Making the most of the light

I had seen some great shots of the picturesque harbour at Staithes, and decided to call after visiting family in the north east. The light had been flat and uninteresting all day, but after making a journey of over two and a half hours, plus traffic jams, I decided to make the most of it.

It's important to do your homework, otherwise you may walk around an unfamiliar place looking for the ideal viewpoint and still miss the best shots. Personally, I make good use of Google Earth and maps. After looking at photographs of Staithes harbour and searching for car parks, I found that the ideal parking spot was on the top of the nearby cliffs, a short walk from a vantage point above the harbour.

Before heading to the harbour I walked to the edge of the cliffs and was mesmerised by the coastline looking north. Although the light was relatively flat, the sky would have 'burned out', being around 5 stops brighter than the cliffs below. I wanted to create a fine art image highlighting the lines of the cliffs, with a long exposure to capture some movement in the insipid clouds and thus create some detail in the top part of the picture. A 'big stopper' and two graduated ND filters were needed to achieve balance and give the required detail throughout the picture.

I'm pleased with this picture because it portrays the muted fine art effect that I wanted to create, after taking some time to set up the equipment in uninspiring light while crouching on the cliff top.

Having picked my spot and composed my picture, it was a relief to see some texture in the evening sky. A straight shot with a graduated ND filter, to balance the sky and bring out the texture of the sky, captured this stunning picturesque scene.

Staithes and much of the North Yorkshire coast are well worth a visit.