A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry here. It was an early morning visit to Littlehaven near South Shields, for some sunrise photography. At the end of this particular blog I said I would be visiting Souter Lightouse the following weekend for more early morning low-light shots. Well, I did make a visit but forgot to write about it so here it is...
It was a very mild Saturday morning in
early October and I was in position just outside the grounds of Souter Lighthouse, a National Trust property on the North-East coast of England near the small village of Whitburn. Conditions were ideal so I had my fingers crossed for some decent shots of the lighthouse, hopefully with a nice sun rising on the north sea horizon. The long whitewashed perimeter wall gave a good lead-in line to the shot, with the lighthouse and gardens in centre-shot and the calm north sea finishing off the shot as a backdrop. There was very little cloud cover on the horizon so it was a waiting game as I braced myself for the moment.
early October and I was in position just outside the grounds of Souter Lighthouse, a National Trust property on the North-East coast of England near the small village of Whitburn. Conditions were ideal so I had my fingers crossed for some decent shots of the lighthouse, hopefully with a nice sun rising on the north sea horizon. The long whitewashed perimeter wall gave a good lead-in line to the shot, with the lighthouse and gardens in centre-shot and the calm north sea finishing off the shot as a backdrop. There was very little cloud cover on the horizon so it was a waiting game as I braced myself for the moment. I didn't have to wait long. 
With my kit set up and remote control in hand, it was down to business again and time to bring in more sunrise shots on the coast. Again I was using drop-in Neutral Density grads to balance the exposure and after working out the difference in f-stops,
With my kit set up and remote control in hand, it was down to business again and time to bring in more sunrise shots on the coast. Again I was using drop-in Neutral Density grads to balance the exposure and after working out the difference in f-stops,it was case of selecting the correct filter to achieve an accurate all round exposure throughout.
I managed to get there in the end despite a few mishaps with the lens and the IS (Image Stabilization) setting. After a few minutes I moved inside the perimeter wall and took up position near the vegetable garden, with it's well maintained plot that also offered some valuable colour in the foreground.OK, time to shoot. It was back into the car, which incidentally, was parked on the main road where it shouldn't have been! Oh well, at 6.00am on a morning you're allowed the odd indescretion. Not many traffic wardens about at that hour is there? While the cat's away!
Until the next time, cheers,
Ash
