Whitby Sunrise

It's 5am and I'm traveling from our base at Robin Hood's Bay to the nearby North-Yorkshire town of Whitby. Yes, that's right - 5am !! In my still rather tired state I keep asking myself what the hell am I doing. I mean, I could be tucked up in that nice warm bed, knocking out those zedders, yet here I am on this cold morning in search of a nice sunrise shot over Whitby Harbour. It's always a gamble when you rise early for sunrise photography. I've lost count of the times I've showed up at the crack of dawn, but the sun hasn't. Low cloud on the horizon can often make your efforts a complete waste of time, but striking lucky can make those efforts all the more worthwhile, and that was what I was hoping for.

I parked up on West Cliff shortly before sunrise. There wasn't a soul about. It was very quiet, as you would expect. Just the odd seagull calling here and there. A fishing boat left the harbour below my vantage point on the cliff, and in all probability, the crew were in search of those rather nice cod that Whitby is famous for serving up.

The sky was fairly clear, and I was hopeful for a few nice shots when the sun finally made an appearance on the horizon. A man and his dog walked by as I set up my tripod - he must have thought I'd lost the plot, taking photographs at this mad hour! But, you've gotta break a couple of rules to get the shots you want, regardless of the time and location. So, I was in position and the sun came up at 5.20am. I snapped away, rattling off a dozen or so frames, before beating a hasty retreat to the car. As I returned to Robin Hood's Bay, a wild deer ran across the road, just missing my car. It jumped over a broken fence and ran off into the distance. Five minutes later I was back in bed and off to sleep. A couple of hours later I was outa bed and in the shower, before being treated to a lovely cup of tea and a massive bacon sandwich, courtesy of my wife. She knows the score...aye, brown sauce anarl!!! I then reflected on my early rise by checking my 'Whitby Sunrise' shots. I was quite pleased with them. It was well worth the effort.

Ash 

Angel Of The North

After today's visit to Penshaw Monument I was back in the car and off to the Angel Of The North, another of the North-East's most recognised landmarks. By the time I'd made the fifteen minute journey the rain had passed and I was able to take a few more photographs under fairly cloudy skies.

Once again, the Angel is another local icon that I've photographed on numerous occasions. As it is situated next to the A1(M) it is seen by thousands of motorists every day, with a fair few of them stopping off to get a closer look. Today there was the usual scattering of visitors who were all keen to get photographs before they left. I was only here for a few minutes before making my way back to Houghton-Le-Spring.

Maybe Gateshead Council should consider lighting the Angel up at night. What a sight that would be!

Later, Ash

Penshaw Monument, Sunderland

Penshaw Monument stands on the top of Penshaw Hill on the outskirts of Sunderland. It can be seen for miles around and is one of the North East's best known landmarks. It was built in 1844 and is located about three miles north-by-east of Houghton-Le-Spring, and "derives its name from the British Pen and the Saxon Shaw, a wood or thicket; thus Penshaw is the wooded hill." On the top of a lofty eminence, called Painshaw Hill, is a Grecian monument, erected to the memory of the late Right Hon. John Lambton.

I must have photographed this local icon hundreds of times, mostly at night when it is illuminated by powerful lights. As Penshaw Monument is Sunderland's most famous landmark I decided to use my photographs of it on business cards, invoices etc. It has been my logo since 2003 and will remain so for many years to come.

Today it was quite windy at the summit of Penshaw Hill. There were a few people about but I managed to get some shots when they disappeared round the back of the monument. The dark clouds above suggested rain was on its way and within a few minutes it came down quite heavily.

It's been at least a month since I was here for some night photography - I'll get myself back up there soon and let you know how I got on. Thanks.

Ash

The Headland, Hartlepool

I'd only previously visited Hartlepool on one occasion, to watch a pre-season friendly at the Victoria Ground against my team - Sunderland. Today my wife went shopping so me and my son, Christopher, visited the Museum Of Hartlepool on the historic quay. It wasn't half windy - lost me cap on more than one occasion, much to the amusement of the little fella.

After our museum visit we headed for the Headland, a few minutes drive away. I parked up and we went onto the sand and mucked about for half an hour, looking into the rock pools for any sign of life. Nothing. The multi-coloured houses that overlook the harbour draw you in. Each one rendered in a different colour finish. They were just waiting to be photographed. These shots were taken with a Fuji compact, hand-held.

Cheers, Ash

Lower Slaughter, The Cotswolds

Lower Slaughter - not a very pleasant name eh? This place definitely takes some beating. I thought I'd seen the best of it in Cornwall, but clearly not, as Lower Slaughter was the most picturesque of all the places I'd visited during my week's holiday. Similar to Bourton up the road, this was a very quiet village and very much 'off the beaten track'.

Whilst looking at some postcards in a 'Bourton' gift shop, I happened to notice a sketch which was labelled 'Lower Slaughter'. It looked like something from an old film, but as it had caught my eye I remembered the name as we drove from Bourton to Stow-On-The-Wold. I had taken a wrong turn and headed up a country lane so I could do a u-turn and head back off to 'Stow', our original destination. It was along this country lane that I noticed a signpost that read 'Lower Slaughter' so ahead we went and there it was. We parked up next to St Anne's church and made our way across the road to the main street which was divided by the River Eye. The place was spotless. Again, very quiet with the odd person walking a dog here and there. All we could hear was the trickle of the water and the bird song. The sun was quite low and it shone against the houses next to the river. We sat for a while and took it all in. My camera got some stick mind, aye, there was no stopping the shutter! Even the ducks posed nicely before we headed on our way and off to Stow-On-The-Wold. It doesn't get much better than this!

Ash

Bourton-On-The-Water, The Cotswolds

It's a glorious Saturday afternoon and we're heading for the Cotswolds, a few miles from our hotel in Cheltenham. It's the end of what has been a great week after a lovely holiday in Cornwall. Our first stop-off was Bourton-On-The-Water, a very well presented village in the heart of Cotswold country. When we arrived the main street was very busy, but after exploring some of the quiet country lanes I was left with a sense of peace and quiet in this rather 'Up-Market' rural place. You could almost hear that pin dropping! Cotswold stone is in abundance here and some of the houses and gardens in 'Bourton' are stunning. Plenty photo opportunities here and you can view my other shots over at
Ashley Corr Photography

Cheers, Ash

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall

I awoke at 7.00am for an early morning visit to St Michael's Mount near the small town of Marazion. The weather forecasters had predicted that today would be hot and sunny with a scattering of fluffy clouds. Sounded good to me - ideal for those picture postcard shots that I was after.
I was literally up and out the door with my kit and as I only had a couple of hours to spare I was going to make the most of it. A quick stop off at the McDonalds drive-thru had me sorted in the shape of a bacon & egg McMuffin washed down with a coffee. I polished them off as I drove to St Michael's Mount and after parking up in nearby Marazion, I was now ready to grab some shots. The tide was retreating and the cobbled causeway to St Michael's was becoming more visible. I set up the tripod and perched my camera on it before getting to grips with the required settings. I had the sun behind me and a beautiful view in front - couldn't ask for more really. During the time I was there the fluffy clouds eventually showed up and I made the most of my opportunity.
If you ever visit Cornwall, be sure
to visit this place.

Til the next time.

Ash