Brief, but spectacular

Today's weather forecast - although largely accurate in predicting heavily overcast skies and rain, missed out the bit where there would be roughly twenty minutes of colour, followed by about four minutes of sunshine.

© 2026

At the ready...

Photographed in the early morning light, the stone arches at the western end of Bournemouth's Undercliff Drive date from November 1907; the year it opened. The spaces in between were available for use to the public at large, but in recent times they have become enclosed to serve the paying customers of a UK fast food restaurant chain.

© 2026

Urban crawl

There are some areas of towns and cities that can change considerably over a short period of time, while other aspects change almost imperceptibly. Many of those smaller changes are often masked by another business that replaces a previous one, but some are abandoned and left to decay, bearing testament to advancements in  technology. 

The increasing popularity of smartphones in the early 2010s had a major impact of the longevity of the above establishment, and those like it worldwide.

 

© 2026

Letting nature decide

The very idea of rain showers around dawn at this time of year has me out of the house well before first light. Rapidly changing weather is my idea of photographic fun, so I head for the beach. I have no particular subject in mind, so I just keep walking in the hope that something interesting will begin to happen. When it does, then the location chooses itself.

  

© 2026

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