Night and day..
I’ve been involved in a lot of other projects for the last few months that haven’t allowed me to do much landscape photography. It’s easy to forget where we come from creatively and this weekend, it just came to a head, I was forgetting who I was as a photographer. I knew I needed to get back in touch with my roots. I needed to get out there at dawn, stand on a beach in the dark and in a biting, finger numbing cold wind to capture the start of a new day. This is where it all starts for me literally and figuratively. This kind of shoot nourishes my soul and my creativity in a very unique and very special way and it can’t get much better than that.
I went back to basics this morning and reconnected with the environment I love so much in the way I like to do it best, with a camera, a tripod and an empty beach. Despite growing, developing and exploring new areas of my photographic creativity which is how it should be, I needed this. This kind of creative exercise is like going back to your hometown after years away and rediscovering the building blocks that made you the person you are. It never does to lose sight of these things.
At this time of year in these more northerly latitudes, this meant an incredibly early start so this morning, I was up at 3.30, checking equipment and drinking loads of tea before heading out the door and driving towards a location I hadn’t been before, Harlyn Bay. I hope you enjoy the picture.. :-)
20mm f/11 25 sec. ISO-100
Click on the picture for a sharper image.
Cornwall Photographic 
beautifully done
April 14, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Thank you Andy!
April 14, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Superb shot Adrian. Love the merging of similar hues. I also like blue :-)
April 14, 2014 at 4:59 pm
Thank you very much David. I’m fond of blue myself! :-)
April 14, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Overwhelmingly Beautiful ChillB x
April 14, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Thank you Poppy. It was a great way to start a new day! :-)x
April 14, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Mmmmmm perfect. Nothing like the start of a brand new day. Love the colours :)
April 14, 2014 at 5:43 pm
Thank you Angi. It was beautiful out there this morning, despite the cold and numb fingers. My fingerless gloves helped a bit. A brilliant accessory for the camera bag not much talked about! ;-)
April 14, 2014 at 6:08 pm
I also carry hand warmers, these are a blessing :)
April 14, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Now that’s a good idea! I will have to get some. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 7:17 pm
I don’t know what to say Adrian. This is so simple (and I mean that in a good way) and stunning.
April 14, 2014 at 6:10 pm
Thank you very much Edith. I like simple. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 7:13 pm
Wow I don’t know how you manage to get up so early but the photo is truly beautiful :)
April 14, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Thank you Trish. I appreciate that. Worth the effort as it is so beautiful out on the beach as the sun comes up. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 7:18 pm
We appreciate your dedication. The results certainly seem worth the effort.
April 14, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Thank you Emilio. I’m glad you think so. It helps to be a morning person and although you can get similar photos as the sun goes down, there are always more people around at sunset and that upsets the mood somehow. ;-)
April 14, 2014 at 7:20 pm
Mmm, t’s You.
April 14, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Thank you Ann-Christine. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 7:20 pm
I think you remembered.
April 14, 2014 at 8:06 pm
Thank you. It was a good start to my day. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 8:52 pm
This is a really good one, Chillbrook!
April 14, 2014 at 8:23 pm
Thank you Bente! :-)
April 14, 2014 at 8:52 pm
What a lovely colors in this photo
April 14, 2014 at 9:19 pm
Thank you very much Lou! :-)
April 14, 2014 at 10:02 pm
Brilliant photo Adrian…..I love the beautiful dawn light and the subtle textures in the sand in the foreground.
April 14, 2014 at 9:22 pm
Thank you Mark. The beauty of the 14-24mm lens is that you can get up close and personal with your foreground while keeping everything else in nice sharp focus also. I love using this lens. I’ve never not be rewarded for getting up at these crazy times.. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Very nice! Beautiful lighting.
April 14, 2014 at 9:27 pm
Thank you very much Mrs P. :-)
April 14, 2014 at 10:08 pm
Beautiful shot Adrian!
April 15, 2014 at 12:52 am
Thank you Radall!
April 15, 2014 at 6:50 am
I am impressed by your dedication, and the end results. Lovely.
April 15, 2014 at 1:27 am
Thank you JP! :-)
April 15, 2014 at 6:54 am
Beautiful, worth the effort entirely. Glad you got back to your roots, there is something clean and soulful (I don’t mean sad) about a beach at first light. And you are right it does help to be a morning person. Best time of day :)
April 15, 2014 at 2:16 am
It definitely is the best time of day! Thank you Lee. :-)
April 15, 2014 at 6:55 am
At first glance I thought you were catching a low lying fog, until I realized it’s your slow shutter speed… duuh! Nice shot!
April 15, 2014 at 5:22 am
Thank you so much Gunta. It was quite dark when I took this shot. Still fumbling around with a torch! :-)
April 15, 2014 at 6:55 am
A really stunning dawn image, Adrian. I’m sure you feel that the result was well worth the effort in getting there so early. Well done. :)
April 15, 2014 at 10:31 am
Thank you Sylvia! It’s always worth getting up and watching the dawn break whether I get a picture or not.. it’s a lovely bonus when it happens though. I thought yesterday it wasn’t going to for the first time on one of these early jaunts but I think it turned out OK in the end. :-)
April 15, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Yes it certainly did. :)
April 15, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Thank you :-)
April 15, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Beautiful.
April 15, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Thank you so much Mary!
April 15, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Agree wholeheartedly about returning to the photographic roots Adrian. Your shot is a glorious testament to Mother Nature’s beauty – well done as always!
April 15, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Thank you Tina. It was such a pleasure to be out on the beach at that time of day, it really wasn’t a hardship as some clearly believe. How can it be when you’re rewarded with such unadulterated beauty – a beach washed clean by the sea ready to greet a fresh lot of dog walkers, sand castle builders and all the rest. I was there first! :-)
April 15, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Yeah, I can’t think of a better place to be, Adrian. That is sublime.
April 15, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Thank you Karen. It was a pleasure not a hardship, as some suggest, to be out on the beach at that time of day. There’s something very special about it and I hope I captured some of that with the photograph! :-)
April 15, 2014 at 5:23 pm
Truly a stunning scene!
April 15, 2014 at 9:25 pm
Thank you very much Phil and good to see you’re feeling much better!
April 17, 2014 at 11:31 am
Welcome back to what is important in your life. We all sometimes wander off in the wrong direction – or on a necessary detour – and then all the better it feels to be back again. I certainly understand your feeling, because as much as I try to live true to my dreams and desires, I often have to take that detour. The joy of coming «home» is very obvious in this lovely scenery you have captured here. We can really see how you immerse yourself into the situation and we can feel your excitement. And what else to expect, then, than a great image. It feels so calm and peaceful. And of course the colours are delightful.
April 15, 2014 at 11:12 pm
Thank you very much Otto. I felt calm and peaceful taking the photograph, it was a good feeling standing on the beach, just me my camera and the dawn. I can’t think of a better way to start the day!
April 17, 2014 at 11:33 am
A sublime image indeed, Adrian. Your writing is very apropos. For a variety of reasons I’ve found it really hard to engage with Spring this year – rather bored with the same old places around here, so many others things to think about, the weather never quite right, tired. I’ve taken only a handful of images. I’ve felt uninspired. We went down to Greenwich in London yesterday to see the huge Turner exhibition. Absolutely astonishing to see such a collection of work in the flesh. Inspirational. We walked up to the Observatory afterwards and the camera started to find Spring images. I’m waking up, finally. Sadly got to ‘gloss’ the windows I undercoated on Tuesday later today and then I will get out tomorrow.
April 17, 2014 at 7:46 am
Now that is an exhibition I would love to see Andy. No wonder you came away inspired. Undercoating and glossing isn’t terribly fulfilling in a creative sense that’s for sure. I’ll look forward to your posts post exhibition. :-)
April 17, 2014 at 11:31 am
Exquisite.
April 17, 2014 at 7:35 pm
Thank you Elena! :-)
April 18, 2014 at 4:21 pm
I am IMMERSED in blue – I think I can taste it! Love reading about your process, your journey.
April 19, 2014 at 2:18 am
Thank you Lynn. So much blue, seems impossible for there to be so many shades! It was a wonderful morning! :-)
April 19, 2014 at 9:33 am
Stunning scene, Adrian. A beautiful photo. Will be heading out at dawn from now on!
April 24, 2014 at 7:39 pm
Thank you Simon. It’s my favourite time of day.
April 26, 2014 at 6:36 pm