Northumberland
It was quite windy when I visited Northumberland earlier this year, and we tried get away from the wind by driving inland. We came across the ruins of Edlingham Castle, but we could not escape the strong wind, so we decided to visit the nearby church where this image is taken.
Northumberland, Edlingham Church, Saint John the Baptist, in the parish of Whittingham & Edlingham
This is an image from Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, which is a tidal island; the island is cut of from the mainland at high tide. The view is towards the mainland, and the posts you see on the right mark the Pilgrim's Way leading from the mainland running across the sands, exposed by low tide, over to the island. The posts are about 4 meters tall, and the difference between high and low tide may exceed 4 meters.
Northumberland, Lindisfarne island looking towards the mainland with the Pilgrim's Way to the right
This is a shot from Northumberland. Driving along a small country road we came across a wind farm, with wind turbines were popping up on both sides of the road. I am not sure if the small format on this web page does the image justice, I think this needs to be turned into a big print.
Northumberland, wind farm on Middle Moor
Northumberland, Embleton Bay, looking south towards Dunstanburgh Castle
The concrete construction in the foreground is a WWII pillbox, or small bunker. It is built to blend in with its surroundings, whereas the castle in the background is quite the opposite. Built on a hilltop clearly visible from both sea and land, sending a clear message to friends and foes.
WWII pillbox bunker north of Dunstanburgh Castle
This image is from harbor at the isle of Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, and the castle in the background is Lindisfarne Castle.
The two upturned boats in the foreground have been cut in half and made into sheds - I guess to store tools, nets, ropes; tools of the trade for the fisherman who owns it. Life as a fisherman is hard with a lot of toil, sweat and blood, and even tears for those lost at sea - sons, brothers, husbands and fathers.
To me the two upturned boats represent a much more interesting bit of history than the castle in the background. Their history started just a few generations ago - it could have been my grandfathers boat, my fathers shed.
Lindisfarne harbor, Northumberland
Northumberland is an open, rural stretch of english countryside and I developed a thing for these isolated groups of trees dotted around the landscape. So it became a kind of quest to find a nice group of trees without too much clutter next to it.
Northumberland, near Embleton
This shot from my trip to Northumberland is from the beach just north of Bamburgh Castle. I have tried to keep it simple, with the concrete blocks in the front pointing in the direction of the castle on the horizon, and leaving a bit of breathing space on the left hand side of the frame. The concrete cubes in the foreground are anti-tank defenses from the early stages of 2nd world war when German troops seemed unstoppable and the threat of an invasion of the British Isles was overhanging.
Bamburgh Castle and 2nd world war tank defences
After starting at the beach of Embleton Bay for a sunrise shoot, we went north to Bamburgh Castle. We started at this lighthouse and made our way back towards the castle. I have used focus stacking to make sure I would have the lighthouse and the rock in the foreground in focus in the final image.
Lighthouse north of Bamburgh Castle
Sunrise on Embleton Bay, looking towards Dunstanburgh Castle. I have tried to make use various elements on the beach to lead the viewer into the image. I could perhaps have moved back a bit to give the stump a little breathing space. But all in all, I am pleased considering that I am on the steep end of the learning curve.
Sunrise Embleton Bay, looking towards Dunstanburgh Castle
One of the things I wanted to work on during the workshop was composition. Moving beyond the rule of thirds, how to use lines and shapes to create an image from the broader view. There is a huge difference between having the image in front of you as opposed to being out there. Out there you have the whole horizon before you, and you have to decide where to point the camera, and what to include, what to exclude - what you want to draw the viewers attention to.
Embleton Bay looking towards Dunstanburgh Castle