Well, not sure how to begin this with such a lot to convey? But I do accept that I need to come clean and confess to learning some valuable lessons in bad timing, knowing your equipment, sorting out the basic settings ahead of time and patience (lots of it).
I will start off with the lesson in timing. As per usual with visiting family in Kent (an area Joe and I are very familiar with as we both spent our formative years in and around Canterbury), we decided to combine some early morning photography with the visit. Our ultimate destination was Botany Bay, a location along from Broadstairs and having done some usual google research the evening before, had a fairly good idea of what we wanted to achieve. Our route took us past Walpole Tidal Pool and on a passing whim, and as I was in the driving seat, I decided to stop and explore a little with a view of perhaps getting an extra location in. The tide was coming in and it was just perfect.
I was soon to learn that arriving in perfect time when dealing with a fast moving tide does not mean the right time. After picking a composition I managed to get the camera out and set up and was all set to take a long exposure after my usual record shot (above) when it went badly wrong for me. My bulb setting was flawed. I chose a 2 minute exposure but as my remote fired my camera had other ideas and decided to do a 30 second exposure. This resulted in an almost black and useless image. After a bit of a fumble about with my camera settings I managed to correct the setting but by this time the water was up and over the side of the tidal pool and the shot was gone. No such problem for Joe, as usual cool as a cucumber managed to get a couple of exposures. Determined to get something, after some hand held shots of the bridge leading down to the beach we packed up and headed on to our original destination. (I lifted the exposure in Lightroom the image was way too grainy as you would expect).
My useless Exposure
The result after work in Lightroom - Click for a better view of how grainy it is
We arrived at our destination, Botany Bay with the tide still heading in but a beach full of families out and about even though it was still well before lunch time. It was here that patience was to become a tested virtue for the both of us. Having set up our cameras I was able to get a couple of shots in before deciding to re-position my camera for a long exposure. Behind us and out of shot was a family of four who quite rightly were out and enjoying what was just as much theirs to enjoy as ours but I was soon to be dismayed at their (in particular the husband’s) obvious determination that we shouldn’t share the moment in the landscape. I heard over my shoulder the mother comment and indicate to the husband that he may ruin our exposure if he walked in front of us. At this point normal pleasantries are exchanged but his reply was “so What” and he then walked right in front of the camera ruining the exposure. From there on he and the family spent a full 15 minutes or so parading up and down in front of the very thing it was obvious we wanted to get a shot at. He even left his wife and kinds kicking their heels and getting bored while he so obviously set about ensuring that we knew who owned the view. With his departure I think we managed to get a shot, Joe’s was a much different shot than mine and I believe he was rewarded better for his patience better than I was.
Here is the image that Joe made which was by far the better shot.
This will be the last blog this year and we wish all our family, friends and acquaintances the very best for the new year.