January 2022 was a very dry month, not too cold, nothing too severe. Throughout January 2022 mostly concentrated on dawn seascape photography along the east Sussex coast. What follows is a compilation of the best landscape photography from January 2022.
Bexhill Sunrise
New years day January 2022 and the plan was to drive to Hope Gap for a sunrise. The weather apps the night before had predicted some high clouds. Had risen a bit late and on the drive there the sky was changing colour already. Racking my brains for somewhere closer to go. Always wanted to get a good shot of the gazebo’s at Bexhill Colonnade so took a detour there.
No time to spare, setup and started shooting. Again even in the small space of the Bexhill colonnade there are a myriad of compositions to consider.
As well as what to include there were many things to try and exclude. What I not realise at the time and learnt post processing the images is the concept of overlapping lines. The horizon line cuts through the columns of the gazebo. Could of got down lower with the tripod to eliminate this. Another thing not leaving your bag on the ground with lots of dog walkers around. A dog came up had a sniff and then a pee on my camera bag.
Hope Gap Sunrise
The weather apps predicted another dawn of high clouds. Decided to head to Hope Gap Seaford Head for a sunrise and rose bright and early for the journey. I had pre-visualised a pano of the seven sisters as the sun was rising. To get in close I was using the 100-400mm lens in combination with the Benro levelling base.
Without really expecting it and almost to tee 15 minutes before sunrise the sky lit up like a Christmas tree! And I now had the wrong lens on. I tried a few panos but not come out that well.
The red colourful pre dawn sky was magnificent, the colour intensity only lasts a few minutes at most before it fades away. There is a lot I do not like about these photos though. Without light, the cliffs are more just a silhouette. It is not ideal to shoot the sea with a pano due to it moving. The sea would have looked better as a long exposure. With a brilliant sky like that you want reflections to get double the effect!
Eventually changed lens and waited for sunrise. In this composition the cliffs are now too small to see any real detail. A better composition would be later in the year when the sun rises closer to the cliff edge, during high tide and from the cliff edge not on the beach.
Itford Hill Fog
Not much to predict the night before on the weather apps. So rose post dawn and looking out the window there was thick fog on the ground or low cloud. Later though it was going to be sunny rather than overcast. I like that combination when there is fog. Previously on a scouting trip the fog hangs around in the Ouse valley below Firle Beacon and the South Downs until around 10-11am when the sun rises higher.
Along the A26 heading into Newhaven and Seaford there is parking at the foot of Itford Hill. On the ascent the fog was clearing, so needed to setup halfway up and start shooting. In the background you can just see Kingston Ridge which is another good viewpoint. What the composition lacks is a contrast, something clear rising out of the fog like a church spire, brows of hills or a cathedral.
Beachy Head Lighthouse
Pre dawn along Beachy Head and thick low cloud, no light. Parked up at Belle Tout carpark to check out the view of Beachy Head lighthouse at high tide. The light was improving so decided to get creative. A long exposure to blur the sea and clouds and then a fast exposure of the same composition to capture some birds in flight. The idea to blend both exposures post processing.
One problem with a long exposure on the cliff edge is wind. Even with a sturdy tripod was using a 10 stop ND filter requiring 30 seconds open shutter. During the long exposure there was lots of birds flying through the frame but there is no trace of them. To further steady the tripod should have attached my bag to the tripod with a small bungee cord, that I do carry but forgot to use. You should never leave your camera on the tripod on a cliff edge, a sudden gust of strong wind and it will be gone.
To capture the birds, removed the ND Filter and had a shutter speed of around 350/1. I do have a remote shutter release but find this hit and miss, in fact have ordered a new cable release for this type of work. Put the camera into burst mode and just fired when birds flew into the frame. Used two exposures to blend in the birds to the background long exposure of the lighthouse. As they say
You don’t take a photograph, you make a photograph.
January Waning Gibbous
I had missed January full wolf moon, I blame work. Early January had purchased off Ebay half price a 1.4 Canon extender. Intention was to get a bit more magnification with my telephotos lenses both the 70-200 giving 280mm and 560mm with the 100-400. Each morning when I rise I take a look outside my front door to see what the sky is up too. Looking west was a setting waning Gibbous at 87%.
Time to test the 1.4 Canon extender with the 400mm lens. Handholding the lens shutter speed needed to be around 1/600. You lose one or two stops of aperture with the Canon extender so using f/8 and a higher ISO. Good thing with the Canon 5D mk4 can raise that ISO without degradation in image quality. Bit of post processing, to sharper and brighten the moon and darken the sky as well as some cropping. Really like the blurred outline of the tree to the right of the frame. It anchors the shot, makes it earthly.
Seaford Head Sunrise
The last week of January and the sun was nowhere to been seen. Just thick dull depressing gloom all week. Friday morning looked promising via the weather apps, so took the day off. Desperately needed to get outdoors with my camera. More of the same, to the east Sussex coast for another sunrise. This morning it would be a dawn shoot from the cliff edge on Seaford head, between Hope Gap and Cuckmere Haven.
Had scouted this location on my last trip to Hope Gap earlier in January, wanted another shot at it. This time using the 70-200mm lens. Wanted to catch a bright shot of white light from the Belle Tout lighthouse, but during setup it turned off. Another beautiful red dawn sky, very little wind. Should have arrived earlier, even though got out of bed just after 5AM. Wanted a longer exposure to blur out the sea, but could not fit the screw on filters for some reason, there really is no time to waste when the light is this good.
Waited for the sun to rise over the horizon. Switched settings to get a faster shutter speed and fired in burst mode when some birds flew into the same frame. These were then blended post processing in Photoshop. That same evening there was a beautiful sunset sky that I missed.
Beachy Head Lighthouse Sunrise
Another 5AM rise, this time a return to the beachy head lighthouse composition. Another shoot from the cliff edge, very little wind again. Not much cloud forecast but was hoping to catch a crescent moonrise and then the sunrise in the same frame, but it not happen. Still making a lot of mistakes, still lots to learn.
Really wanted that shot of bright white light from the lighthouse in the frame. Wanted a long exposure of the sea to smooth it out, high tide was critical here. Again, changed settings for a fast shutter speed to include some flying birds which got blended in using Photoshop. It was a beautiful sunrise and missed it at least with the camera. I could have easily panned in the sunrise to the right of the frame. Just not think to check at the time 🙁 Even without clouds, can get some nice colour in the sky at dawn.
End of January
That brings to end January 2022. A good month for photography, feel I have improved and getting better photographs. The thing is I am now not doing much hiking or scouting, just turning up to shoot a pre-visualised composition. Roll on February and spring 2022.
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