Introduction

The weather predictions looked good for another September misty morning on the south downs in east Sussex. But an early rise two mornings pre dawn was a bit too much to ask. Still later on in the morning decided to visit Firle beacon for a brisk walk and observe the conditions

Preparation

Around Hastings the mist lingered on well into the morning. So thought it must be much thicker in the valley between the Cuckmere and Ouse rivers. So decided to jump in the car and head towards Firle Beacon on the south downs.

Visualisation

Approaching Firle Beacon, I found myself pondering what photographic opportunities awaited. While the ridge promised spectacular views, I wasn’t sure if these vistas would translate into captivating photos. My primary goal was to witness the mist in the valley and respond to the ever-changing light. The key to a great photo lay in finding a strong focal point, and I wracked my brain to locate one on Firle Beacon.

On Location

One advantage of Firle Beacon is its car park, conveniently located at the peak of the hill, sparing me from strenuous climbs. However, it comes at a cost, requiring visitors to navigate a somewhat complicated pay-and-display machine, demanding entry of your registration number – no support for parking apps like Ringo. Despite this, from the summit of Firle Beacon, I was greeted by a beautiful morning, bathed in sunlight. While mist lingered in the valley below, it wasn’t as dense as I had expected. This morning seemed destined for more exercise than remarkable landscape photographs.

Firle Tower

What initially drew my attention and pulled me east along Firle beacon was Firle tower down in the valley thinking it would at least provide a focal point.

In the background was a red balloon floating low in the sky which added an interesting element to the composition.

Firle Escarpment

Continuing eastward to better frame Firle Tower, I descended the north-facing escarpment, stumbling upon a delightful discovery.

Layers of undulating hillside, bathed in the soft glow of the rising sun, revealed themselves. Morning mist still clung to the valley and the gullies of the hillside. This hidden gem would have remained undiscovered if I had adhered to the main path up Firle Beacon.

It was now a case of scrambling around on the hillside trying to find the best composition.

Camera Settings

With my camera in hand and my trusty 70-200mm lens attached, I opted for aperture priority, ranging between F5.6 and F8, with auto ISO. Auto white balance appeared spot-on, and I engaged mirror lockup, utilizing the viewfinder of my Canon 5D mk4 DSLR. Image stabilization was active on the lens, set to a minimum shutter speed of 1/250.

Post Processing

High ISO and noise concerns could be addressed during post-processing, thanks to the exceptional denoising capabilities of Lightroom. I also captured bracketed shots of the escarpment, one for the highlights and another for the shadows. It’s worth noting that the in-camera highlights appeared clipped, but this was only in the JPEG rendition, not the raw file. In Lightroom, there were no blown highlights, so I only needed to edit a single image, eliminating the need to merge multiple images using HDR.

Composition

Initially, I zoomed in with the 70-200mm lens to accentuate the layers of the Firle escarpment, believing it to be the focal point, especially with the misty backdrop.

While this approach yielded a compelling image that filled the frame with interest, in hindsight, a telephoto panoramic shot might have been more fitting, encompassing more of the hillside and a slice of the sky.

Although I did take a few handheld panoramas on location at Firle Beacon, at the time, I underestimated their significance, favoring telephoto detail shots.

Conclusion

I’m grateful that I decided to make the journey to Firle Beacon, especially considering my initial hesitation. It led me to discover a beautiful section of the South Downs escarpment. This location holds promise throughout different times of the day and seasons, and I’m already planning a return visit to further explore its photographic potential.