Best Photos from 2019
31st December 2019
2019 is a year which has just flown by! It has been a busy year, and one really shaped by the weather - I think I saw more rainbows in 2019 than all my other years put together! Here are my most memorable highlights:
Porthcurno
A stormy day, and this shot is largely about those lovely moody clouds in the background. On the way over I was watching the clouds, and wondering where they were headed - I took a chance on Porthcurno, and got them exactly where I wanted them! Right over the rugged cliffs! The big waves also made a dynamic foreground, as they smashed into the beach – I zoomed in a bit to make them stand out as much as possible.
Wheal Coates
This is a shot which really should not have worked. It was taken in the pouring rain, with the blinding sun shining through the clouds. I just had to keep cleaning the drops off the lens between each shot and pray they would come out! This was always going to be a black and White image from the moment I saw the scene, with the engine house shot as a stark silhouette. I loved the way the light was illuminating the rain from behind and then shimmering off the sea. Also note the wet brickwork adding some shape to the engine house.
Combestone Tor
Another difficult shoot thanks to the weather (something of a recurring theme in 2019!). The double rainbow looks lovely and vivid, a bright and welcoming setting for the scene. What you cannot see are the freezing storm force winds almost blowing me off my feet, and whipping the stinging hailstones into a horizontal torrent. I needed to shoot directly into the hail in order to get the rainbow – I could hardly even look where I was shooting, let alone keep the lens clean. Is a miracle I managed to come away with a shot at all!
Polperro
Polperro is one of those little Cornish harbour towns which seems trapped in a permanent time warp, and where the term ‘quaint’ has been copyrighted. I managed to make it down to the harbour side just in time for this ‘blink and you miss it’ sunrise.
Sheeps Tor
This is the view from Sheeps Tor, looking out across the Burrator Reservoir and Leather Tor beyond.
I was out chasing the light between storms - and boy did I chase, always managing to constantly be in the wrong place when the sun broke through. But my luck finally changed right at the end. I thought I had missed the light, but the sun managed to find a tiny break in the clouds just before sunset, and gave me a subtle warm glow to make the shot.
Holywell Bay
I remember being quite frustrated when I took the shot. The clouds were in just the right place for a stunning sunset – however the ripples in the sand didn't have quite the expected definition you often find on this beach, and I found it hard to find a composition I was happy with. The light however really was epic, and this is a shot which has grown on me.
Priest's Cove
Always liked the 'chessboard' appearance of this beach with the mixture of light and dark rocks, and found this nice spot as the water’s edge with seaweed and barnacles on show.
As I arrived, the clouds where clearing off eastwards, and I honestly thought I had gone to the wrong location. However, the clouds seemed to do an about turn, and came back in just as the sun was setting and really completed the shot. The waves were small and only just lapping at the rocks. I tried some shorter exposures, but I didn't quite get the right feel, so I fitted the 6 stop ND to go much longer (this exposure was 25 seconds). This really smoothed out the sea, and I felt this complemented the mood of the scene much better.
Sennen Cove
After a long and very hot summer day, I needed a trip to the beach to cool off - and wow was that sea wonderfully warm and refreshing!
The clouds were moving about a bit, and found the sky largely clear as the sun was setting - although there was a bit of sea mist visible over Cape Cornwall. The sand patterns in this large pool were fantastically intricate, so got the camera down nice and low to make the most of them.
Bedruthan Steps
This is a shot at dusk, just as the stars were starting to appear in the night sky (note: the stars are difficult to see when viewed small, but they are there!). You can see the faint afterglow from the sunset visible on the right, which almost balances with the light rising from Newquay on the left.
Burnham-on-Sea
This is one of our more unusual lighthouses - the 'low wooden pile lighthouse' at Burnham-on-Sea, built in 1832.
The wind was blowing a hoolie, driving the loose dry sand in great gusts across the beach.
Porthcurno
A stormy day, and this shot is largely about those lovely moody clouds in the background. On the way over I was watching the clouds, and wondering where they were headed - I took a chance on Porthcurno, and got them exactly where I wanted them! Right over the rugged cliffs! The big waves also made a dynamic foreground, as they smashed into the beach – I zoomed in a bit to make them stand out as much as possible.
Wheal Coates
This is a shot which really should not have worked. It was taken in the pouring rain, with the blinding sun shining through the clouds. I just had to keep cleaning the drops off the lens between each shot and pray they would come out! This was always going to be a black and White image from the moment I saw the scene, with the engine house shot as a stark silhouette. I loved the way the light was illuminating the rain from behind and then shimmering off the sea. Also note the wet brickwork adding some shape to the engine house.
Combestone Tor
Another difficult shoot thanks to the weather (something of a recurring theme in 2019!). The double rainbow looks lovely and vivid, a bright and welcoming setting for the scene. What you cannot see are the freezing storm force winds almost blowing me off my feet, and whipping the stinging hailstones into a horizontal torrent. I needed to shoot directly into the hail in order to get the rainbow – I could hardly even look where I was shooting, let alone keep the lens clean. Is a miracle I managed to come away with a shot at all!
Polperro
Polperro is one of those little Cornish harbour towns which seems trapped in a permanent time warp, and where the term ‘quaint’ has been copyrighted. I managed to make it down to the harbour side just in time for this ‘blink and you miss it’ sunrise.
Sheeps Tor
This is the view from Sheeps Tor, looking out across the Burrator Reservoir and Leather Tor beyond.
I was out chasing the light between storms - and boy did I chase, always managing to constantly be in the wrong place when the sun broke through. But my luck finally changed right at the end. I thought I had missed the light, but the sun managed to find a tiny break in the clouds just before sunset, and gave me a subtle warm glow to make the shot.
Holywell Bay
I remember being quite frustrated when I took the shot. The clouds were in just the right place for a stunning sunset – however the ripples in the sand didn't have quite the expected definition you often find on this beach, and I found it hard to find a composition I was happy with. The light however really was epic, and this is a shot which has grown on me.
Priest's Cove
Always liked the 'chessboard' appearance of this beach with the mixture of light and dark rocks, and found this nice spot as the water’s edge with seaweed and barnacles on show.
As I arrived, the clouds where clearing off eastwards, and I honestly thought I had gone to the wrong location. However, the clouds seemed to do an about turn, and came back in just as the sun was setting and really completed the shot. The waves were small and only just lapping at the rocks. I tried some shorter exposures, but I didn't quite get the right feel, so I fitted the 6 stop ND to go much longer (this exposure was 25 seconds). This really smoothed out the sea, and I felt this complemented the mood of the scene much better.
Sennen Cove
After a long and very hot summer day, I needed a trip to the beach to cool off - and wow was that sea wonderfully warm and refreshing!
The clouds were moving about a bit, and found the sky largely clear as the sun was setting - although there was a bit of sea mist visible over Cape Cornwall. The sand patterns in this large pool were fantastically intricate, so got the camera down nice and low to make the most of them.
Bedruthan Steps
This is a shot at dusk, just as the stars were starting to appear in the night sky (note: the stars are difficult to see when viewed small, but they are there!). You can see the faint afterglow from the sunset visible on the right, which almost balances with the light rising from Newquay on the left.
Burnham-on-Sea
This is one of our more unusual lighthouses - the 'low wooden pile lighthouse' at Burnham-on-Sea, built in 1832.
The wind was blowing a hoolie, driving the loose dry sand in great gusts across the beach.