Showing posts with label county durham coast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label county durham coast. Show all posts

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Good Morning Seaham!

A rare sunrise outing for Mr Corr, on a chilly February morning in the north-east of England. I'd just finished a week of night shifts at the Nissan POW camp and my body clock was again out of fettle, as I woke at 5am and joined the wide awake club once more. With hindsight, I suppose it worked out quite well, as I bagged a decent shot or two - the first shots I 'd actually taken for a number of weeks and my first of 2019. I'd been out of the loop, due to illness and one or two other personal issues, so it was nice to get  back on the horse, so to speak, although I did feel quite rusty and almost had to remind myself how to use my camera ha!

So off I went, slipping back into the photography loop, with a ten minute journey eastward, to Seaham Harbour. I had no real plan, to be fair. It was another one of those 'Suck it and see' affairs, where I drive, observe, then choose. The choice wasn't a great one either, as I had two locations on my radar. My first choice was the harbour beach ... the second was the Tommy artwork, on top, at The Green. With sunrise in mind I checked out the sky for inspiration and a clue as to which location to plump for. The harbour won the day, so I headed down the bank and through the overflow car park - eventually reaching the pier parking area, where I dropped anchor. The tide was almost high and with the sun about to rise, I wasted no time in getting sand on my wellies and into position. A lump of driftwood drew me in immediately. It was ideally placed and looking very photogenic, for what it was. I began to feel that things were already piecing together and the prospect of some colour appearing in the sky was very promising. It was now a short waiting game...

I didn't have to wait long to be rewarded. It was a great start to the morning and the pastel shades suddenly appeared in the sky, with the incoming tide lapping against my driftwood prop. To my right hand side I was distracted by a man with a dog … and a short rake. Ah well, he obviously likes his props too, eh. It's just … he wasn't a photographer as such, just a man walking a dog. So why the rake, I asked myself. Not to be distracted any further, I turned away and fired off a couple more shots. The scene unfolding in front of me was rather special!

I looked across to my right once again and noticed said dog walker crafting something in the sand, with his beloved rake. From the angle I observed from, it wasn't easy to see exactly what he was writing, but all became apparent as I stood and watched him taking a photograph of it on his mobile phone. GOOD MORNING … was his greeting in the sand. Well, as I packed up and headed back to the car I grabbed a quick shot of his work, just for the record. I really do need to thank him, as my photo of it appeared on the Tyne-Tees Television weather bulletin later that day!

All things considered, this morning was a return to my photography after a four month exile. I have to say … it was a nice return, which yielded a decent shot or two. I really need to get back into the seascape scene... especially sunrises. If only there was a way around the early morning alarm calls, eh. Now, that would be ideal. I'll just have to make more of an effort to drag me jaxey out of the fart sack more often. Until then …

Catch ya sooner, rather than later.

Ash    

Saturday 3 November 2018

Tidal Surge Hits New Heights!

Hello again,
I write my latest blog offering one week after a visit to Seaham Harbour, County Durham. A fifteen minute drive had me looking out to the North Sea, as Mother Nature kicked off big style, with huge crashing waves that battered Seaham Pier and lighthouse. Strong winds from the north, fused with ice cold temperatures, made for a challenging afternoon as I stood for an hour or so on the shore. I was armed with my Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens, fixed to my trusty Canon 5D and supported by a very rigid set of Manfrotto legs. I was surprised at the lack of fellow photographers last Saturday. By default there's usually a mass of the like-minded, doing what comes naturally on days like these, but not today.

I wasn't alone, however. Alongside me was Phil Wright and Andrew Davison, a pair of local togs who were also members of the Sigma 150-600 fan club. Despite the cold, we soldiered on as the light dropped and sunset approached. Shortly before sundown the clouds broke and we were treated to a brief show of sunlight, which transformed our shots when the light hit the waves and lighthouse. It was game on! I stood back, firing remotely from the warmth of my jacket pocket. Those remote shutter releases are a godsend, trust me. Firing off a couple hundred shots, it was now time to head back home and check the results. Well impressed I was. All in a days work.

Cheers, Ash