Was planning travelling further afield, but with Hastings having been thrown into tier 4 lockdown due to Covid, was restricted to the local area. Decided on a return to Fairlight Glen for a dawn shoot.

Hastings Country Park

Hastings had only been plunged into Tier 4 the night before. Was keen to get outside as have purchased a new wide angle lens, so was eager to test it out. Also needed the exercise due to working in the week and sitting down all day.

Decided on a return to Hastings Country Park. Hastings Country Park has lots to offer the local landscape and seascape photographer. You have East Hill and the views over Hastings old town.

The Fire Hills, Norths Seat and where I was heading this morning Fairlight Glen and Covehurst Bay on the coast.

Wide Angle Lens EF

Been after a new wide angle lens for sometime now. Due to owning the Canon 80D had always gone for EF-S lens due to the cameras crop sensor. But the EF-S range does not cover all focal ranges. At the time it was not absolutely clear to me that EF lens were compatible with APS-C sensors, not without some compromise. Check out EF Vs EF-S on a crop sensor for clarity on this subject. Eventually I want to move to full frame so makes sense to invest now in EF lenses over EF-S.

Holy Trinity of Lenses

So the plan is to obtain the holy trinity of lenses. Wide angle 16-35mm, medium telephoto from 24-70mm or 24-105mm. Finally a super telephoto from 70-200mm. As a landscape photographer do not require the super expensive fast lenses. Prime lenses are the sharpest of all lenses. The holy trinity of lenses is a compromise between prime and zoom lenses.

Really want extra sharp and focused pictures now etc. As a beginner photographer you cannot justify this expense on photographic equipment. But if you become an enthusiast then you have thrown away your money on anything less.

Fairlight Glen Dawn

Its quite a walk to Fairlight Glen from any of the public carparks in the Hastings Country Park. The nearest is the Fairlight road picnic site or Helipad, close to Norths Seat. Its pay and display, but can use the Ringo app, but could not get an internet connection.

The weather forecast was breaks in the clouds with some showers, getting better during the day. Was hoping for some dramatic sunrise light during low tide. Arriving at Fairlight Glen it was still thick cloud and was struggling to find some interesting compositions.

Whatever, wanted to test the new wide angle lens. The diameter of the new wide angle lens is 77mm. I don’t have any filters or an adapter for this lens diameter. With the low morning light, small aperture F16 and ISO 100 could get some interesting motion blur amongst the rocks and sand of low tide at Fairlight Glen.

Adding Interest to a composition

The receding low tide amongst the beach rocks and sand was going to be the main focal point and foreground interest of the compositions down on the beach at Fairlight Glen. Sometime after sunrise the clouds began to break on the horizon adding interest to the background.

On the back of the LCD screen, the images looked clear and sharp, better than anything I had observed before. The real test would be back home on the big screen, post processing.

The thick morning cloud was breaking up now revealing patches of blue sky. Sunrise was over and the clouds had kept the best of it hidden. A walker came down onto the beach and told me about some dinosaur footprints in the rock about 1 mile up the coast towards Cliff End direction. This part of Fairlight Glen is quite remote and wild, difficult to get to and out of sight. Consequently it is designated a nudist beach.

Dripping Well Waterfall

Next location wanted to check out within the Hastings Country Park is a waterfall known as Dripping Well. It has been raining lots recently so should have some water flow coming down from the hills. Iv walked straight past Dripping Well on previous visits to Fairlight Glen. Its on a path slightly off the beaten track.

Followed the path back up stream to the Dripping Well waterfall. There were a few compositions along the way, but not to the extent wanted to unpack my camera and tripod. Took a shot from the path without exploring the small area around the waterfall. Had to cut out a funnel that runs under the path at the top of frame. One of the rare occasions shot vertical or portrait using the L bracket.

Tier 4 Landscape Photography

Back home on the big screen post processing the images from Fairlight Glen and noticed a big difference in quality with the new wide angle lens. Way to go. Even with Tier 4 restrictions, there is still lots for the landscape and seascape photographer to shoot around Hastings Country Park. Its all about getting outside with your camera and pressing that shutter button.