For me, photographing lighthouses is almost an obession, so I was delighted when my wife Liz and I were offered a cheap weekend break on the North Cornish coast, as I thought it would yield up some gems of locations to photograph.
Off I went to WH Smiths to get an Ordinace Survey map of the area we were staying, and after a few minutes studying the coastline came upon Trevose Head and the wonderfully named Stinking Cove, complete with the required lighthouse and dramatic cliffs.
Well, the start of our weekend away arrived and off we went in high spirits, despite a less than favourable weather forecast. I'm always optimistic when it comes to weather forecasts, as I know from experience that the British coastal weather is notoriously fickle, and what starts out as very dismal can suddenly change into something dramatic (and visa versa of course).
On the first evening of our weekend we drove up to Trevose Head, just before sunset, in rain and a howling gale to see what it was like. Talk about coastal scenery - this was fantastic!
Fortunately the rain abated somewhat so I ventured out of the car, which was rocking on its springs in the gusts, complete with a full load of camera gear and made my way very gingerly out onto the headland opposite the lighthouse. I was determined to take some sort of picture, just to prove I'd been there if nothing else, even if it meant having to hold the tripod down during the lengthy exposure needed in the gathering gloom.
I'd just started photographing when the sun started to weakly shine through a thin patch of cloud on the horizion, giving just enough light to highlight the lighthouse and bottom light the clouds slightly.
This was just enough to transform the landscape into something worth photographing, and I'm certainly glad now that we made the effort to go out on that wild and windy evening on the Cornish coast.
Filename - lighthouse 02.jpg
Camera - Canon 5D
Lens - 24-105mmmm zoom @ 35mm
Exposure - 25secs @ f22, ISO50
Location - Trevose Head, Cornwall
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - Slow shutter speed used to blur waves.
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