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.
The village of Thurne is in the heart of the Norfolk broads alongside the River Thurne. It is not far from various other mills so could easily form part of a sightseeing day trip. Thurne Mill is a beautiful white mill standing on the corner of the staithe. Although you can walk right up to it, usually you will get a better photo from a short distance. At the end of the staithe, take the path to the other side (not the mill side) and you will soon be greeted with a view of the mill with boats on the water in the foreground. The image at the top of this post was taken from this viewpoint. Further along, the path turns left to follow the river. From there you can get the kind of angle seen in this image:
It is well worth checking the angle of sunrise and sunset before visiting. Having golden light streaming through the scene at the right angle can really enhance your images. From the staithe path you can get a good view of the mill with the sunset off to the left of the mill. Look out for colour behind the mill to the right (East - towards the village) bouncing off the clouds as well.
There are several other subjects well worth your attention in addition to the mill itself. You can see many different boats along the way as you walk by the river. These often make good focal points and can again show off the sunset with a bit of side-lighting. Look out for boats with character that spark your interest.
From the path you can also catch sight of St Benets Mill on the other side of the river. You can either shoot wide angle and have it small on the horizon or go for a telephoto lens and compress the perspective - for inspiration see my article on shooting lanscapes with a long lens. You can easily create depth to the image using elements for the foreground and middle ground with the mill in the background. For example, you could have the river in the foreground going to the reeds and then the mill. Or, perhaps try it with a boat on the river.
In all cases, quality of light makes a massive difference. So, get planning for the right time to be there! Check out Suncalc for an easy way to research the sun angles. I wish everyone involved in preparing for the mill's 200th birthday the very best. If you visit, don't forget to wander along the river and take in some of the other sights at this beautiful location as well.
© Joe Lenton, February 2019
Joe Lenton is a professional photography tutor and commercial photographer. He has won over 50 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 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
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.