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

Painted ladies

At this time of year I find the beach to be almost irresistible when there's the promise of good light at sunrise. All that drama - and so early in the day - draws me in time and time again.

Today, the light is great, but the sky not so. I'm determined not to waste the glorious conditions, and look for an alternative subject. The brightly painted beach huts in front of Boscombe Spa Village provide just that.

© 2025

The cracks are beginning to show

It has been quite a while since I've been out with a camera, and for a number of reasons. The first has - as with many a photographer - been the restrictions imposed by the government in the attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. Even so, whilst the lockdown didn't stop anybody from taking photographs on the pretext of being "out on their daily exercise", it has knocked the wind out of my sails when it came to travelling to locations. The time of year hasn't helped much, either.

The second rationale (and directly linked to the last), is that I have been casting an appraising eye over a new camera system; something that I nearly committed to but fate - and the ramshackle service from a local camera shop - has put on the back burner for the time being.

Which leads me to the last dilemma: new editing software. To accommodate the image processing of RAW files from the latest cameras I needed to upgrade Adobe Lightroom to its latest version, which in turn meant a computer upgrade. I was happy with the idea of the latter (my current Mac was really beginning to show its age), but not so with the former.

Once upon a time it was possible to buy a version outright, but now Adobe have made Lightroom and Photoshop (both of which are inseparable), available only through online monthly subscription. Of course, this is not news to photographers that have been using the platform for years, nor welcomed with open arms in some quarters as a result. I had been dreading the day that I knew was coming, in making the decision as to whether or not to stick with what I know, or move on to pastures new.

That day has come.

Lightroom on its own - at half the asking rate - would possibly have been acceptable, but I have no need for Photoshop; software that is (still) bloated with pre-press capabilities that I'll never use. Yes, I know that I would get the latest updates through subscription, but I baulk at the idea of paying for something I simply won't benefit from.

So out of necessity I've been evaluating several editing suites, both free and paid for, over the past couple of months as a suitable replacement. Most, but not all (one didn't even support the camera model I was contemplating!), are capable alternatives to Lightroom. One or two of the free ones were just too clunky to use. The good news is that I've narrowed it down to two major contenders.

The free trials continue...




105mm f/2.8 HSM Sigma macro lens. 1/1250 second at f/5. + 0.7 EV compensation. ISO 100



© 2020

More beach huts

A break in the cloud during late afternoon was the signal to get on my bike and go and photograph something. It had been quite breezy all day, but the calmness that arrived with the good light gave a mirror-like reflection of the beach huts on Mudeford Spit.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2016

Déjà vu

It wasn't until I had post processed today's image that it dawned on me that I have taken this self same shot before. I freely admit that I return to the same locations time and time again, as each time I get something different, but now I realise I am beginning to repeat myself. In other words, gotten stale.

It's not a good feeling and I need to find something different, either with the subjects I shoot or techniques I use.

Think, man, think...



 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. IS0 160. Monopod



© 2016

Colour and form...

Once again I fail miserably at photographing daffodils in a local park, although each time I fail I feel I am coming closer to what I am trying to achieve. Odd, that I am finding it such a challenge to get a successful image of some yellow flowers. Perhaps I am trying too hard.

Undeterred, I move on to the beach to concentrate on colour and form, as with the beach huts on Boscombe seafront (above), and the repeating pattern of a security grille covering the window of a promenade surfing shop (below). At one time standing in an orderly row, the huts have been moved to some extent by the action of stormy seas last month, thus breaking the regular scheme. I underexposed the colour image slightly to increase saturation, and converted the other to black and white, before selenium toning it in Adobe Lightroom.

70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens.

Top: 1/200 second at f/11.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400
Below: 1/250 second at f/11.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2014