coast

Photographing Storm Henk at West Bay with my iPhone

It’s fair to say the weather during the tail-end of 2023 has been pretty dire with what seems like storm after storm , bringing high winds and heavy rainfall , and being perfectly honest I’ve found myself getting more than a little fed up with it.

New Years Eve was no exception with Storm Henk making an appearance , but I had to end the year on a positive , so despite the weather and featureless grey skies I decided to head out with minimal kit ( iPhone and Tripod ) to see what I could capture. 

Living in the South West of the UK and a short drive from the coast , I decided to head down to West Bay, Dorset which is about a 40 minute drive , and I’m so glad that I did because when I arrived , there was blue sky, still plenty of moody clouds , high winds , but … no rain.

Parking up on the Quayside I could immediately hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach , and this combined with the sun making an appearance and throwing patches of light onto the sea as it peered between the clouds, conditions could not have been better !

To capture these images I used the Pro Camera App from Moment ; a great app that in addition to giving manual control over shutter speed and iso, also lets you separate focus and exposure lock, does exposure bracketing and so much more including Burst Mode when pressing the shutter; and that’s exactly what I used to capture the movement in the waves.

The images were edited in Lightroom on my iPad and then in Lightroom Classic, with a final finishing touch in Photoshop to give a ‘painterly’ look.

So yes … very happy I decided to venture out on the last day of the year.

Drone Photography at Boscastle, Cornwall

  • Weather Apps … ✅

  • Tide Times … ✅

  • Drone Assist and NOTAMS … ✅

  • Kit Checked and Batteries Charged … ✅

With everything ready, a couple of evenings ago we popped down to Boscastle, Cornwall with the idea of grabbing dinner and taking some photographs in what can only be described as a stunning location.

As it happens, although I had intended to, I didn’t end up taking any photographs with my main camera BUT thankfully had brought along my drone (DJI Air 2S) and with conditions being perfect for some aerial photography, I couldn’t resist…

For the above image looking out from mouth of Boscastle Harbour across the sea, I set the drone up to take 5 photographs in quick succession with each a different exposure (AEB) and then blended them together in Lightroom to create a HDR (High Dynamic Range) image.

I love creating panoramic shots with my drone too; this one and the one below taken using the 180 pano setting in Raw, and then merging together in Lightroom to create the stitched together image.

And of course, I couldn’t resist a Top-Down

All of the images were processed using both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Cloud; using both together opens up so many more editing possibilities due to the cloud and Adobe’s A.I. which is a great way to edit fast and get inspired.

I’m thinking about covering this in an video over on my YouTube Channel so if you think it would be worth doing, I’d really appreciate a YEs or a NO in the comments section below.

Also I’m looking at putting together a video and post showing what I check (weather, no fly zones, NOTAMs etc), what I take with me and everything I do to ensure a safe (and legal) and successful flight with my drone when filming or taking photographs, so again if you think that would be something worth sharing, just let me know.

Thanks for looking in,
Glyn

Using my Drone to take Photographs of Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset

Over the moon with all the results from taking photographs with my drone (DJI Air 2S) at Lyme Regis, Dorset. The light was incredible and the conditions couldn't have been better!

Being a morning person, setting an alarm for 4am and heading out, definitely has its advantages…

Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset

Lyme Regis is a place that's quite special to Anne and me. So many great memories of times when we first starting holidaying in Devon and visiting River Cottage and would always pop down the road and over the border to Dorset to get a 'fix' of sea air and our tradition of a bag of chips on the beach...no matter the weather.

As a Portrait Photographer, I've always found it fascinating how moving around your subject, once you have placed the light, can give so many different looks...from the same set up.

Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset

The same can definitely be said for landscape / seascape as this photograph I took of Lyme Regis in Dorset yesterday with my drone was taken moments after the first one I posted ... the same height but with a shift to the right, further back and changing the angle of the camera.

This panorama of Lyme Regis, Dorset consists of 24 photographs taken with my drone and then blended together in Photoshop…

Completely BLOWN AWAY with the quality of the file; so bloomin' happy

Sunrise Panorama at Lyme Regis in Dorset

Couldn’t resist some top down shots too…

Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset
Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset
Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset
Sunrise at Lyme Regis in Dorset

I remember a few years ago, Joe McNally relaying a story of a portrait assignment that he went on and once finished and kit packed away, upon leaving, the owner's cat appeared and jumped up onto his owner's shoulder; Joe quickly grabbed a few frames with his camera that he'd kept to hand and THAT was the picture that ended up being used.

Not quite the same, but this picture from yesterday made me think of Joe's story. Once I'd landed the drone on some Beach Hut Decking having taken the pictures I wanted, I then started to pack away and just happened to glance at the screen on the remote controller and saw this…

Sunrise and Beach Huts at Lyme Regis in Dorset

Roll on the next flight!

I'M ADDICTED!!! 📷 Long Exposures by the Sea (HOW TO) BASIC to BEAUTIFUL 😍

It's incredible how using a long exposure can completely transform the look and feel of a location.

In this video I take you through the Photography showing how a 30 second long exposure can smooth out waves to create a glass like surface, to the retouching in both Lightroom and Photoshop, also showing how to make selections and cuts with one slider.

Enjoy,
Glyn