Up Close with the Admiral
Nov, 2015Views
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Awards
People's Choice in UK Seascapes Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
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All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
In Saltwick Bay, North Yorkshire. It is a popular spot for photographers because it's unusual geography means that at certain times of the year you can shoot both the sunrise and sunset over the sea. Of course in the warmer months you will have to start earlier/finish later to achieve this, and also dodge the other photographers who aim to do the same. I shot this in November and had the whole bay to myself at dawn.Time
Early morning shortly after dawn. My intention had been to try and capture the sunrise, but on the day the tide forced me to take a slower route and clamber over an area of fallen boulders which slowed me down. There'd been heavy rain in the days beforehand and I was conscious of the risk of further rockfalls, particularly as there is no mobile phone signal here if I'd had an accident. The things we do to get a shot!Lighting
As both the wreck and the rock formation (Black Nab) were between me and the sun I needed to overexpose to give them some detail. I also wanted a long exposure to smooth the sea and give greater prominence to the objects rising from it so experimented on the day with a combination of ND filters until I found an effect that I was happy with. I was constantly having to wipe these clean as the impact of the waves on the boat was creating a lot of spray.Equipment
Canon 5d III, 24-70 lens shooting wide at 24mm, Giotto carbon fibre tripod (reasonably light to carry over those boulders.Inspiration
This shipwreck is regularly photographed, to the point where it can almost become a cliche. Sometimes I avoid subjects like this, but sometimes it can be a creative stimulus to try and find a new take on the subject. Most people separate wreck and rock in their shots so I chose to use the wreck as a framing device instead. I'd been to the bay before and hadn't been aware of the wreck on that occasion, so I suppose that was also a spur to go back and correct a missed opportunity!Editing
Despite my precautions there were some pale ghosts on the image where spray had landed on the lens filter, one of these being on the Black Nab itself, so I used the cloning tool to reduce the impact these had. I also reduced the exposure in the sky using a graduated mask to bring a little more colour.In my camera bag
Camera and lens as above, plus 70-200mm, 17-40mm and 1.4 extender. Range of hard grad ND filters and a big stopper. I also carry a head torch; essential on this occasion so that I could safely descent the cliff path to the shoreline and then find a safe route over the rocks to my objective.Feedback
Although I had checked the tide times before travelling to take this shot (which is about 1.5 hours from where I live) I missed the sunrise due to the fact that even though high tide had passed, it was still high enough to restrict my access so do your research. I was also careful to visit at a time when the tide was receding so that I was not at risk of being cut off by incoming water; always an important consideration when shooting on a coastal location with limited exit routes. I also use the TPE app to help me plan for sunrise/sunset times and angles.
