Jerzy Biń Photography Blog: Grey Dorset, Ten Minutes of Sun in Cornwall

Just having a pint of Triubute Cornish Ale in Hayle, Cornwall.

Had fantastic time, in unfortunately grey and totally cloudy Dorset. Last 3-4 days were totally grey but at least it was not raining, and this was nice surprise. I had a workshop with Jeremy Walker, widely recognised landscape photographer based in Dorset. So despite the weather, those were really good and educational days.

It is a good practice to come up with decent landscape photos despite all the odds. And here Jeremy helped me a lot.

So where do you go with huge possibility of rain with heavy overcast? - Kimmeridge Bay with its fantastic stone ledges, but also you must know when tide is low and you can simply walk literally into the sea.

This picture is magical. I have three or four different versions of the same scene with different white balance setup thus different colours, and different orientation. But this one speaks to me in strongest way. On top of that it simply screams that dull and grey afternoon can be so dramatic in form and colours... well not to many colours but still there is something here.

The picture is right out of the camera, except panoramic crop from 3:2 to 2:1 ratio. Nothing else have been changed. The key to get that effect are filters, and it this case I used 2 stops ND grad and 10 stops grey filter - The Big Stopper from Lee, which has quite dramatic blue cast. This blue cast works perfectly once you get to know it, set the camera to manual white balance, and forget auto one and off you go.

Using filters is like adding magic into photos, there is no way photoshop or any other tool can reproduce that. Have a look at snapshot taken with phone camera of the same location at the same time.

Actually, while others have been taken with long exposure times. I bet you can see the difference. One is snap, the other is a proper photography. Well thought of usage of filters can do miracles, the trick is to use them wise and not to over do the effect. Sometimes 1-2-3 minutes are good, and sometimes it is better to stick to few seconds. It all depends on desired effect and what you have in mind as final result.

Like here, at Swanage Bay, in one way I want to have blurred water but also show sense of motion, very long exposure would not work in this situation. So I went after 1-2 seconds exposure. Big stopper would be too strong. I opted for 3 stops grey filter and 2 stops ND grad

Then you wait for the wave to come and hope for large waves... those I have seen in Dorset have got nothing to do with ocean waves in west Cornwall. Anyway, simple picture with famous mark of Swanage beach but it does not look like a simple snap.

Longer you stay on the beach... i.e. location, you start to see colours and simply... things. Now, let's change angle of view and get the greens and red mark and sea and clouds behind and you can come up with something like this.

Just wider angle of view and vertical orientation, and popping up greens and dark clouds. Here long exposure works perfectly. Lines of retreating water and moving clouds meet one central spot, this picture has so many leading lineas and colours at the same place.

You would not want to see real human eye snap shot... it would destroy the magic of the moment.

Technically speaking, very simple setup - wide angle lens, it this case 16mm lens, 2 stops ND grad and 10 stop grey filter; camera in all manual mode including focus, white balance, and exposure.

Just meter the scene before any filters, calculate the difference, and things will simply happen!

We went to shoot Durdle Door during sunset time, but light-wise things did not work completely. I did take number of shots, and perhaps something will come out of them, but they are not really what I was after. If there is no light, no the most important photo ingredient, then things can get tough.

I might stop by Durdle Door again on the way back. I have visited the place twice already, and twice had problematic light.

One of the most know locations in Dorset is - Corfe Castle, and with Jeramy we went there on day one, but we found zero of magic light ingredient, there was nothing, pure grey sky, not fog, not rain, no nothing. Next day, the same... and next day, same again. Finally, I said... I will get few snaps whatever conditions are.

I checked out of 2HeathCottages Bed & Breakfast today and was determined to get something of Corfe Castle. 2HeathCottage B&B between Wareham and Sandford is a great base for Dorset session. By car literally within 15-30 minutes all the best locations can be reached. Guys have working Wi-Fi and proper English breakfast and are photographers friendly! I might stop by on me way back... I still need to get that Durdle Door proper shot!

Corfe Castle which I could not shoot under decent light... With Jeremy we walked around the location, and it has so much potential, once you get one major ingredient - light. Today, having seen the same matrix reality i.e. overcast, I went simply to the most obvious and know shooting spot on the hill near by. Wanted to get something, just in case... and shot it with 70-200mm lens at around 100mm.

Corfe Castle, Dorset

I have used three filters, 2 stops grad, 3 stops grey filter, and... Sepia grad, all the way down so it acted simply as warming filter. Dull scene, set to manual white balance for Daylight got some feeling and texture.

For comparison, here is original scene, with no filters at all. Shot taken to measure real exposure.

Looks wee bit different.

You cannot really get that in post production (easily).

Filters are the way to go, as in old days! Better to get things right in the camera!

Three stacked filters to shoot Corfe Castle, (from left) 3 stops neutral density (pro-glass), 2 stops ND soft grad, Sepia grad, fully lowered down acting as warming filter.

Weather is changing, for good I hope.

Just reached my first spot (from long list) in Cornwall - Trevose Head with its Lighthouse, and got some decent shots... again right off the camera!