I hunted down after a brief spell on the M48 motorway near Bristol. The sun was quite low and it was an ideal time to check out this so-called 'View'. As I drove towards Severn View Services, where the best view of the bridge was supposed to be, I had a feeling it was going to be well worth it. I parked up near the old service building that overlooked the River Severn and made my way towards the banks, lugging my rather heavy kit bag and tripod as I went.My first shot shows the bridge as the sun was dropped behind it. I was in luck! The sun could have been setting anywhere but luckily it was exactly where I wanted it, so it was clear I was standing in a prime spot as I took my first batch of shots.
The second shot (shown here) was taken shortly after sundown, with the nice subtle colours becoming more prominent over a period of minutes, which is often known in photographer's terms as 'Golden Time'.
A mid- range ND Grad was used to balance out the exposure between the highlights (sky) and the dark zones (river at bottom of shot). It worked very well - even with a rather fast shutter firing at 1/60th, freezing the oncoming car headlamps, as opposed to blurring them and giving a light trail effect which I didn't really want.The third
and final shot was taken the next morning as the sun briefly shone across the River Severn. A circular polariser was used to emphasise the cloud formation. Yes, it was a good spot on the river banks and well worth a couple of visits. I was lucky to get a good sky for the two night time shots. Job done. It was now time to move on and another brief stop-off in Exeter was round the corner. Weather forecast is good - let's see what lies ahead...Cheers, Ash
