From my base close to the Mendip Hills I moved to Minehead on the north west Somerset coast. On the first full day took a trip to Bossington Hill on the fringes of Exmoor.
Bossington Hill Walking Map
Was using the Ordnance Survey Walking guide for Exmoor. Bossington Hill was not far from my hotel in Minehead, so the first morning headed to the carpark.
From this road trip to Somerset I have learned maybe its better to just stay in one location for up to 4 days. It can get quite exhausting changing location, not least as you have to research and start afresh. But with OS Maps online installed on your phone its easy to navigate new locations without getting lost.
Beautiful Morning Exmoor
It was a beautiful morning as I took the short drive from Minehead towards Bossington hill. Looking south I had to keep stopping to take in the views over the undulating hills of Exmoor national park.
Was handholding using the 70-200mm lens to zoom into the detail. With the sun still relatively low in the sky, the exposure was pretty even throughout the frame.
Bossington Hill Viewpoint
Continued the drive up to the carpark at Bossington hill and the views across Porlock bay were amazing.
Had a good hike across Bossington Hill down to Hurlstone Point. Around Hurlstone point there were some interesting rock formations that would make some good foreground interest with a wide angle lens. Checking Photopills it could be a good spot for a sunset here.
There were a group of fishing boats down in Porlock bay, zooming in again with the telephoto they add interest and turn what would be empty space, the sea, into negative space.
Good Composition
Spent a good few hours around Bossington Hill and by mid afternoon was very tired. Compositions were everywhere but required a lens change and did not think they were that good for the effort involved.
Further up Bossington Hill there was some really good light over the moor and had to change lens from 70-200 to 24-70. What makes a good composition? light, subject, frame and technical settings.
A wild pony come into the frame and looked at me for a brief moment. I just had to shoot but my shutter speed was too slow. With little time I not compose correctly or use the right settings but have great light and the pony makes a strong subject.
Great light, super background, but the main subject the pony and the crow in the tree are a little far away. Plus for more impact want the wild pony looking at the camera.
Porlock Bay Sunset
That evening decided to return to Bossington Hill for a chance at a sunset. There was a lot of cloud moving overhead but on the horizon to the west it was clear. A space in which the sun could glow through before setting and potentially light up the clouds above.
Even though I had been all over the hill during the day I was rushing around for a good spot for a sunset composition. Found a viewpoint but no foreground interest in the form of rocks. An aperture of F16 guaranteed a sunburst effect. Multiple exposures required due to the contrast between the highlights and shadows. Although the shadows have not been exposed enough, was more checking the highlights were not blown rather than the shadows properly exposed,
Perched on top of the hill decided on a telephoto wide angle aka panoramic of Porlock Bay and Weir. The hills and cliffs are more a silhouette with the orange sunset sky reflected in the sea below.
The final shot of the evening was the most vibrant, more like orange hour, just a single frame of Porlock bay post sunset. No need to take multiple exposures once the sun had gone down and not trying to lighten the shadows.