wavy day

30th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

When we first reached the beach there was still a dawn warmth to the light and it was a stunning scene of big waves backlit by the low sun.

On such a morning there are photographs everywhere.  I chose to include the birds sitting at the mouth of the Embleton Burn to give a bit of interest to the view.

Maybe half an hour later and the light is turning to daylight blue.  We were high on the dunes looking across the bay full of curving breakers.

Back down on the sand for a different perspective across the bay.

stormbound

29th October 2017, Dunstanburgh, 7am (GMT)

The clocks changed last night which, for most people means an hour extra in bed.  For me it means getting up at the same time.  I'll adjust eventually.

It was very stormy out and about and we walked up the golf course with the wind helping us along.  When we turned for home it was a different matter - and then the rain came.  I feel a hibernation day coming on.

29th october 2017, Football Hole, 4pm

The stormy weather has blown all day.  This container ship was hugging the coast due to heavy seas. According to the internet it's the Sven D on its way to Grangemouth at 13 knots.

wider view

27th October 2017, Football Hole, 5pm

The sun was sinking in the West but there was beautiful pastel colours to the East. I liked the normal photograph well enough but decided the view would benefit from a bit of a panorama.

I've always loved panoramas but to do this back in the day I used to take several photographs trying to keep the camera level and overlapping, I waited for the prints to come back from the lab and then sellotaped them together. The capability of today's phones is amazing and artistically inspiring.

28th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 8am

Up high above the world for a view and a lungful of air.

28th October 2017, Newton Point, 5pm

On our way home with Daisy leading the way.  She'd eaten seaweed and had been sick so she wanted to get home (for her dinner!)

I however wanted to hang about and photograph the beautiful sunset.

understated

26th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

There was a brightness and colour at the horizon but the sun rose without a fuss hidden behind the cloud.

It was a sunrise without the flamboyant colours of previous days.
At first there seems to be nothing to see
But sit at peace for a while
And allow the quiet whispers of the day to be heard
Then the photographs appear.

New Light Through Old Windows - again

25th October 2017, Dunstanburgh, 8am

I first noticed this alignment and took a similar photograph in October 2008.  The alignment occurs each October and March and I've photographed it many times between 2008 and today.

We were there well before sunrise and it was very chilly standing about waiting.  I nearly gave up and headed home a few times but Daisy was content to stand and look around so we stayed in our place - where I knew the 'magic' would happen if I held my patience!

In this photo the sun has risen above the horizon but is still behind the headland.  It's a nice enough shot that would satisfy most people as a beautiful scene but I knew there was more to come.

Eventually the sun starts to climb above the cliffs and, if you're in the right place, it appears behind the Lilburn tower of the castle.  This shot is fine but I like the middle window better...

...so we waited a bit longer and fine-tuned our position.  The star burst effect is best achieved with a minimum aperture.  This is F8 (minimum on my compact camera)

26th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 10am

A couple of hours later and the light was very different.  I spent a pleasant couple of hours in the company of a fellow photographer looking at the patterns and reflections of the Skaith.

26th October 2017, Newton Point, 4pm

Back out and about.  Daisy has taken to sitting here for a while on every walk watching the world go by.  It's fine by me!

light makes the difference

23rd October 2017, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

Up in time for sunrise and I headed to the beach armed with video and sound recording gear.

Daisy had a run around to expend some energy and then she stood good as gold while I filmed the sunrise from this spot.

As a reward she got an extra long runabout on the beach as the golden sun lit up the sea.

All too soon the sun went behind a cloud and instantly the day became grey and colourless. I watched a fellow photographer, tripod bag in hand, trudge home across the beach - no doubt as pleased as I was at having caught the best of the day.

early morning to late afternoon

22nd October 2017, Dunstanburgh, 7:30am

Up and out the house in the pitch dark this morning but we wandered in the gloomy pre-dawn light until a bit of colour lit up the sky.

22nd October 2017, Howick shore, 4pm

At the other end of the day, we watched the sun sink in the west.

waiting to get out the car

These fishermen were cut off by the tide but they seemed content to wait until the tide went back out again...

new old things

21st October 2017, Doddington Moor, 11am

I'm working my way around some of the cup and ring decorated rock panels in our part of Northumberland (there are approx. 1000 panels across Northumberland - but not all are as impressive as others)

We've long planned this circular route around Doddington Moor and Dod Law and today was the day.  The route passes neolithic cup and ring marked rocks, remains of a bronze age stone circle and several iron age settlements/small hill forts.

It was a very worthwhile trip despite ploughed up footpaths uncontrolled gorse and barbed wire.

There are so many variations on the theme of a cup surrounded by rings.  These two panels are close to each other and both feature multiple cups (where there is most often just one)

OK there are more impressive stone circles elsewhere (e.g. in Orkney!) but this single remaining upright is still quite atmospheric.

passing storm

17th October 2017, Newton Point, 5pm

Storm Ophelia is raging away to the North of us in N Scotland but we're not seeing many signs of it over here.  The wind has been from the West so our East facing coast is unperturbed as yet.

light changing

16th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

The sun rose in misty grey revealing only a faint version of itself.  It seems that this mist and colouration may be due to the approaching ex-hurricane Ophelia which is bringing with it dust from the Sahara and smoke from Portuguese forest fires!

As the sun rose clear of the mist the colours changed dramatically.

16th October 2017, Football Hole, 3pm

The yellow, dark cloud that engulfed everyone across the Uk as the storm passed was just like normal sea fret at the beach.

clouds at different times

13th October 2017, Dunstanburgh, 7am and 12 noon

The sky above Dunstanburgh was beautiful with multilayered clouds at different heights catching different angles of the sun. Here it is just before sunrise and at around noon.

Meanwhile I tried some more deliberate camera movement

alternative views

12th October 2017, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

The early pre-sunrise sky was beautiful but I was at home making breakfast and by the time we got to the beach the colour was fading as the sun got higher.

The view was nice enough in a conventional "photograph of the view" sense but I wanted to make a photograph from the view

Here are two alternative views:

I came across this technique years ago and it can create beautiful 'painterly' images.  The technique is apparently now known as ICM or Intentional Camera movement.

No trickery here, just a different composition making a photograph from a small part of the view.

12th October 2017, at home, 11am

This beautiful bird was sitting watching the comings and goings in the garden for quite a while.  There were no comings or goings as all the wee birds were in hiding.  Sparrowhawks like this one regularly fly acrobatically though our garden and sometimes take songbirds for their dinner.  I know it's upsetting for some people but to me it's just nature and we have no right to interfere.  They were here first.