Photo Tour of Norfolk
I grabbed the chance to get away to Norfolk for two days - just me and my camera in search of some landscape images in a location which was completely new to me. Having researched the area beforehand, I had prepared a list of places to head for. So, making a very early start, I left home and headed for Horsey Windpump - I didn’t get there early enough for sunrise - it was June, after all! But a good opportunity to see the location for myself - which I returned to the following dawn for a sunrise shoot. Although mid-morning, the resulting shot was one I was very happy with, dragging the shutter to capture movement in the long grasses in the foreground, with the water channel leading to the pump itself.
Following that, I visited some interesting zig-zag-shaped groynes on the beach at Caister-on-Sea, ideal for a late-morning long-exposure.
Then on to Thurne Windmill, although the afternoon sun was harsh, the Lee circular polariser popped the clouds and white painted mill from the vivid blue skies. It’s not my favourite time of day to shoot landscapes but the final image has a lovely summertime feeling to it.
One of the big locations on my list was Happisburgh Lighthouse - an evening twilight shoot, aimed at capturing the gold and magenta skies as the sun set to the north west. That meant my location was on the cliff tops with the sea behind me, waiting for the perfect moment as the setting sun lit up the sky. Before the light faded completely, I rushed over to another angle and captured the lighthouse doing what it’s supposed to do, against a cool dark blue sky as the sun was below the horizon.
The following morning, a return to Horsey Windpump allowed me to capture a beautiful sunrise, with shallow mist hovering above the fields adjacent. The air was calm and the water completely motionless, with mirror-like reflections forming my mid-ground. Another visit to the beach for breakfast, then a longer drive over to Herringfleet Mill, this time with a sky obscured by cloud rolling in with the weather front bringing rain. A challenging location, but my composition worked best in black and white. Finally, a very brief visit to Turf Fen Drainage Mill for my final shot as the heavens opened was my final capture of my throughly enjoyable two-day trip to Norfolk.
