Boxing Day Dip 2012 - Seaburn, Sunderland

As mentioned at the end of my last Blog entry, here are some more Seaside shots. Not my usual Seascape offerings, these are 'People shots' taken on the beach at Seaburn, Sunderland, during the annual Boxing Day Dip. I already have a slide show at ashleycorr.com featuring more of the same from last years event, so feel free to check that one out. I had no plans to attend this years madness, until I received an email from the people at the BBC Tyne and Wear website, who dropped a hint for photo's of the event to add to a regional Boxing Day Dip gallery they were about to create. I charged the battery pack up on Christmas day and made the usual preps, before throwing the Wellies into the car for the task ahead. The Boxing Day weather was very mild, which was a definite plus point, as this was the only thing that would have put me off. I mean, who wants to brave the wind, rain and freezing cold North Sea, when they could easily be sat on their arse eating more turkey leftovers! If I see another piece of that stuff I'll most probably throw up - so off I went, bound for the coast at Sunderland. The event kicked off at 11am, so I made sure I arrived with at least 30 minutes to spare, parked up and ready to go. The crowds were out in force to witness this increasingly popular show of mad Mackem folk, running into the sea with barely a stitch on, all in fancy dress, all shapes and sizes. There were some big 'un's on show alright. I'm sure Greenpeace were in attendance, ready to push one or two of them back into the water! Yeah, some big ones - hairy, covered in tattoo's and looking mean as owt - and they were just the women!

Well done once again to the attendees of this years dip. Thousands of pounds raised for good causes through sponsorship and collections on the day. There are several such dips held around Europe, but the largest is organised by the Lions Club of Sunderland and it attracts one thousand dippers every year. Up to five thousand spectators turn out to witness the dip, including the City’s Mayor and Mayoress. Originating in 1974 the dip is one of the oldest events in the country. The dip of 2011 raised nearly £90,000 for charity, with several teams taking part. Some of the major donators are Ashbourn Guest House, Alexandra Plumbing and Heating, the New Clipper, CR Builders, TWR Window Frames, Ttonic, MTL Scaffolders, Print Centre, Jolly Potters, Jacksons.

11am came around quickly enough - I almost got flattened in the stampede. The lens cloth I brought was a godsend. I grabbed what photo's I could before everyone had their few minutes of fun before retuning to dry land. By this time I was soaked. Wellies were half full of salt water, freezing cold salt water. I did, on more than one occasion, ask myself why I bothered in the first place, but casting aside the obvious disadvantages, our Boxing Day Dip has its merits. Firstly, I was lucky to photograph the event instead of actually taking part, then there was the fun side of it, seeing all the madness unfold right in front of me, and there were some brilliant costumes on display. Finally, the short walk back onto the promenade was a good one, as usual, as the sight and smell of the fish shop was one to behold and I certainly wasn't gonna walk past it. Greedy bastards never do, he he. Sorry for the lingo, folks. Just getting the last few swear words in before yet another failed New Year's Resolution. Oh well. And on that note I shall bid thee farewell, with the promise of one or two more Blog entries before the end of 2011. Make sure you overdo it (wink).

Oh, before I go, here is a link to the BBC Tyne and Wear web page,  featuring a couple of my shots. I sent a few in, but they decided to show two of my 'Weaker' efforts, for some odd reason. Click here (Image numbers 4&5). Also, a short video clip from 'Look North', our regional BBC news bulletin, featuring this event. Plus, a few of my photo's. . .

Back soon, Ash

The North-East Winds

With Christmas almost upon us I took the opportunity of using a spare hour or so to fit in some photography. December has been a quiet month with the camera, as you may have noticed by the acute lack of updates at www.ashleycorr.com. This has been due to the usual hectic programme that often accompanies December, but I intend to make amends before the month is over, with a few updates being planned for the final few days of 2012. My last Blog entry brought you a batch of Seascape images, taken at Seaham Harbour last Sunday morning, and I was by the sea again this morning for more of the same. This time I was shooting big waves from the promenade at Seaburn, Sunderland. Although there was bright sunshine this morning, it was typically cold and the strong winds almost had me on my arse on more than one occasion, but I managed to keep my balance against all the odds. My Sigma 70-300mm lens got a rare run out today. It was just what was needed to pull in those telephoto shots - range is everything when shooting from afar, so the long lens was called upon once again, and it never fails to deliver. There was very little colour to play with this morning, so I converted my shots to Mono (Black & White), which is always a good idea with this type of photography. I think it worked quite well, apart from the lack of detail in the sky, but you can only pee with the tail you've got! Some folk add new sky to get round this problem, but we don't want to do that do we - no cheating allowed!

And here they are, three shots, cherry-picked from a batch of ten and shot in RAW format. I was done and dusted, then out of there after a few short minutes. Back into the car and off home to sit down to a nice roast lunch. I'll be back soon with more Seaside shots, so get yer'sel back here in a few days time. Until then, have a nice Christmas and don't overdo the calorie count, eh. You know it makes sense!

Back soon, 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