Welcombe Mouth

My other photo excursion, whilst in Devon, was to Welcombe Mouth. This is a small bay located at the end of a road that is narrow, even by Devon standards. The most striking feature is the bands of rock that run out to sea. These make for superb lead lines. It was a grey day, so I chose to concentrate on the rocks and water, with longish exposures to capture the movement. Most of the images suited a strong mono treatment. But, the green of the seaweed, in the foreground of one shot, was too good to waste. The same was true of a little waterfall, cascading over the rocks at the back of the bay.

 

Derelict Ships at Instow

I was in Devon last weekend, visiting friends. On the Saturday morning, we took a stroll along the beach at Instow. I was interested in two derelict ships, that had become canvases for local graffiti artists. I liked the combination of the paint and rust.

 

 

Wistman's Wood

Wistman's Wood is one of three high-altitude oak woods on Dartmoor.  The dwarf oaks are twisted and contorted, their branches covered with epiphytic mosses and lichens.  The trees grow amongst granite boulders, that are covered in more moss.  It is the kind of place you would seek out a small green Muppet to teach you the ways of the force.

The wood is a popular spot with photographers and I have wanted to shoot their for years.  Many of the best photos I have seen are taken in mist, which softens the branching chaos and adds to the Dagobah-like feel.  But that was not the conditions I had.  The day was brightly overcast.  I chose to shoot in infra-red, to covert all that green to black and white.  But I struggled to bring narrative to the arboreal madness.  There was just too much going on.  There is clearly a reason why the best images come from local 'togs.  It is one of those venues that require multiple trips to tease out its charms.

 

Belstone Tor

I was recently in Devon, visiting a friend, for a long weekend.  The weather was mixed, but we were able to get out for a few walks.  The biggest being a 10 mile loop on Dartmor.  We walked over a few Tors, but, photographically, all of the interest was near the start of the walk at Belstone Tor.  I opted to use the IR camera again, as I thought it would suit the conditions.  I was expecting the twisted tree, but the Dartmoor ponies were a surprise bonus.

One day in Devon

My first post of the new year is about the penultimate day of last year.  New year, but just as slow as ever on the posts.  I was down in Devon for a few days to celebrate the new year with my friend Vic.  It was a quick visit, with only time for one day out with the cameras.  We decided to scout out  Blackchurch Rock, near Hartland, a location neither of us had been to before.  It was a very sunny day, and we had to wait for the sun to move around to a position where it would light the rock.  We passed the time with some slow shutter work on a stream that crossed the bay.  Sadly, it became clear that sun wouldn't hit the rock before it set.  Wrong time of year.  So we took a couple of record shots and added this location to the pile marked 'unfinished business'.
 

Speaking of 'unfinished business', we ended the day at Hartland Quay.  My relationship with this location is long documented on this blog.  I love it, yet never manage to do it justice photographically.  This visit was no exception.  Still, it means I will just have to go again.
 

The Rising Tide At Ilfracombe

Okay, now this post is just very late, and I offer no excuse.  Over New Year, Vic and I were looking for ideas of what we could shoot on another grey day.  A little research on 500px showed that part of the harbour in Ilfracombe gets covered as the tide comes in.  It offered some interesting shapes for long exposures images.  Again, the tide times worked well for us and we were able to shoot from the first wave touching the top of the wall, until it was completely submerged.

High Tide at Westward Ho! and Hartland Quay

A touch of flu has made these next couple of updates especially late.  My friend Vic has moved back to Devon, from Preston.  I visited him in his new place for a few days over New Year.  Since this was the West Country in winter, it mainly rained while I was there. 

We picked a rather torrid day of high wind and rain to visit two of my favourite places, Westward Ho! and Hartland Quay.  It was nearing high tide when we got to Westward Ho! and we headed straight for the bathing pool in the rocks, hoping to gets some shots as it filled.  Our timing was just about perfect and we were able to get in position and set up before the first wave topped the pool wall.  There then followed a frantic few minutes trying to hang on to our cameras and keep the lenses free of spray, as we tried various slow shutter speeds.

After a quick lunch, we headed to Hartland Quay.  The tide was just beginning to turn.  The wind had whipped the sea to frothy milk.  But at least is wasn't as wet, and we could find some sheltered spots for 10-stop exposures.

Hartland Quay

Hartland Quay is one of my favourite spots in the world.  I visit, at least once, whenever I am in Devon. Yet it remains somewhere I have never managed to take an image that I am truly happy with.  One that captures the wild, rugged beauty of the place.   But, still I try. 

 

Westward Ho! Again

I spent a couple of days last week back in Devon.  With limited time for photography, I stuck with  two of my favourite places, Westward Ho! and Hartland Quay.  I was able to make a couple of trips to Westward Ho!  The lower set of images are from the first day.  I arrived in Devon on a foggy afternoon and made it there in time for the last hour of daylight.  The low light, freezing fog and vast expanse of sand gave a surreal and empty landscape, that I struggled to do justice to. 

The next day I was able to spend more time there.  It was a grey day, but I was also there at low tide, so I was able to see and shoot a couple of relics of Westward Ho!'s history.  The first is a series of pillars at the rocky end of the beach.  These are all that remains of a Victorian pier.  Built in 1870, it only lasted 10 years, due to the battering it took from Atlantic storms.  The second is an oval of decaying timbers buried in the sand.  This is all that remains of an 18th century shipwreck, thought to be the merchant ship Sally.  The amount of the timber visible changes from year to year, due the shifting sand.  At this time, most of the outline is visible.  Given the conditions on the day, I felt both features would benefit from a moody, mono 10-stop treatment.