Wheal Coates from Chapel Porth
Taken on the beach at Chapel Porth in Cornwall, the Wheal Coates engine house in lit by a shaft of sunlight as storm clouds gather....
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Taken on the beach at Chapel Porth in Cornwall, the Wheal Coates engine house in lit by a shaft of sunlight as storm clouds gather.
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Apr, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photograph on the beach at Chapel Porth in Cornwall on the 15th December 2012Time
The photograph was taken at 11.36 am during a particularly low spring tide.Lighting
The weather was very dynamic that day. Lots of threatening cloud but also patches of blue sky. The perfect landscape photography conditions. Good spells of Sunshine providing good light but also lots drama in the sky.Equipment
The photograph was taken with a Nikon D800e with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S ED Lens on a Manfrotto tripod with a 0.6 lee hard ND graduated filter.Inspiration
It was just such a fabulous day to be on the beach. I'd only had my D800e a few days having upgraded from a D7000. I checked the tide tables and found it was going to be a particularly low tide and that I'd be able to access a part of the beach that would give me the angle on the engine house that I wanted. The weather was perfect. Lots of dark cloud, rain showers with good spells of bright sunshine in between. The north Cornish coast is a source of constant inspiration for me with it's rugged cliffs and ruined tin mines that add to the timeless nature of the landscape and mans relationship with it. I wanted to capture the drama in the skies, the rough sea as well as the history to be found along this section of coast.Editing
The photograph was processed using Photoshop. I created various layers, and using masks adjusted brightness and contrast selectively to bring out the clouds, helped along by using the ND Grad and Nik's Viveza to adjust levels and curves. I also applied a bleach bypass filter from Nik's filter collection to reduce the colour saturation and also increase the contrast once more to achieve the aged, washed out look I was after.In my camera bag
Nikon D800e, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S ED Lens, Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S ED Lens, Nikon 50mm f1.8 G AF-S Lens, Full set of Lee ND Graduated filters plus a big stopper. I always carry my Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod and use a geared head for precise framing.Feedback
So much about landscape photography is about being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you get lucky and just stumble upon a shot but most times it takes some work. Scout your locations, see the shot you want, visualise it and be prepared to move when the conditions are right to get it. I'd been to Chapel Porth many times. I knew the photograph I wanted to take long before I took it. I always look out for sunshine and showers as these are the conditions that for me, create the most dramatic landscape photographs. When the conditions are right, all you then have to do is get into position and wait. Sometimes it comes together, but even with the best laid plans, sometimes it doesn't. Be prepared to go home empty handed sometimes but with perseverence the shot will come. On the day this shot was taken, I was in position for about 45 minutes before that shaft of sunlight fell exactly where I was hoping it would. I think it's essential to use a tripod and ND graduated filters to allow you to balance exposures but they will also allow you to bring out the drama that is going to be evident in the sky when these weather conditions occur. Landscape photography is for the most part in my mind, all about patience and perseverence.
