I hadn’t actually intended to post this here on my website, but having shared the story on social media, and seeing the responses from people (some that were hilarious) I just had to add it here too for anyone that didn’t see the original on the likes of Facebook and Instagram.

Some of the comments posted on social media, I’ll add to the bottom.

Right, here goes…

So last night I headed over to Porlock Weir to meet up with my mate Doug Insole to photograph what promised to be a great location where the incoming sea would flood a field where there were gnarly, twisted, dead trees.

With an expected high tide at around 8.20pm and reaching up to 1.0.5 metres, we arrived at 6pm to allow plenty of time for planning a composition, setting up and so on.

A couple of other photographers had, had the same idea and were already there when we arrived. Being a popular place to photograph this was half expected, however the greeting wasn't.

As we approached they (male and female) kept their backs turned, which even someone not familiar with body language would take as a little off, but Doug being Doug, the ever friendly, welcoming fella that he is, said hello and asked "Are you here to shoot the tree?" to which the elderly gent replied "No, I'm here to photograph the tree"

Well that kind of set the tone for me to be honest and confirmed what I’d felt as we’d approached when they had kept their backs turned, but tempting as it was to comment back (I counted to 10 and took a long, deep breath), I didn't, and instead went about deciding on a composition away from where this gent and his female partner were; even though she would sit away from her camera and stretch out her legs clearly in line of our cameras, or wander around in front of us whilst smoking and continued to do so as it neared time to start shooting, taking photographs.

iPhone Photo, and no those aren’t Superman’s boots

Despite the frosty opening, Doug tried to engage but was met with less than engaging replies from the elderly gent as he stomped around setting up a couple of cameras and with an air of importance and of knowing it all as he placed both hands upon his hips.

Needless to say he was less than happy when more photographers started arriving, even commenting that "If they come here I'll get my gun out". Clearly a throw away comment, but Doug and I both made sure to outwardly welcome them with open arms.

Anyway, long story short, the tide didn't come in as had been predicted and Mr Know it All had said, after he’d taken great pleasure in telling us “You’ll be completely flooded there” … needless to say we remained dry as a bone. The cloudy sky that had been there on arrival, also completely disappeared (gotta love Weather Forecasters Guessers) so Doug and I packed up and headed off, leaving Mr & Mrs Grumpy to, well, tell each other how good they thought they were I guess.

As for Mr Grumpy the elderly gent, I did hear him say that he was a member of a camera club in Devon; I only hope that when at the club he doesn't carry on with the same attitude … certainly not towards new members or people new to photography who are looking for help and advice. Somehow though, I get the feeling that will be the case. Gut instinct tells me that he's not a fan of Photoshop either.

I didn't get the shot photograph I was after because the conditions weren't right...that's the way with landscape and seascape but hey, it's not the end of the world; I was glad to be out, by the coast with a mate and had a bloomin' delicious pasty from Shapland Burchers in South Molton ; not a bad evening despite the elderly gentleman who, in his mind, is clearly The Daddy in his little club. Bless him.

Update: I had a message from Doug last night saying that he’d seen a post on social media by Mr & Mrs Grumpy, sharing a photograph they’d taken, and you wouldn’t believe what Mrs Frosty’s username is! It would of course be wrong of me to share it here in it’s entirety, so all I will say is that her username actually includes the words feisty and stroppy! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so appropriate.

This did make me chuckle because thinking back to that evening and hearing Mr & Mrs Grumpy saying how much they disliked social media, and how it had ruined photography by people sharing locations, and yet here they were sharing pictures on social media.

The look on Mr Grumpy’s face when the guy in the dark grey top set up right next to him…Priceless!

I’ve never experienced this attitude before in all my time as a retoucher and portrait photographer, and in all seriousness, to experience it, is really quite sad.

Being unwilling to share, possessive about a location, an attitude of knowing it all, doesn’t exist in my photography world and it doesn’t exist in the world of all the incredible people that gave me advice when I first started out and the wonderful, talented friends like Doug that I’ve made, and continue to make along the way.

Anyone reading this that has experienced the same or similar, know that there are more sociable and willing to help photographers out there than not, and those that are not, are the ones that don’t move on, don’t progress and tend to keep themselves in small groups of people who feed each others’ egos.

It reminds of what my former trainer used to say to me when I was a Competitive Bodybuilder…