Hartland Quay

Hi all

Made a trip down to Hartland Quay in North Devon with the camera back in early June. I've long been fascinated by Hartland, primarily for its quite extraordinary geology - the kind of place that makes you properly gasp. I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend in winter there with my partner a couple of years back, in pretty stormy weather and it really was quite something. But I've been in two minds whether to go with my camera, primarily because photographically it tends to be a bit of a magnet (there's a car park literally 30 yards from the quay), making it very heavily photographed (workshop-tastic in particular), and quite a lot busier than the kinds of places I tend to like spending time in. Anyway, having had an on/off argument with myself for far too long, I finally found myself with a spare afternoon in early June, and decided to take the plunge. Delighted that I did. What a place it is. Yes, it is pretty busy, particularly on the rather beautiful summer's evening I found myself there. But you don't have to go very far along the clifftops either side of the quay to find some tranquility, and like a lot of busy spots (reminded me of Giant's Causeway in particular), once the sun's gone down, the light starts to go and there's a chill in the air, you can have the place pretty much to yourself. All K1ii and various lenses, inc DFA 15-30, DFA 24-70, PLM 55-300.

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All thoughts, comments, observations gratefully received as ever...

Best

#7 and #11 for me in that order, superb 😁

A stunning set, I wouldn't know where to start ranking them.

All of them are great, but I think 14 is a stunner!

Just so impressed with this beautiful set as a whole they are an example of great photo-craft and wonderful composition.

Wonderful set Bill. For sheer drama no 8 takes the prize for me.

The light of 3 is very special.

Thanks Chris, Mike, Ged, Daron, and Peter... yes, a v beautiful evening...

Best

Some lovely work with the light in these.
7, 8 and 9 almost the same shot, shorter exposures as we head from 7 to 9? My pick of the 3 images is No. 8, No 7 has a lovely colour and hue running through the whole image but I rather prefer the contrast provided in No. 8 both in the colours and in the sea movement which has a bit more life to it than 7 and contrast between the white water and the deeper water.
Also really like the two studies No.2 and 12 which grabs me particularly, the light and detail of the rock with the blue, green and aqua and white of the sea in the centre like a precious stone found within the rock, perfectly judge exposure length for my taste.
I have seen a few photographs of these rocks before but that in no way reduces the quality of what you've shown us here.

How come no one else mentioned 12!?!?!?

Its top drawer

Read my post that is just above yours! Mr Questionable Carrot

Thanks both...

Nigel, thanks for detailed thoughts... very useful... yes, 8 and 9 are essentially the same shot with different shutter speeds... liked both of them for different reasons, so posted them both, but on balance wld say that no.8 just shades it for me too... thanks both also for thoughts re 12...

Yes, it’s an unusual experience going to a place that has been so heavily photographed... not something I tend to do very regularly... you find yourself surrounded by compositions that you instantly recognise, and it can be quite difficult to come up with anything fresh, and which is also yours...

I also find it quite difficult to hang out with Mother Nature and listen to what she may or may not be saying when you’re surrounded by other togs charging around with tripods etc... not that there’s anything wrong with that... absolutely not... it’s a bit like sitting in your car in traffic and complaining about the traffic when you yourself are also the traffic... it’s just not how I would choose to do it in a perfect world... all a bit too competitive for me... much prefer a bit of isolation and quiet, quality time...

So... let’s see what happens... thinking of this as a kind of marker in the sand... may well go back in winter and spend a bit of extended time there hopefully when it’s a bit quieter and see what else I can find...

Best

Interesting you should say that. I hadn't commented on this set because, in spite of them being technically excellent (of course), I found myself thinking "So what?". The only ones that jumped out at me were 2 and 3, both quite striking, but it would be hard to recognise them as being taken at Hartland. You may have explained why I felt like that.

In his book First Light, Joe Cornish says "I think some of the greatest landscape photographs are details", mentioning Ansel Adams and others. Perhaps that's the way to go next time you're there. And perhaps the bigger vistas will grow from starting small. Just a thought.

Steve

Cheers Steve... thanks for your thoughts... yes, I think that’s a fair assessment...

That was pretty much my dilemma... a fascinating place that I really wanted to spend time in (and also photograph) vs the probability that it was pretty unlikely I was going to come back with anything particularly revolutionary in the four or so hours I had there... and whether that should stop me going in the first place... or if I did go, whether that might invalidate whatever I did come back with...

My original plan had been to spend my time not at the Quay itself, but at some of the nearby headlands/ beaches (shots 1-4), but they ended up submerged by the high tide, so I ended up heading to the motherlode itself...

On the one hand I’m delighted that I went... it was a beautiful evening... and I came back with a number of shots that I was pretty pleased with...

On the other hand, there are no doubt thousands of similar shots taken by the (very many) photographers who have stood in the same places as I stood, esp as it was high tide and the number of places you could actually stand was, er, pretty limited...

So... all in all, a useful starting point, probably, I think... let’s see where it ends up...

Thanks and best

I'll agree with Steve's quoting of Joe Cornish concerning landscape details - 1, 2 and 12 stand out for me, and feel more like how Bill Ward would go about photographing that location Definitely with you on that. Although, to my after-the-fact surprise, I sometimes manage to create my own bubble of tranquility within the madding crowd...

Thanks Serge... yes, will be going back to see what else I can find...

Yes, interesting that... know exactly what you mean... have often found there’s a quiet to be found even in extraordinarily busy cities... once you’re in the bubble, as you say...

Best