druidston

Three different moods at Druidston - Workshop

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On Saturday I went down to Druidston as the main venue for a one to one workshop with a client keen to improve his photography and increase his understanding of technique and composition. We spent a good few hours at the beach; arriving at high tide and shooting further areas as the tide receded and more beach became exposed. We shot a number of different angles and worked on understanding how placement of elements in a frame can make for stronger compositions and more pleasing results. Looking through the few frames that I shot during the afternoon it’s easy to see how different light, technique, composition and processing can lead to a set of images that offers varying mood despite them all being created at the same place within a short space of time. Below are three images, the first is a fairly classic view taking advantage of the low winter sun and dramatic clouds, the second; a longer exposure looking out to sea with a simple composition and the third, a somewhat more extremely processed image in black and white, giving another interpretation of the scene. Which do you prefer?

If you’d like to join me for a workshop either for a small group or on a one to one basis, please get in touch via my contact form for more info.

Changing light at Druidston Bay

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These are pretty much the same shot down at Druidston Bay the other night but I thought it was interesting to show how the light changed over the course of 20 minutes between the first and last shot here. With the sun still above the horizon, shades of gold light up the clouds and give the wet sand a metallic sheen. As the sun dropped below the horizon then the gold is replaced by softer shades of pink and blue before twilight means blue takes over completely. It's then a walk back up to the car as dusk precedes night.

It's always worth hanging around after the sun has left the sky. Quite often a skyscape is made up of different types of cloud that hang out at varying altitudes. As the light changes angles, the dropping sun can still illuminate the underside of the highest clouds even when it has dipped below the horizon. On the best days it can be kaleidoscopic as different layers are revealed and new parts of the clouds are illuminated as they scud and fragment across the sky.

Which one is your favourite? I like the pastel tones that remain after the sun has gone.

Autumn in Pembrokeshire

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It's been a beautiful Autumn here in Pembrokeshire. With the sun low in the sky and more dramatic weather patterns starting to bear down on us, we are often treated to interesting skies and beautiful light.

Druidston Bay is a great spot to head to in autumn and when the beach is deserted due to the threat of incoming rain clouds it's the perfect place to go and enjoy having all that sand, sea and sky to yourself. Always good to head up the cliffs to the Druidstone Hotel for tea and cake afterwards.

Pembrokeshire doesn't have a huge amount of woodland due to our coastal location but those areas we do have are quite special. I headed to Minwear woods, not far from Haverfordwest, to see what the autumn leaves looked like and on a lovely sunny day, it was all you'd want from a walk in the woods.