This month we move further north along the Norfolk coast. Here we take a look at Sea Palling and Waxham beach. Sea Palling is probably the better known of the two and certainly has more parking and facilities. Waxham can be reached by walking south along the beach from Sea Palling. There is very limited parking available by Waxham beach itself.
I like to make the most of any unique features at a location. This helps viewers to identify where the image was taken by giving a strong sense of place. It also means that I work differently at different locations, creating varying images by allowing myself to be guided by the environment around me. When we think of Sea Palling, there are a few distinctive elements that come to mind. First of all, there are the tall posts marking the sea defence reefs. These are visible even when the reefs themselves are submerged. They can be used to create leading lines in your composition, with their diminishing height adding to the sense of depth and perspective as you can see below.
Then, the second thing that grabbed my attention was the long, curved concrete shelf at the end of the beach. I must admit that concrete in and of itself is rarely worthy of many photos. However, the unusual shape and location of this structure raise various possibilities. One is to try using the curvature to provide a half frame for a shot. Another might be to use the shelf as a leading line. An interesting idea that struck me was to try and get the reflected light of sunrise bouncing off it to make it add to the warmth of the scene.
It is often easier to get nice reflected light when there is some water on a rocky surface but it can still be possible without it sometimes. With the very dark rocks at these beaches the contrast can be extremely high at sunrise. So, to avoid having pure black rocks or a sky that is too bright you might want to shoot either with filters or multiple exposures to blend together later. Sometimes HDR can work well. For more control and to retain better contrast so it looks more realistic, I'd recommend learning to use luminosity masks in Photoshop for a better blend than HDR software can normally achieve. (You can learn about luminosity masks & other techniques in the members' area on the Original Art Photography website
If you want to add warmth to your sunrise and sunset photos then there are various tricks you can try. One is to switch to a cloudy white balance as this introduces more warmth into the image. Another is to use split toning to introduce some orange and/or magenta. This can be done in Lightroom quite quickly. Or, you could use colour layers or photo filter layers in Photoshop and mask areas in or out as needed. There are many methods from the simple to the more complex and you can work quickly or have a slow approach with lots of careful control if you prefer. The next two images each feature some added colour to enhance the mood.
If you like long exposures then rocky beaches such as Sea Palling and Waxham can be very good locations to use. The rocks make a good, solid contrast with more soft or fluid water. You may need to use Neutral Density (ND) filters to achieve a long enough shutter speed to blur the water. But this depends on the available light levels and how much blur you are after.
If you like portrait photography or fashion photography then beaches can make great locations. The rocks may provide some shade on an overly bright day and they can also be useful for people to sit on or stand against.
It is easier to control the light on an overcast day. Otherwise, try having the sun behind your subject so that they don't squint and then add some flash to light them up a bit so they aren't left as a silhouette.
Next time you find yourself at the beach, try to find out what makes that particular beach different and see if you can showcase that in your images. Use the unusual features to prompt you to try things that you might not normally do.
© Joe Lenton, August 2018
Joe Lenton is a professional photography tutor and commercial photographer. He has won many international awards for his images and been featured in exhibitions around the world. He runs photography workshops and teaches various aspects of photography and images processing one to one . For more free photography tips and to enquire about photography training please visit Original Art Photography .
All Things Norfolk business member Joe Lenton of Original Art Photography focusses on Thurne in the latest edition of his popular series to help inspire you and learn how to take that perfect image to encapsulate Norfolk.
A couple of weeks ago Thurne Mill was featured on BBC Countryfile. It is rapidly approaching its 200th birthday with various events scheduled to mark the occasion. So, I thought it would be a good idea to look at Thurne as our photography location this month to see how the mill and the surrounding area can appeal to the landscape photographer. It has been a while since I have been there but it was good to look through some old images.
All Things Norfolk business member Joe Lenton of Original Art Photography focusses on Overstrand in the latest edition of his popular series to help inspire you and learn how to take that perfect image to encapsulate Norfolk.
Overstrand is just along the coast from Cromer heading East. You can even see Cromer Pier from Overstrand beach.
The lines of the sea defences can be used as effective leading lines, drawing the eye through the image to the focal point of the pier or sunset, for example. You can either work at ground level or photograph from the promenade for a slightly elevated viewpoint.
All Things Norfolk business member Joe Lenton of Original Art Photography focusses on Cromer in the latest of his series of features for All Things Norfolk.
Joe has over 50 international awards to his name and All Things Norfolk are delighted to bring you another edition of his popular series to help inspire you and learn how to take that perfect image to encapsulate Norfolk
As we move through Autumn and Winter, the weather changes and the hours of daylight decrease. So, often many photographers seem to go into hibernation unsure of what to do until Spring. This month, I'd like to encourage you to make the most of the unique conditions of the cooler seasons. One particular phenomenon that you are likely to see more of is fog.
We are fortunate enough to have both east-facing and west-facing beaches in Norfolk. So, you can see the sun rise out to see from one side of the county and set over the sea on the other. Hunstanton is in the northwest of Norfolk and it is a great location for landscape photographers, especially around sunset.
It is a very varied stretch of the coast with "Old Hunstanton" being most well known for its iconic cliffs. The cliffs are made up of different layers of different colours of stone/earth. They can be found in the northern part of Hunstanton with ample parking available near the lighthouse.
When photographing landmarks such as the Hunstanton cliffs, there are many possibilities available. You can go extremely wide to show more of the landscape, or you can make more of a feature of them by going in closer.
Help the viewer to understand the scale of landmarks by including something to show the size, such as people on the beach.
All Things Norfolk business member Joe Lenton of Original Art Photography focusses on Whitlingham Country Park in the latest of his series of features for All Things Norfolk.
Joe has over 50 international awards to his name and All Things Norfolk are delighted to bring you another edition of his popular series to help inspire you and learn how to take that perfect image to encapsulate Norfolk.
Whitlingham Country Park is a beautiful area of 25 hectares of stunning open parkland and water very near to Norwich city centre
At its heart is Whitlingham Broad where many water based activities and land based advertures are available for all ages and abilities from taster sessions to skill courses and include Sailing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Bushcraft, Climbing and Archery.
There is a camp site which includes traditional pitches to the more boutique Shepherds Huts. There is also an information centre along with a cafe which sells delicious home cooked breakfasts, hot meals and homemade cakes and scones.
You can do a circular walk around the broad and take in the views with various points to stop and sit on a bench too.
You can find Whitlingham Country Park in Trowse, just a short distance from Norwich city centre.
The postcode is NR14 8TR and there are pay and display car parks available.
For more information about Whitlingham Country Park please visit the official website at www.whitlinghamcharitabletrust.com