Marsden in Black & White

St. Mary's Lighthouse

Cullercoats

After yesterday's disappointment, I decided to try again this morning, this time in Cullercoats. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on my side, and the sky was flat and grey, so no light at all. This black and white image was the best I could muster under the circumstances.

South Shields

This morning was my first trip out with the camera in months, due to a busy work life and a lack of energy for early summer mornings. I was very rusty, and it shows. These were the only three images I managed to rescue.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.8 : 24secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

I'd picked an uninspiring spot along the South Shields coastline (I won't be going back), so I opted for some close-ups of the rocks instead. This kind of thing irritates me, as it gives no sense of place, but then I guess it's better than coming home empty-handed!

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.8 : 15secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

There's something I find extremely fascinating about wide-aperture long exposure, that I'd like to explore more. Long exposures are usually shot at very narrow aperture for maximum depth-of-field, and to increase the amount of time the shutter can be held open.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.8 : 25secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

I've been experimenting with extreme neutral density (11-stops) to get a reasonably long exposure time, yet with a very narrow depth-of-field, which leads to some interesting and unusual shots. I just need to get them looking good now :)

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

Collywell Bay, Seaton Sluice

I wasn't feeling well this morning, but I hadn't been out with my camera for a while, so felt compelled to get myself out. I couldn't be chewed to travel far, so I took a short trip back to Collywell Bay to see if there were any better viewpoints. The only radically different viewpoint I found was this little cave.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 133secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 1.2 ND

 

This was shot from the top of the cliff. At 50mm, my Zeiss lens flattens everything out, so St. Mary's Lighthouse was barely noticeable. I headed down onto the rocks to see if I could get closer, without getting the other half dozen photographers down there in my shot.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 45secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

I managed to get down in time to catch the sun just above the lighthouse. It's difficult to get a good even exposure on a shot like this, even with the ND Grads. This was the least burnt-out version of the three I shot before the sun disappeared behind a cloud.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 39secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

Closer still, the lighthouse looked better, but there was a distinct lack of foreground interest and what there was was hard to get in shot with a 50mm prime. I think it's about time I saved up to get myself a super-wide - perhaps an 18mm or 21mm.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 180secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

I only got one run at this one, as the sea was swirling in around my ankles. Thankfully my new GoreTex Salomons lived up to their reputation and kept me dry, but my filters were getting sprayed, so I had to head home.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 100secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

Warning: If you're planning on heading over to Collywell Bay, be seriously careful over at the Seaton Sluice end, as it's very slippery and there are tons of plunge-holes big enough for a grown man to disappear, and deep enough that it would be difficult to climb out of. The number of flower wreaths tied to fences on the way down serve as a grim warning! The New Hartley end isn't so treacherous.

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Kielder Water

After the weather sent me a curve ball last weekend, I decided to try Kielder Water again this morning. The weather wasn't much better, but at least it wasn't pissing down!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 0.5sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad

 

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 80sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 35sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

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Collywell Bay, Seaton Sluice

I was missing the cold wetness of getting soaked to the bollocks in the North Sea, so I took a short drive across to Collywell Bay in Seaton Sluice this morning to shoot St. Mary's Lighthouse.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : 8sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

I was running late, and by the time I got there I didn't have time to change into my trusty waders, so I had to go down onto the rocks in my trainers. This wasn't too bad, but the tide was coming in fast, and with 5 minute exposures, the sea was sloshing around my ankles by the time I got some decent shots.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : 19sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

It wasn't until I'd been there for about 15 minutes that I realised I was sitting in some other photographer's shot! Really sorry, whoever you are; I hate it when people do that to me. I'm just a skinny wee fella, so hopefully I wasn't too much trouble to remove!

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : 311sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

Despite being out of practice with long exposures and becoming photoshop-fodder in someone else's picture, I came away with some okay shots. Nothing startling or new, but nice nonetheless, and hopefully something a little different from the usual shots we see of the lighthouse.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : 285sec : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND

 

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Bishop Auckland, County Durham

I had originally planned to drive up to Scremerston this morning, but slept in. So I decided to drive back down to Bishop Auckland and see if I could get some of the shots I hadn't been able to get last week due to the crappy weather.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : HDR : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

 

The weather wasn't much better this week. The only shots I was anywhere near pleased with were the two from the bridge with the sky aflame. Although my HDR skills are improving, I'm still not completely comfortable with it as a technique. It somehow feels synthetic and unnatural.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : HDR : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

 

The bridge gives a good vantage point, although you need a tall tripod to see over the anti-suicide fence. On the other side of the bridge (heading out of the town centre) is a small picnic area, which also has a good viewpoint.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : HDR : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

 

At the picnic area, heading back to my car, I saw another photographer - a portly fellow - who couldn't even be bothered to get out of his car. He was leaning half in and half out of the door and using his big zoom to frame his shot. It made me feel all the more assured that the secret to great photography is getting out there and putting the effort in!

I was tempted to tell him that if he got his fat arse out of the car and walked 10m across the grass, there was a breathtaking viewpoint to be on the other side of the hill. I didn't though. Guess he'll never know what he missed.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : HDR : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

 

I drove further along to Hamsterley in the hope of seeing the evergreen valley shrouded in mist, but was sorely disappointed. I'll try later in the year when the ground is frosty and the magic hour sun evaporates the dew.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.4 : HDR : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

 

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Whitburn III: Waves of Destiny

I took my first sunrise trip out since the winter this morning, mainly due to being extremely busy and too tired to get out of bed to catch the 4am sunrise. Now that we're in late summer, the sunrise is at 5:20am, which is far more reasonable, so I got up at 4:30am and headed over to Whitburn.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 275 secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

I've been running down at Shouth Shields Whitburn regularly over the last couple of months, as part of my training regime in preparation for the Great North Run (please sponsor me) and had spotted this out-crop from the road.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 228secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee Big Stopper

 

There are nice little arches, tunnels and caves, if you can catch the tide at the right time, and it's relatively easy to get to. When I got down there, ther water was quite calm, which doesn't make for a particularly good long exposure shot.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 64 secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

As ever, extremely long exposure pulled out a lovely green-blue from the sea that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, which more than made up for the lack of drama. Be careful if you venture down this way, as the rock formations make it really easy to become marooned as the tide comes in around and behind you!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 191secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

In my hurry to get out of the house, I totally forgot to take my waders, so I go a bit wet scrambling back to dry land!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 40secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 189secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

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Newbiggin by the Sea II: The Resoakening

I took a trip out to Newbiggin by the Sea this morning to test-drive my new waders (a birthday gift from my other half). I took full advantage of them, wading up to my knees to a good vantage point at the far south end of the village where I managed to get a few decent shots.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 261secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

It was also the first time out with my new camera bag: the Kata W-94. I was getting a little tired of my equipment being washed out to sea because I had to leave my bag on the rocks behind me, so I decided to try this waist-pack so that I could keep everything with me at all times.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 122secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

The bag is fantastic, and waterproof too. Lots of space and plenty of protection, and the build quality is just as good as Lowepro (which have served me well throughout the years). All in all, I was very impressed, despite the heavy price-tag.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 76secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

The south end of the beach at Newbiggin is far more photogenic than the north end towards Church Point, with some interesting rock formations. Try to catch it just after high tide, with the the tide heading out for the best shots, as it gets a bit sparse once the sea level drops.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 12secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

Dunstanburgh Castle

Total waste of a journey up to Dunstanburgh Castle yesterday morning. Firstly, I was unaware that the castle itself was a 40 minute trek from the nearest car park, so I missed sunrise altogether and only just caught a glimpse of magic hour.

To make things worse, the tide was way out by the time I got to the North side of the castle so there were precious few of those famous black boulders in the surf for a good long exposure shot. I had to walk miles out to get a shot with even a few rocks in the water - this was the only one I got.

I also discovered that Dunstanburgh Castle is yet another of those uninspiring landmarks along our coastline that only really comes to life through an ultra-wide angle lens. I love the simplicity of my single 50mm prime setup, and really don't want to be buying more lenses, but sometimes it's difficult to create a dramatic image with such a pedestrian focal length!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 122secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

The second of my disappointing shots from yesterday's trip to Dunstanburgh Castle. I was so uninspired by the castle itself, I decided to call it a day and home with only a single half-decent shot on the card, despite having woken at 4am specially to shoot it.

On my way back, I saw this submerged gate in a flooded field that looked quite interesting. There were no great compositions to be had, as the landscape around the pond was so awkward and cluttered (I would have liked to have isolated it) and most the of the viewpoints around it were cut off by the water - I need some waders!

The best I could do was to use my hard grad to black out the mound behind it, and make the most of those lovely magic hour highlights. Unfortunately the shot was pretty much ruined by the horrible flare right across the middle (which I couldn't see on the LCD at the time). Looks pretty interesting nonetheless.

EXIF: 50mm : f/1.8 : 8secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 1.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

Whitburn II: The Revenge

I got off to a bad start this morning, leaving my battery pack in the charger at home - so I missed sunrise altogether. Thankfully, by the time I arrived in Whitburn, the tide was on its way out, and I had a clear path round to the arch.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 182secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

Unfortunately, when I got there, I wasn't impressed. It's not nearly as dramatic in real life as it is in some of the photos I've seen on Flickr - I guess it's amazing what an ultra-wide lens can do to a dull subject!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 91secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

As you've no doubt figured out, I didn't bother with the arch after all. Through my Zeiss 50mm, it's dull as dishwater, so I wandered down towards the surf to get some nice, milky long exposures.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 202secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

Despite the retreating tide, the sea caught me off-guard and I almost lost all of my equipment. A huge wave came from out of nowhere, and swallowed me up to my knees, sweeping my backpack and filter case up with it!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 192secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

I managed to hang onto my camera with one hand, and run like hell towards the higher rocks. My backpack and filter case were bobbing around in the swell, about to be pulled back out to sea.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 91secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

Thankfully, I managed to gather everything up and climb up to dry land. I'm seriously looking into a waste-pack style bag now, so that I don't have to leave anything lying around on the rocks!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 190secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.2 ND : Lee Big Stopper

 

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

Whitburn

We had our first decent sunrise in weeks this morning, so I headed down to Whitburn to photograph the famous arch. Unfortunately, the tide was higher than expected and I couldn't actually get to it, so I settled in the bay just around the corner.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 242secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

My 3-stop soft grad struggled to keep the sun under control without crushing the blacks in the rocks to the right. At times this like this, I could really do with another soft grad to layer on top, as the hard grad just isn't suitable for this kind of shot.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 47secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

I wanted a shallow DoF shot of the wet pebbles, so I had to use a whopping 14-stops of ND to get a long exposure at f/2.0. The result was quite nice, though I would have liked to have experimented a little more. Unfortunately, I was kneeling in the surf at this point, with my precious camera about 6" above the water, and the sea-spray was quite overwhelming.

EXIF: 50mm : f/2.0 : 16secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper : Lee 1.2 ND

 

I always kick myself after taking shots like these, as they say nothing about the surrounding environment - they could have been taken anywhere - but I just find rock formations like this absolutely fascinating!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 80secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

 

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

South Shields

It was -5° at South Shields this morning and the rocks were frosted over, making them doubly treacherous! It was worth the white-knuckle treck along the harbour wall to get this shot though.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 320secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

I made about 8 attempts at this shot, but the sun kept coming out from behind the cloud, blowing out the sky. Ordinarily, I just use my ND grads to dim the sun, but in this case the sea was almost as bright, which made it difficult to balance the whole exposure out.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 144secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

This shot was deceptively challenging. The sea and the bottom half of the sky were seriously bright, but the land mass and the top half of the sky were really dark, so it took a few attempts with various combinations of hard and soft grads to get an exposure that worked right across the image.

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 49secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad : Lee Big Stopper

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.

Newbiggin-by-the-Sea

The photo gods were against me this morning. First, the sun came up and dipped immediately behind a great slab of cloud, leaving everything dull and flat. Secondly, I discovered why there aren't many good photos of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea: no matter how hard I searched, I just could not find an interesting composition. I've heard since that I might just be looking in the wrong place!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 206secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

This one turned out okay, but it feels like just more of the same. I need some interesting rock formations to photograph!

EXIF: 50mm : f/16 : 258secs : Canon EOS 5D Mark II : Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 : Lee 0.9 ND Hard Grad : Lee Big Stopper

Click on any of the photos to see them full-size against black, and please do leave a comment below if you like the photos.