The weather looked good for the best part of Sunday, the plan was to park up at Cliff End Pett Level and walk along the Royal Military Canal to Winchelsea and then back along the beach and coast.
Cliff End
As usual got up later than I hoped, but Cliff End was not far away and knew I could park up by the side of the road there for free. I missed sunrise and the best of the morning light, but still the rising sun was low in the sky lighting up the cliff face.
Multiple Exposures
Just as I was about to walk away to join the footpath along the royal military canal all the way to Winchelsea, remembered I wanted to practice exposure blending in Photoshop. So set up on my tripod and proceeded to bracket some shots of the Pett Level seascape.
Pointing the camera at the rising sun out to sea, and the dynamic range of light was too much for the camera. Rather than use graduated neutral density filters over the lens to try to even the light I took multiple exposures at different F stops which is more precise than using filters and introduces no softening.
Layer Blending in Photoshop
The intention was to merge them later as separate layers in Photoshop. One correct exposure for the sun which included the sky. One exposure for the sea and mid-ground, another for the beach and foreground. After post processing realised should have taken a fourth, for the sky ignoring the sun. Still first attempt at exposure blending with layer masks has got me very interested to learn more. I like the results, very atmospheric as one of my Instagram followers commented. Similar in concept to HDR but a lot more labour intensive and subjective.
Along the Royal Military Canal
Walking along the Royal Military Canal out of Cliff End and looking back, the low morning sunlight adding highlights to the reeds and buildings in the mid and background.
Lots of leading lines pointing back to the main focal point being the light buildings of Cliff End. This is where the Royal Military canal begins. Its a example of an altered landscape, that it was constructed during the Napoleonic wars.
Pett Level Nature Reserve
Surprisingly just out of Cliff End is a nature reserve managed by the Pett Level Preservation Trust. There is an inland cliff called Toot Rock with commanding views of the surrounding landscape.
Rejoining the Royal Military canal, with the low morning golden sunlight compositions were presenting themselves all along the muddy wet footpath by the side of the canal.
The wooden posts in the foreground creates a focal point, the canal then provides a leading line to the low hill in the background.
Further along two swans came gliding down the canal towards me. Composing them within the frame and excluding distracting features was difficult considering they were moving all the time. In the end had to include the football to the right with the intention of removing it post processing. But decided to leave it in, maybe it tells a story all of its own. Also difficult to remove due to the reflections.
Hog Hill
I have walked parts of the Royal Military canal, Pett Level and Winchelsea before when I first moved to east Sussex over 2 years ago now. Back then I was following walking guides. These walking guides are not geared towards landscape photography more towards history, culture etc, sometimes the two can overlap especially where there are epic viewpoints and vistas.
On the horizon I could see a windmill and checking os maps online I could see this detour would take me onto Hog Hill, well worth checking out.
Wickham Manor
From Hog Hill I joined the 1066 country walk towards Winchelsea which takes you pass Wickham Manor. In the grounds of the remains of Greyfriars is where I managed to capture one of my favourite landscape compositions of the day.
The composition is well balanced with the tree and Wickham manor on the hill in the background and the two sets of grazing sheep. Interest is added with the highlights on the tree and sheep and spot lighting on the green pastures.
Pett Level
The wind was picking up, clouds were moving into the clear blue sky adding interest. The forecast for late afternoon was rain. The plan now was to cut back across Pett Level onto the beach.
Always look back, looking back was a nice composition with Hog Hill in the background. A blue sky looks so much better with cumulus clouds which stops your eyes exiting above. I like the above composition but the water is leading your eyes out of the frame to the side rather than joining with Hogs Hill in the background.
The second composition on the flats attempts to address that issue. Its a wider angle, including Wichham manor to the right but distracting white houses to the bottom left.
Pett Level Beach
From the windswept Pett Level I made my way across the road onto the beach. It was low tide now which revealed lots of rocks, boulders, posts even a fishing basket adding foreground interest.
I took a lot of seascape photographs along the beach and was using a polariser. For many of the shots though, the sky was ruined due to too much polarisation, something I was not checking for at the time, only revealed during post processing the images.
Good Day Shooting
So the above landscape and seascapes captures along the Royal Military canal within the Pett Levels hopefully illustrates why I love to be on this part of the east Sussex coast. You know you have had a great day shooting landscape seascape photography when you get home with 250 images to sort through.