Blow the wind southerly

It's a balmy 11ºC, and the wind is from the south when I set out in the pre-dawn along the south coast. I'm going nowhere in particular, but I'm keeping a watchful eye on the sky as it shows some promise for some good pictures. Half an hour before sunrise I stop at a favourite spot and wait...

© 2026

From blue to golden

Days that have rapidly changing weather conditions are my favourite for outdoor photography. Today, in the twenty-minutes before sunrise, what started out as anything but promising gradually began to hint at something interesting, before pulling off the deal at the last moment by becoming totally captivating.

© 2026

The blues before sunrise

Overnight rain gave way to clear conditions before dawn and the wet planking on a local pier took on a deep hue that reflected the sky. The blue hour can be a colourful spectacle, and it's becoming a favourite time to shoot, especially in the morning.  

Last Thursday's Storm Goretti (named by Météo-France, as the brunt of the gale was to be felt there), put paid to the notion of shooting with a different lens every day for a week. Maybe I gave up too easily...

© 2026

The Overstrand

Colourful private beach huts on The Overstrand, Boscombe beach, Poole Bay, in the warm glow of the rising sun.

Photographed with a 24 mm lens.

© 2026

On the cheap

Day three of shooting with different lenses, and so far they have all been prime optics. On this occasion I'm using the much overlooked 50mm f/1.8. They're small; light; fast; sharp; and cheap, and if that's not five good reasons to own one I don't know what is.

© 2026

 

Going long

Built between 1962 and 1964, the fifty-three-metre high Albany flats dominate Bournemouth's East Cliff. Lit by the first rays of sunlight, they are the subject of today's lens: a 300mm telephoto.

© 2026

Occasionally challenged

Occasionally, I like to set myself a photographic challenge; whether it be taking pictures only of the same type of subject, or perhaps shooting at the same time in a twenty-four hour period for a week. This time I've decided to shoot exclusively with a different lens each day.

I'm starting the ball rolling with a 10.5 mm fisheye lens.

© 2026