Wide eyed...

Next week not only sees the start of the London 2012 Olympics, but by all accounts, the start of summer. It's about time! Everywhere I look - be it on the internet; local or national television -  it promises rising temperatures and dry conditions, and I am beginning to believe it. Thinking about it, all the forecasters can't be wrong, can they? The fact is, I will miss the unsettled conditions, if only from a photographic standpoint.

For today's photo adventure I'm using a wide angle zoom lens, but after being used to the properties of telephoto and standard lenses it takes a bit of time to get my "wide eye" seeing again. It's true: your eye gets used to certain focal lengths if used continuously, and it takes a bit of time to allow for the brain to adjust to all that information coming in.

It didn't take very long, though, as today's image taken on Southbourne Cliffs, Bournemouth, shows. It's a showery afternoon, but there is a lot that can be said for heavy clouds and broken sunshine, as it produces the most wonderful light and gives the sea a green hue where it breaks through.

I chose my location carefully to allow the various tonal planes and textures to evenly contribute to the composition, or echo other elements, such as the white surf and the light sky on the horizon; or the sea and sky. I was also lucky that two figures wandered into shot at the right moment, which help to give the scene a sense of scale. All I had to do was to keep a watch and keep awaiting for the light to arrive.


12-24mm f/4G Nikkor. 1/1250 second at f/8. - 0.67 EV compensation. ISO 200


© 2012