Exploring More of Start Point
I'm no stranger to Start Point but I thought it was about time to explore the area to see if I could find some new compositions.
Discovering More
I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to locations on the south Devon coast to watch and photograph the sunrise. One of my favourites is Start Point and I've captured numerous photographs from this distinctive coastal location. While the photographs I've captured feature a variety of different weather conditions, most of them all have one thing in common. They've all be taken from roughly the same spot.
The view that I normally capture at Start Point. Read the blog post for this image here.
The spot I like is high up on the peninsula looking down towards the lighthouse and out to sea. This is a great view, but I've always believed that there are other compositions to be found. I did make one brief trip further south-west along the coast one evening and I really liked the side-on view of the peninsula and the lighthouse. I've been meaning to go back for some time.
I would go to Start Point more often but it is a bit of a trek to get there. As the crow flies it's not far but by car, it's about an 80-minute drive from home and not always on the greatest of roads. As part of my personal commitment to do more exploring in 2020, I decided that I would make the effort to not only explore the views further down the coast but to also check out Mattiscombe Sands (which is only a short walk from Start Point).
At this time of year, the sunrise time isn't too late in the morning but also not too early that you need to get up at 3 am. With the weather conditions looking OK I decided that it was time to head back to Start Point. I contacted with my friend and super talented photographer Andy Campbell who was more than happy to join me on my latest adventure.
Old Location, New Views
Arriving at Start Point on the 21st of February, I was tempted to head straight to my favourite viewpoint and bag a safety shot but I managed to pull myself away and move further down the coast. I soon found a viewpoint I liked and started taking some photographs. The view gave me a side-on look at the peninsula and lighthouse and it looked dramatic. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs to share with you from that viewpoint as the light was pretty dull and none of the resulting images processed particularly well. It is a viewpoint I will be back to though so expect to see an image from there soon!
I then took a walk a little further down the coast again and though it is a similar view to the previous one I just described, this view has the addition of some jaggy foreground rocks which I like. I am happy to share a couple of those photographs but for me, that viewpoint will come alive as a sunset location when the light hits that peninsula and the rocks. I will be coming back to photograph that spot again as well.
Start Point Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S at 36mm, f/13, 0.6 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
With my recce mission of Start Point complete, me and Andy took a walk along to Mattiscombe Sands. The sunrise had been long gone by then so we weren't going to be taking any photos but from what we could see there is a lot of potential at that location given the right tide. Another location marked for a future visit!
Start Point Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S at 28mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Though my visit to Start Point was a short one it was a successful one. I wasn't expecting to get great images that morning, but I did want to check out some new viewpoints of Start Point and Mattiscombe Sands for future visits. So, in that sense, it was time well spent. Plus, I got to catch up with my friend Andi. Even when the conditions aren't great, if you've got a friend along with you it can still be a lot of fun.
I'll be heading back to Start Point again as soon as I can so stay tuned to my blog for more photos, blog posts and even a video!
Are there any locations you are planning to photograph this year that you haven't before? Let me know what is on your hit list in the comments below.
Do Spectacular Conditions Make Landscape Photography Easier?
On a recent trip to photograph the sunrise at Start Point, I discover than amazing conditions doesn’t always mean that the photography is going to be easy.
Into the Sun at Start Point
One of the reasons yr.no is my favourite weather forecast website is the fact that it splits cloud coverage into low, medium and high levels. I’m always on the lookout for a bit of high-level cloud combined with little medium and low-level cloud. It’s generally the high-level cloud that catches the light from the rising or setting sun giving us those lovely pink skies that we sometimes crave.
Start Point in all its glory.
It was those very conditions that were predicted for Start Point on the South Devon coast one morning recently. I was not only looking to do a little coastal photography, but I was also keen to return to Start Point, so with a positive forecast for the morning I was (for once) sure that it would be the place to be.
My only slight concern was the position of the rising sun. At this time of year I would almost certainly be shooting straight into the sun. There’s nothing wrong with shooting into the sun, and plenty of people make an excellent job of it, but I’ve never really got to grips with it. A quick scan through my Lightroom catalogue of my previous images from Start Point reminded me that I could also shoot the lighthouse further down the coast towards the west. This would not only give me something a bit different from the normal shots that I take there, but it would also mean the sun would rise from the side instead of straight on.
Decisions, Decisions!
My regular viewpoint of Start Point, Feb 2019.
It’s at least a 75-minute drive to Start Point for me, and given that I like to be on location at least 1 hour before sunrise, I had to get up really early. As I got into the car and it was still 2 hours before sunrise, I could see a bit of high-level cloud in the sky. Those big long patches of cloud that catch the light. I was beginning to get really excited about the morning.
My alternative viewpoint further along the coast, Feb 2017.
When I arrived at Start Point things were still looking positive. A little too much blue sky, but there were some great patches of high-level cloud. I grabbed my bag and started walking. I did however have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. If I were to locate myself further down the coast to get the peninsula from the side, there wouldn’t be any of the high-level clouds in the shot. If I went to my regular position I would be shooting into the sun but I could include the high-level cloud in the shot (which was already pinking up nicely).
I decided to head down the coast and just check what the side shot would look like. When I got there I was correct with my assessment in that I just had a clear sky. The question was should I wait there to see if the cloud would move, and move in the right direction, or should I head back to my normal viewpoint. That high-level cloud really had some nice colour to it so I decided to head to my normal spot.
Sunrise
As I stood in my favourite spot I watched the sky and clouds change colour as sunrise approached and passed. While it wasn’t the most amazing sunrise I’d ever seen it was still really nice. Having experienced so many dull mornings recently this was a most welcome change and photography aside, I couldn’t think of a better way to experience the start of a new day.
Despite the very favourable conditions, I have to admit I struggled a little with my photography. I’m not sure if it was the thought that I should have been at the other spot (as the cloud had indeed moved into a good position) or that I was feeling a little uninspired, or even that I was finding it tricky shooting into the sun. Sometimes things just don’t click. Despite the good conditions I wasn’t finding the photography easy.
A Glorious Morning at Start Point, South Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/16, 15 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9, CPL, ND Grad and 6 Stop ND.
Image Review
This was the best image of the morning, and despite it being better than I thought it would turn out, there is something that I don’t like about it. I’m not sure if it’s the composition, the tones or some combination of factors. Some times it's difficult to put your finger on these things so I’ve decided to do the best thing you can do when you want to learn from your own photography and that is to make a print.
Learn from your photography by making a print.
If I make a print of the image and leave it sitting around my desk I will spend more time looking at it. Hopefully by spending more time with the image, and in a printed form, I will learn what I don’t like about the image, what I need to change (in the composition or post-processing) or even that I do indeed like the image. For me, making the print is one of the best ways to improve your photography.
Whatever I ultimately end up feeling about this image, one thing I have learned is that spectacular conditions don’t always make landscape photography easier!
Creative Exploration
In the blog this week I head off to the south Devon coast to not only explore a new area but also to try a slightly different style of long exposure photography.
Creative Inspiration
My landscape photography is a constantly evolving thing and what I look for in my photographs changes over time. Some of this change comes as I discover my personal style but it also comes from being inspired by the work of other photographers. Recently one such source of inspiration has been the work of fellow local photographer Neil Burnell. You may remember me highlighting Neil's work on a blog post last year where I took a look at his book Seascapes.
Neil, who recently won Amateur Photographer of the Year, is best known for his long exposure and minimalistic photography. As someone who takes long exposure photographs myself, I find Neil's work compelling and he has a very distinctive style. Neil's ethereal and minimalistic style is very different from my style of long exposures with big views. It's not only the processing style of his images that I find fascinating but also his choice of locations.
Exploration
As I mentioned earlier, Neil is a local photographer living only a few miles down the coast (well, as the crow flies that is!). Much of his long exposure coastal work is taken on the south Devon coast but unlike my work from the same area, it's not easily identifiable as being so.
Looking at Neil's work from the south Devon coast I realised that I really needed to explore the nooks and crannies of this part of the coastline a lot more. While locations like Start Point and Dawlish Warren are firm favourites of mine, there was obviously a whole other world out there to discover on my local coastline. So that's exactly what I decided to do one evening.
Going Minimal
Some of south Devon's coastal locations like the aforementioned Dawlish Warren and Start Point are nice and easy to access, while others require a reasonable amount of effort to get to. The location I decided to go and shoot was one of the latter. I'd seen photographs of this location before but it took a little bit of effort to work out where exactly it was and how to get there.
I also knew that I would probably be taking long exposure images but I also knew that this location would also suit a much more minimalistic type of image akin to the images that Neil takes. So this trip out with the camera would not only be an opportunity to do some exploration of a new location but to also explore my creativity.
Treacherous #1, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/11, 100 seconds at ISO 64
Arriving at the location I could see where the inspiration for some of Neil's work came from. Rather than go straight for the wide angle lens I opted for a longer focal length lens and go to searching for compositions that might make for some interesting long exposure, minimalistic images.
Some photographs look like they are easy to create, and one might be mistaken into thinking that minimalistic long exposures would fall into that category. I was certainly under no illusions that this was the case and my experience of capturing those images only reinforced that. The location was certainly inspiring with the jagged rocks of the cliffs and the small rocky islands, but actually picking out a composition was tricky. Even when I spotted a composition, there was the very real challenge of getting into a spot to set up your tripod. There was no doubt that this location has some treacherous areas and I had to be very careful where I was standing and where I placed my tripod.
Treacherous #2, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 at 40mm, f/8, 200 seconds at ISO 64
Challenges aside though, the whole experience was a lot of fun. Exploring a new location and trying something a little different with my photography was very rewarding. I've got a long way to go before I become proficient in this style of photography but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the experience. I really enjoyed sitting about and soaking up the scene while I waited for my exposures to complete. I even had seal pop it's head up a couple of times to say hello!
Treacherous #3, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 240 seconds at ISO 64
I also enjoyed the post-processing of the images. My normal post-processing technique is fairly straight forward and involves reducing the highlights, increasing texture and clarity, but I enjoyed experimenting with selectively increasing highlights and reducing clarity and texture in these images. Overall it was time very well spent and this is definitely a style of photography I want to develop. It was also a great reminder that I need to get out and explore a bit more!!
Do you have a personal style? How do you go about developing it? Have you been inspired by the work of others to try something a little different? Let me know in the comments below.
A Stormy Sunday at Start Point
In this blog post I head to Start Point on the south Devon coast to capture some landscape photographs during some stormy weather.
Risk vs Reward
As the crow flies, Start Point in Devon isn’t that far from home. Thanks to some narrow, twisty Devon roads though, the journey there can take up to an hour and a half each way. For that reason, I tend to only visit the location if I think I’m going to get a good photo.
Spectacular sunrises work well at Start Point so I’m always looking at which direction the sun is rising from and what the cloud cover will be before I commit to a trip to one of my favourite lighthouses on the South West Coast Path. The weather forecast for my most recent trip was a little different though. Heavy rain showers and thick cloud were forecast, but it was also forecast to start clearing around sunrise.
This could lead to some spectacular and dramatic weather conditions if everything happens at the right time. Would the risk of travelling all that way reward me with some spectacular landscape photographs?
Stormy Weather Landscape Photography
Despite the 5 am alarm calling causing my brain to become a little muddled when talking to the camera, I did manage to record my South West Coast Path adventure at Start Point. So sit back, relax, keep warm, and join me at Start Point for a spot of landscape photography!
I hope you enjoyed watching my little adventure to Start Point. Which image was your favourite? Have you been to Start Point before? Do you like capturing landscape images during stormy weather? Let me in the comments below.
My Landscape Photographs from Start Point
If you’d like to see the photographs from the video in a bit more detail, here they are.
Breaking Light at Start Point, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 2 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad.
Calm in the Storm at Start Point, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 81 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad, 6 stop ND.
Start Point Swirls, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/13, 60 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad, 6 stop ND.
A Stormy Dawn at Start Point Lighthouse, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad.