From my base in Bournemouth east Dorset there were some places in west Dorset I wanted to visit like Lyme Regis on the border with Devon.  It was a long way to drive for just a day trip so I went on a road trip first stopping off at Seatown and a walk up over Golden Cap.

Towards Seatown

I had booked a hotel in Lyme Regis and on my way back also in Weymouth.  From here I would go on some walks within the area and practice my Landscape photography and enjoy a beer or two and a nice meal in the evening.

I arrived in Seatown fairly early in the morning before all the bank holiday crowds arrived and parked up.  I then made my way up the cliff edge to the peak of the Golden Cap.

The golden cap is thankfully owned by the national trust and is the highest point on the south coast of England.  It was a hot day in late August and a little bright and hazy not ideal for landscape photography. Looking west even in the haze could make out the towns of Charmouth and Lyme Regis where I was heading later that day.

Further along the walk over the golden cap you come to the remains of St Gabriels church again with Lyme Regis in the background.  A nice composition with the church ruins in the bottom right hand corner.  Its this area and with something bright that draws the eye most, the eye then leaves the church over the hills and bay in the middle ground and rests on Lyme regis in the back.

After Golden Cap Hill and the ruins of St Gabriels I extended the walk over Hardown Hill which at this time of the year is covered in flowering heath.  Due to the lighting conditions and haze the photo is not as ‘tack sharp’ as I would have liked.

Back in Seatown I had a few beers in the Anchor Inn pub and sat outside in the lovely warm August sunshine.  There were alot more day trippers about now.  After my rest I made my way up Ridge cliff and Doghouse hill heading in the opposite direction from Golden cap.  I left my tripod in the car and was just practising taking hand holding landscape photos.

Taking landscape photos without a tripod

You are always going to get sharper landscape photos using a tripod and proper filters, even in the middle of the day but handholding you tend to take alot more and you are more agile.  When handholding you just want a fast enough shutter speed so dont get image blur, not a problem when using a tripod and not too windy.

Basic difference is I am using a wider aperture but still getting depth of field with F/8 rather than F/11.  I switch on image stabilisation which gives you couple more stops of light to work with.  With image stabilisation on I keep ISO at its base level rather than switching this to auto.

I read that barmy bank holiday day in August that Dorset beaches like Bornemouth and Weymouth had record crowds but the visitors to Seatown were not so sheepish. Seeking out the quieter quarters.  Next stop Lyme Regis.