Last Sunday’s trip to Osea had been in the diary for a few months. I’d worked out the tides and planned to arrive when the water would be high enough to give me the photograph I had in mind. Eight hours of driving there and back felt reasonable when I was planning it from the comfort of home.
The tide was perfect. The light was less cooperative.
Intermittent cloud kept changing things, and the direction of the sun made it difficult to find the balance I wanted. Like most places, you get a better understanding of it once you’ve spent some time there. If I went back, I’d aim for a high tide of around 5.4 metres or more coinciding with sunrise, or perhaps the hour afterwards. Getting the water right was only part of it.
Still, the direct sunlight gave me something to work with. The contrasting shadows have added depth, and there are things about the resulting photograph that I like, even if the conditions weren’t quite what I’d hoped for.
There’s also a fair amount of Photoshop work behind it. None of the adjustments took particularly long, but the result is quite far removed from what’s actually in front of you when you’re there. The Osea beach huts sit on the Blackwater Estuary near Maldon in Essex, a busy and popular spot for people getting out on the water. I’ve removed background detail along the horizon and quite a few stray boats to simplify the scene. The photograph is now close to what I was trying to achieve, although it needed more tidying up than I’d expected.
I’m usually most comfortable working in softer light. It gives me room to concentrate on shape, space and small changes in tone without having to wrestle with strong contrasts. Osea made me work a little harder.
On the way home, we stopped at Normanton Church on Rutland Water for blue hour. It was only about ten minutes off the A1 on our route back to Wetherby, so it seemed a shame not to. By then, the light had softened into something much more familiar. It was a welcome change of pace, and a good way to finish the day before the remaining drive home.
I’d gone to Osea with a fairly clear idea of what I wanted, but the enjoyment of the day didn’t depend entirely on the photographs I came back with. After a long spell with the camera on the shelf, it felt good simply to be outside again, looking properly and spending time making photographs.
An old mate for company, a bit of shooting and plenty of time to catch up. Eight hours in the car was worth it for that.
A pretty good way to spend a Sunday.