Time...

Now that British Summer Time (daylight saving for the rest of the world - where it applies) has come to an end it is so much more convenient to get good light at a reasonable time of day. During the summer months I have to be out of bed in the middle of the night, or shooting well into the evening to get the best of the day, but at this time of year it is far more civilised.

It is a bright, crisp, autumn day, and I feel a bike ride is in order. I have somewhat neglected two wheels during the past few months in favour of walking, so I check the tide times for Poole harbour; note a late afternoon low tide, and wheel-out the mountain bike.

The tide is well on its way out when I arrive during mid afternoon, and a watery sun promises to deliver the goods, but I am not inspired for a location. I have a number of shots of red skies reflected in tide pools, but I am after something different this time. I eventually settle for the jetty of the East Dorset Sailing Club for a bit of variation; position myself accordingly, and wait for nature to do her stuff. Known as the Golden Hour by photographers, that last hour (or the first - it depends which way you look at it) of the day can often produce the most stunning light, but it is beginning to get cold where I am standing. Once the sun disappears from view the temperature drops noticeably, and since I had a number of shots in the can I pack up and head home, rather than wait to see if there is an afterglow. Time to dig out those thermals!


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/8. ISO 200. Monopod


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