A Photographic Disaster in Devon
Over the New Year break, The Delightful Mr F and I pottered down the M5 to Devon, one of our favourite photographic haunts. The weather forecast was fair, some sunshine, some cloud. There was also a hint of a clear night, just right for some astrophotography. Camera kit unloaded into the cottage we made plans, oh how we made plans! Shots in this location, and then that location. Star charts were referenced and batteries charged. I snapped this photo of Torquay beach as we arrived. Lucky I did as what we had not accounted for Dear Reader, is that the British weather is nothing, if not unreliable.
On the first morning we awoke, to clouds. No matter! We will head to Brixham* we thought. There are boats, and a harbour, and pretty houses painted in seaside colours. The sun is supposed to come out later and all will be photogenic. Well, Brixham was lovely, and we had a marvellous breakfast in a shop called Tiffany’s**, but the sun did not come out. In fact the clouds were so dense it was really dark. Never ones to be put off easily we wandered around and took a few shots. The Delightful Mr F doing somewhat better than me.
Day two dawned… to even more cloud if such a thing was possible. We stayed in read books, drank coffee, and ate biscuits***.
Day three rolled around and the cloud cover still did not lift. We had more coffee, more biscuits and read some more books.
By now you will start to see a pattern with the meteorological aspect of this trip. Normally I don’t mind shooting with flat light, it’s an opportunity to get detail shots, but it was so dark and so dull, it was almost as if the sun had given up.
By day four we had run out of biscuits, so ventured out into the local supermarket for supplies. Strangely, rather than the normal supermarket music playing over the speakers, they were playing 1980s rock hits. I whipped out my camera in the hope that someone would start to play air guitar in the fruit and veg aisle, but no such luck. We bought biscuits and went back to the cottage.
By day five we had basically given up on anything approaching good light and just wandered about the place enjoying not being at work, and trying to walk off all the biscuits we had eaten. In a last move of hope over experience, I took my XT2 out as we walked through some woods down to the River Dart. A very bold robin was bob-bob-bobbin along, and was happy to pose for us. At last a decent shot!
Happy New Year, and may 2019 be full of photogenic light!
* There is a very good camera shop there called Mifsud’s. Worth a visit if you are in the area.
** Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Great pun.
*** Also a legitimate holiday activity in my book.
