Waves Of Discontent

Welcome back!
Seascapes come in various forms, from the calm to the stormy, the peaceful to the dramatic. And it's drama all the way in my latest batch of photographs which were captured locally, at Seaham Harbour in the County of Durham. Last Sunday was a right old windy affair, along with overcast skies and lack of colour all round. That combined was enough to leave with with little option other than to make it down to the coast in the hope of striking lucky with some big waves. JACKPOT !!!
Good decision - I'd never witnessed a sea like this one, as one massive wave after another rolled in, battering the sea walls and showing next to no mercy. Seaham Pier was up against it too, which is what I focused on for today's shoot, beginning my task from the top of a hill which overlooked Seaham Harbour. The steps to the summit were out of bounds, cordoned off with a barrier, which was less than imposing, so over I went, climbing the dozen or so steps until my vantage point was right in front of me. Naturally, in weather like this you get an accompaniment of chill, and boy was it cold. I was layered up, doing my prep work to a tee, well...not quite. Before leaving home I doubled up on fleeces, adding a body warmer for good measure. How about a wooly 'Bin Man' hat - yes, I'll have one of those too, plus warm hiking boots and 3 tog socks. Sorted? No way! I forget the gloves and paid a heavy price. Me little fingers were like icicles and I was in so much pain, I wasn't far off tears. Friggin' nightmare. But what to do, eh, other than grin and bare it. I wasn't gonna walk away from an opportunity like this.

I made my first few pictures from up top, before driving the car a short distance to the entrance of Seaham Pier, where I got the distinct impression I was getting a little bit too close to the action. The high North Sea to my left was frighteningly close to breaching the sea wall, it was that lively. The car was rocking to and fro, the winds doing their very best to intimidate. To my right, where I was now parked up, the Pier and lighthouse were both taking a battering from the incoming waves. This wasn't a happy sea and it wasn't taking prisoners in its state of discontent. Cars came and went, with occupants taking in the drama before heading off to safer ground. It was now time to take more shots, so I got out the car and almost got knocked off my feet with the full force of the wind that greeted me. I noticed the owld couple nearby, in the Morris Minor rust bucket, pointing towards me and laughing, but it was alright for them, they were safe and warm, they could laugh. I had a little chuckle to myself, ah well, I gave them summat to smile about. For a few minutes I stayed out there, opting to take the bad weather firmly on the chin, as the strong winds whipped up sand, straight into my eyes and mouth - not a pretty experience, to say the least. I imagined the owld folk behind me, laughing again, as I gave them better entertainment than 'Sunday At The Palladium' he he. As I
almost fell to my feet once again I turned my back on the wind and the seascape in front of me. From the corner of my eye I noticed owld Ernest & Elsie laughing their tits off at me, as I wrestled the elements, scoring nothing during the first three rounds. But hey, points were scored 'In camera' so I was consoled with that thought and fired off more frames to balance the boat, as it were. I was fighting my way back into the bout!

By this time my face and hands were in severe pain, chilled to a state of almost complete numbness, which I couldn't tolerate any longer, so I jumped back into my car. A safe haven, albeit temporarily, and with the added luxury of heaters. We take these things for granted usually, but what a godsend they were today, as they pumped out some much needed heat, making me look human once again. After recovering enough feeling in my hands I continued making pictures from inside the car, with a window lowered just enough to stick my lens out of. But with that came another snag - sand, sand and bloody more sand was thrown into the car through the five inch window drop, but I wasn't gonna miss capturing the scene in front of me, so I was more than happy for the interior to take one for the team. The Mrs can always hoover it up at a later date, he he. She'll kill me if she reads this. After ten minute or so there was, erm... quite a covering of sand along the dashboard, and the seats, and the floor. What a mess! Time to leave. Job done - I'd pulled in quite a bit of drama, a good slice of angry sea, all recorded on memory card, so off I drove. I made the decision there and then to get my freezing cold arse along the coast and into Gods Country, Sunderland, home of the devoted Mackem. It was destination Roker, for more big waves and the last drops of action before the tide turned. I parked up near Roker Hotel, up a height, along the seafront, shooting down towards the pier. The waves weren't as dramatic here, but enough to grab a couple of half-decent shots.

Enough was enough, as I waved (no pun intended) the white towel and made my way to Macdonalds, where hot coffee awaited. The 'mender' was well appreciated, and well needed, well deserved too. Soon I was back home, reviewing my 'Catch of the day' and being well pleased with the results. It may be some time before I witness another sea like this one. Until then, I think I'll play safe and stay at home, feet up in front of the fire. It's a much better place, trust me...

Ash

Photo's 1-5 > Seaham
6&7 > Roker

Roker Pier - Open At Last!

Continuing the Lighthouse theme for one more day, I was glad to see that Roker Pier was reopened recently, after months of closure whilst repairs were administered to the weather beaten concrete structure. It was purely by chance that I noticed the pier was open. I had earlier visited a stretch of coastline at Seaham Harbour, hoping for some good sunrise shots, but alas there was very little colour in the sky shortly before sunrise, so I headed towards Sunderland. I stopped off at Hendon beach, another place that I had never previously visited, but again there was little or no promise in what lay in front of me so I got back in the car and headed for Roker. This place has become something of a comfort zone for me down the years, a place that I'm very familiar with and there's always a decent photo or three to be had here. I was driving along the coastal road past Roker Hotel when I glanced across towards Roker Pier, surprised that there was actually people walking along it. The pier had been closed for months because of damage to the structure, and many a time I'd gone down there hoping to photograph the lighthouse at sunrise, but the gates were locked. That was it - I drove down, parked up, then passed through the gates and approached Roker Lighthouse with camera at the ready.

I passed a few fisherman en route. God knows how long they'd been fishing - probably an all-nighter by their haggered appearance. The sun was now shining brightly in an almost cloudless blue sky. Cold it certainly was, so I had little intention of prolonging my visit, despite the fact I'd waited months on end for it. The North Sea didn't look that rough, but the occasional crashing wave smacked against the pier wall and soaked its deck every now and again, so I was rather vigilant of the fact in the hope of avoiding an almighty soaking. The blinding sun hit the stone cobbles of the pier in front of me. A strong shadow of the perimeter fencing was cast across the floor, letting me know immediately that a potential photo was right in front of me. I waited until one of fisherman cast out his line firing the shutter at the right moment. A sense of action added something extra to the shot, as opposed to static figures with little or no purpose to the scene. I think it worked quite well. If there's people in a shot it's best to get them working for you as best you can - just wait for the precise moment to present itself! My first shot (above) demonstrates the 'Moment' - a fisherman that looks like a fisherman.

I walked the length of Roker Pier, circling the Lighthouse at the end, before a brief stop to photograph another fisherman who was reeling in a raking bite. He landed a canny size cod, which brought a wide smile before it was tapped on its head and thrown into a box nearby. No doubt his frying pan was was the eventual destination of his fresh catch! Who would deny the fella a nice fish supper eh - the poor bugger had probably been fishing all night for it.

Well, whadda ya know - Roker Pier open for business once again. Looks like I'll be back soon. Thanks for stopping by,

Ash

Roker Sunrise, Sunderland

Last weekend I set the alarm clock for an early rise and headed off towards Roker, on the North-East coast of England, for another crack at some sunrise photography. As expected, it was brass monkey weather and I asked myself once again 'What the hell am I doing', as I swapped a warm comfy bed for a freezing cold walk along the beach at Roker in search of a decent viewpoint before the sun showed up. As said many times before on the owld Blog, you have to do this kinda thing to get sunrise shots and Winter time is the softer option as the sun rises at a sensible time. A few layers kept the chill at bay for the most part, but you can never escape the cold altogether so you learn to suck the preverbial lemon and simply get on with the task in hand. The real pisser (pardon the french) is when you make the effort at the crack of dawn and the sun doesn't show up - or if it does it heads straight behind a low bank of cloud on the horizon just as soon as it has risen. Been there a few times - not nice - balls like prunes and icicles forming on the end of one's nose - never again! A flask of coffee comes in handy when you eventually return to the car, but unscrewing the lid is an ordeal and a half when your hands have seized up during a sub-zero temperature. Yes folks, photography has a knack of drawing you in and spitting you out like a spent force, but who gives a hoot when you've bagged a batch of good un's on the owld memory card, he he.

Hey, enough of the prattle, here is a small selection of shots that I pulled in during my recent visit to 'The Beach'. The first shot is a panoramic stitch of two exposures, shot from the sands of Roker Beach near its iconic pier and lighthouse. The incoming tide forms the foreground to this shot and the angle of the pier sweeps across the frame in a snake like fashion until it reaches the lighthouse. The dawn sky probably makes the picture what it is - without it the result would be quite bland, IMHO, but we all love a nice colourful sky, eh. The sun was about to rise when I panned across between the two shots, but the low cloud cover had its say and the drama was lessened by the orange ball's absence. Ah well, still a decent shot. My second was taken after I left the beach and headed back onto dry land. In front of me stood what I can only describe as a marble effect 'Viewfinder' that was positioned in such a way that the viewer (me) could look straight across towards Roker Pier. The opposite side of the 'Viewfinder' appeared to look like the aperture blades of a conventonal camera lens, so I was obviously barking up the right tree in this case. Standing there almost numb to the bone by this time, I grabbed a single shot and returned rather gingerly to my car which was parked nearby. Heaters on full blast to blow some life back into the old dog then it was off up the hill and into the car park of Roker Hotel. Now warmed through and returned to slight sense of normality, I was back into the fresh air and taking my last few shots from the main road that overlooked Roker Beach. A decent viewpoint, it has to be said, with a highter viewpoint and a good angle to photograph the pier from. And this is it (shot 3), after sunrise but still no sun in the shot as the clouds were also calling 'The Shots'. And that was enough for me - done!

Still planning that jaunt up the Northumberland Coast for more sunrise shots, so I'll keep you up to speed with that one. Bamburgh Castle - now that should be worth looking forward to. Prunes and Custard, anyone?

Later, Ash

Sunderland Coastal Area

Following my visit to Mowbray Gardens I decided to visit the beach at Roker, Sunderland, while the sun was still shining. The broken clouds caught my eye, so thinking they could add to some decent seascape shots I drove across the Wearmouth Bridge and headed for the water. Having done a job in Mowbray Gardens I wondered whether their was similar shots to be had in Roker Park, but a brief stop off proved a waste of time as there was very little colour on show, so it was a case of driving the short distance to the seafront near Roker Hotel. I parked up and took a few steps across the road where my vantage point took in the whole of Roker beach and its well known 'Cat & Dog Steps.' The sands were quite desolate, which was somewhat of a surprise considering the nice weather. There were a fair few walking along the promenade though, towards Seaburn, which lies just along the coastal route, heading north. The tide was low, which wasn't ideal as I'd hoped for some shots with an incoming tide below my vantage point, but I wasn't complaining - I suppose you can only work with what's in front of you!
I was tempted to drop down onto the beach itself but decided against it as I was pushed for time. Anyway, the sea was calm so I wasn't missing much, as far as crashing waves are concerned.

From experience I've found that good beach shots are amongst the hardest to achieve. Last year I was commissioned by the Tourist Board in Sunderland to supply beach shots of Sunderland, which wasn't an easy proposition. I made a few visits to the Roker/Seaburn beach area and planned where to shoot the best scenes, which were mainly up top, overlooking the sands. It was around this time, October 2010, that I'd captured a few sunrise shots, so it was finally time to grab some daytime shots to go with them. I captured 5 shots which were later reproduced as postcards, which have sold well in Sunderland Tourist Information Centre, as well as further sales in the Winter Gardens and Cafe Bungalow, Roker. Examples of the cards can be found here - Postcards > ashley Corr.com. My latest beach shots, shown here, aren't commissioned work, although I do plan to reproduce one as a new postcard which will increase the set to 20. Beach shots are in demand, so I plan to test myself further in the coming weeks to add better shots to my portfolio. A good sky is a must have - get that and you're well on your way! Both beaches in Sunderland (Roker & Seaburn) are very clean and relatively tidy - unlike the beaches further south at Seaham and Easington, where decades of coal mining are still evident on their sands.

The seaside area of Sunderland is buoyant during the Summer months, as expected. The usual run of pubs, restaurants and amusements lie along the promenade, especially at Seaburn, the central area of Sunderland's coastline. Seaburn's Marriot hotel is a popular resting place. Overlooking the North Sea, its easterly facing rooms give perfect views of the sea which often crashes off the nearby walls during the winter months. I remember one day last year when I was fortunate enough to witness the waves in full force, keeping a sensible distance from them and avoiding a soaking, as I took a few photographs. A gang of kids were dodging the waves as they crashed against the wall, but not one of them evaded a soaking. Quite funny at the time!

Once again, thanks for visiting. I'll be back shortly with my latest work - Ripon, North Yorkshire...more of those Mute Swans... Historic Durham...and more.

Catch ya then, Ash