dorset Again

I struggled to come up with the title of this post for a while. I have a standard format of naming posts, but it’s based around places where I make infrequent, occasional trips. I’ve been going to Dorset for long enough that it predates that nomenclature, and going there often enough that there’s a decent amount of posts containing some sort of photography from that part of the world, all named in weird ways that certainly seemed appropriate at the time. This is certainly up there are far as first world problems go, but that is the world where I live – issues like having fresh running water is less of a concern.

But, as I often do, I digress.

This particular assortment of photographs is from 2021, when we took our first family holiday together as a three. That said, these pictures were edited in early 2024, so will feature some of what I’ve learned in the interim about how to process images. Being a family holiday where various photos were taken, this will be forming a bit of a compendium.

The first image in this set is from Swanage Bay, with a line of ominous-looking clouds hovering over Bournemouth.

1/1600sec, f/8, ISO 200, 24mm

On one day we took a stroll along the pier. Swanage is a special place for us as a family and so there is a plaque in memory of my dad on one of the boards. Whilst we were on the pier, a passenger boat came by.

1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

As I said, I edited these images in 2024. That means they were edited after I’d gotten into the habit of using Lightroom presets to enhance my images. This shot has been processed with a preset, which has enhanced the blue of the sea and sky and red of the boat for a more striking image. I’ve done the same on these next images too, and it’s perhaps a lot more noticeable on this photograph of the boat as it left full of passengers.

1/2000sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

As you can see, it’s also brought out the green of Ballast Down behind it. I appreciate this look might not be for everyone – but I like the result.

I took a couple more shots at the boat left, heading towards either Poole or Bournemouth.

1/2500sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

1/2500sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

It also has a nice effect without needing the contrasting red of the boat, such as this shot of the pier edge.

1/2000sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

Another thing we love to do whilst staying in Dorset is riding the Swanage Railway to Corfe Castle. This time, having National Trust memberships, we could actually visit the Castle without paying the entrance fee.

From up in the castle you get great views of the surrounding countryside. This is usually a good opportunity to take some panoramic shots. I can be very lazy with these: either I just resort to my phone (I actually have a panoramic photo of Swanage Bay, taken using my phone, printed and framed on my wall), or I fire off some loosely aligned photographs and trust that Lightroom will be able to figure them out later. Sometimes that backfires and it can’t align an image or two, but usually I get away without carrying around or faffing about with a tripod or any other formal process. I just shoot, and try to ensure the images have enough overlap to stitch them together later.

1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100 (merged panorama)

I feel like that thatched house was put there solely to add to the scenery.

You can also get a lovely view of the village of Corfe Castle from there. If you time it right, you can have some of the steam from the railway add to the scene.

1/800sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mm

Corfe Castle is a ruin, which means lots of opportunities for photographing things with lovely aged textures, like this old gate leaning against an ancient castle wall.

1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

Through the bushes you can get a view of one of the railway bridges too.

1/250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 60mm

At the bottom of the hill you can get some nice imposing shots of the Castle. I think I used Lightroom’s Transform tool to straighten the vertical lines on this shot.

1/2000sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

Perhaps my favourite thing to do whilst in Dorset is the walk from Swanage along the coast path towards Durlston Castle. I’ve loved doing it since I was a kid, when the mile or two walk was the longest I’ve ever walked rather than just what I do as part of my normal commute now. I don’t often take that many photographs on this walk any more, just because things have only changed so much since I was younger. There are, however, some shots I will always stop to capture, just because they bring me joy to look at them – namely, this one looking back towards Peveril Point, with Old Harry Rocks in the background.

1/400sec, f/8, ISO 100, 105mm

On the last day of our holiday, we took a boat trip to Brownsea Island in the middle of Poole Harbour. It is a nature reserve famed for its red squirrels, amongst other interesting creatures. That said, as we explored, the first interesting things we came across were some lilies. As they were in the middle of a decent-sized pond, I needed to switch to my 70-200mm telephoto to get the shots I was after.

1/13sec, f/4, ISO 100, 200mm

1/50sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

This is one of those places that was under tree cover, and occasionally the sunlight would poke through in just the right way to light up the flowers just so.

1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

1/50sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

1/80sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

1/50sec, f/4, ISO 200, 200mm

We moved on, and I switched back to my standard zoom. As we wandered, we came across what is essentially some graffiti of an emoji.

1/800sec, f/4, ISO 100, 55mm

Further on, we encountered a cockerel, looking rather majestic.

1/500sec, f/4, ISO 100, 96mm

He gave us the show of flapping his wings.

1/500sec, f/4, ISO 100, 96mm

Before also giving us a crow.

1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 96mm

Elsewhere on the island is a church. Like the photo of Corfe Castle earlier, I’ve put this through Lightroom’s transform tool to correct the perspective and straighten the vertical lines.

1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mm

Nearby, I spotted a couple of people on a bench in the shade.

1/125sec, f/4, ISO 100, 50mm

Also nearby I saw a wheelbarrow resting against a tree. I’ve put this through another Lightroom preset in order to pop the colours a bit, especially on the wheelbarrow.

1/50sec, f/4, ISO 100, 47mm

As we waited by the dock having some lunch and waiting for the boat home, I photographed a few other boats in Poole Harbour with my 70-300mm telephoto.

1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 300mm

1/1600sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 115mm

We’ve been back to Dorset on several occasions since I took these photos, and I always am wanting to return there, so there will many future posts from that part of the world in the future.

#boats #coast #Dorset #Photography #sea #Swanage #travel

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My Kit

It’s pretty obligatory these days for a photography website to reveal what equipment is being used. Maybe it’s bragging, maybe it’s just a courtesy so someone in the market for some new…

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