The door
The Durdle Door, southern England
The Durdle Door, southern England
Read less
Read less
Apr, 2016Views
78
Likes
Awards
Member Selection Award
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankCategories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the shores of Lulworth Cove in England, over looking the natural stone feature known as "Durdle Door". The landscape was so vast and stunning, I found it difficult to encompass it all in a single shot.Time
I finally managed to take this photo around 12pm. It had taken me and my friend just over half a day to reach this location. Between driving all morning, a short tea break, and the steep ascent up the cliffs we finally made it around midday, only to be nearly blown off the cliff by the huge afternoon gusts wind. Well worth the effort in our opinion.Lighting
I struggled with how to take this photo. I wanted it encompass the journey it had taken to get there and just how beautiful the surrounding landscape was. Due to the efforts it took to get there, we arrived around midday so the lighting was directly above, lighting up the whole landscape. I definitely wish I could've been there either at dawn break or sunset.Equipment
I shot this on a Nikon D5100. Due to the weight and limited room, I left my tripod and flash at home, using only an old fence post to steady myself on against the prevailing winds.Inspiration
I was inspired to take this photo for a couple of reasons. The first, this location holds family history for me. My grandmother's family is prolific in the area and has been for generations. My grandmother grew up skinny dipping in the Durdle Door, so I wanted to take this shot to remind her of her childhood. The second reason being, this was my first solo trip through England. I had seen so many beautiful places, but been unable to express them in my photos. This scene took my breath away, both literally and emotionally. Sweeping up the face of the cliffs were huge gusts of wind, battling my progress every step of the way. When I reached the top, the landscape opened up before me, showing me a true beautiful English coastline, and a very cute tea shop. It was an accomplishment and to me, summed up most of my trip.Editing
I usually shoot to edit, I know some people my disagree with this but I tend to touch up most of my photos. Here I used Adobe Lightroom to make the colors stand out more. I bumped up the contrast slightly and lightened up the shadows, besides that I left it mostly as is.In my camera bag
Everyone you ask will tell you I always pack way too much, but every time I leave something out I end up needing it. The first thing I always pack is my Nikon D7100, its the bigger of my cameras but gives me more versatility in the field. Next, I pack my wide angle lens, a 10-24mm, my 55-300mm and when I'm going to be doing portraits or interviews I pack along my 24-55mm lens. I find that I can cover most situations with these lenses. The next object in my bag is a battery charger, extra battery, two memory cards, and my lens cleaning kit. Sometimes, when I'm packing for the unknown or potential water/high impact adventure, I like to bring my GoPro Hero3 with remote control, this allows me to get the shots without damaging my nicer cameras. When I'm shooting in low light, night photography or an interview I bring with me my light portable tripod(I always end up carrying everything so I prefer light weight items)(Not always great for videos shots though) and a small wireless remote. This allows me to take the shot without my micro hand movements blurring the shot. Besides that, a good book and a hot thermos of tea is all you need!Feedback
My advice for others trying to capture the Durdle Door: get there early, bring a delicious snack, and make a day of it! Next time I go here I'm going to stay in the town right up the lane so as to assure I can get an early sunrise and a beautiful sunset. It's a long and very steep hike so I recommend good walking shoes and giving yourself enough time to reach it. There also are a lot of people, so try to go when tourist season is at its lowest.
