This is an account of the good and bad times during September for a landscape photographer.
All the mistakes laid bare for you to see and hopefully more highs than lows.
September had rolled around and I had a new issue to deal with, Furlough was now over and I was going to be back working full time, this meant my recent amount of trips was going to be vastly reduced.
A change in tactic was called for, rather than going mornings only to avoid the crowds I was going to have to bite the bullet and go in the evenings which was going to be hard as I was generally finished work at about six and at the time of writing the sun was setting at 19.52 and that time would only reduce by the end of the month, getting to a location in time was going to be really tough, but not impossible.
I also decided I would do one morning a week before work, which meant a 4.30 am alarm call and a day of hard slog in the office afterwards, if I could push it to two days I would but I knew it would be tricky.
Then of course there was the weekends, I planned to go as much as I could over them but I had been booked heavily for workshops which meant I would really struggle this month for time to take pictures.
Wednesday the 2nd of September
The forecast was showing some real signs of promise for once, but I had fallen for that old trick numerous times before so I spent as much time as possible checking every app to give me a better picture of what was likely to happen.
I felt there was a very good chance of mist and I could get to the New Forest before work so a trip was planned and a 4.30 am alarm was set.
When the alarm sounded it pulled me out of the deepest of sleeps and I had to say it wasn't nice but I eagerly looked outside to see what the weather was doing, it was pretty clear with the odd few clouds about and you could see there was a bit of mist out there, but I knew it would be way better in certain areas of the forest.
The hound seemed to wonder why he was being dragged out of his bed at this god awful hour and even the promise of treats didn't make him look any happier, although he still ate them under protest.
We headed down to the New Forest and when the hound realised where he was he suddenly perked up and rushed out of the car eager to sniff every square inch of the heathland.
It was looking pretty decent to be fair, there was going to be a fairly nice sunrise but the composition I wanted to try didn't really face in this direction so I was going to have to miss out on that but my plan was to wait until the light hit the heather and hope it did so before the mist burnt away exposing the sweeping path.
I was flying a bit blind as I hadn't seen the comp I wanted in misty conditions, just during the day while walking round so I was hoping that it would look good.
I got to my spot and it didn't look too bad but after framing up I wasn't sure, I wanted to be a bit tighter and lower on the path but every time I did so I would lose all the colour in the sky so i had to make a bit of a compromise but ultimately I was happy with the shot and was really pleased to get an image under my belt this early in the month, especially after last months terrible luck.
This shot was a bit of an all or nothing shot, there was no other immediate compositions available so as soon as I was happy I had it I quickly walked across the bottom of the valley trying to get to my next spot but the mist was already starting to clear a bit so I had to get a move on and rushed off hoping I would make it in time.
Another pathway leading down into the valley and a nice rolling hill full of heather was the target and I made it in time to still have some colour in the sky and also a reasonable amount of mist left.
I framed up a shot in portrait orientation from quite low down and it just wasn't working for me so I raised the camera a little higher and it got better but soon switched to landscape orientation and proportionately the image looked much better, flowing nicely from right to left but sadly with less heather detail in shot, again a compromise but I was happy id taken the best shot I could with the conditions, as it happened this was my favourite of the two, I just liked the lead more.
So I was off and running and I was pleased I had made the effort with the early start as the day soon turned very cloudy and the heavens opened, in fact it looked like it might do that till the weekend so I was fairly certain I had picked the right day to go.
Friday the 4th of September
The weather had been pretty poor in the evenings with rain most days which had thwarted my plans of going out after work but Friday morning had real potential, it would however mean another early start then a full days work.
Misty conditions looked like they might well happen Friday so an alarm was set for 4.30 am and I knew it would be painful if the weather didn't play ball but I felt I didn't really have a choice as it was the only chance this week.
I awoke and looked outside, there was signs of mist and so I grabbed the kit and the hound and headed off to the New forest once again in search of rolling hills and misty atmosphere.
On the drive down there was a couple of good signs with areas looking quite misty but as I headed to the one I had in mind it looked a little disappointing to be fair but I wasn't phased as I had a back up plan and I knew another area that was looking good as I had checked it on the drive in this morning so I quickly hurried back.
The sky was never going to be anything special so I chose to shoot with the light falling on the landscape rather than shooting into it.
Mist was swirling round nicely leaving hill tops and trees exposed from the sea of mist that was shape shifting like a character out of a comic book.
It rolled in and out of valleys and revealed contours only to hide them again a few seconds later, it was fantastic to watch.
I decided on a large panorama taken at 100 mm so I could get the hills in and all the layers as the mist filled them in.
I took a 7 shot panorama and it looked reasonable so I carried on trying to pick out details at around 400 mm but nothing was looking quite as good as the panorama.
I looked around for other compositions but nothing was grabbing my attention so I decided to give the hound a well deserved decent walk instead knowing I had an image in the bag.
I was pretty pleased with how the panorama turned out and settled on a 3:1 ratio for it, It would be a keeper.
The image was quite flat to be fair but that was a true representation of how it was on the day, a little murky but I really liked the finished image and I know this view very well so I was pleased to have a good reminder of it in my gallery.
The weather was looking terrible for later on tonight with heavy rain forecast so I guessed I would have to wait for the weekend but then I had some news, I would be furloughed for another two weeks.
This was great on the one hand as I would be able to get out and shoot more, but not so great that I had just gone back to work and a routine and now it was going to stop again, as was the money.
I hoped the weather would play ball over the next two weeks as I was determined to get out as much as possible and make the most of this time while I could.
Saturday the 5th of September
The forecast looked promising for Saturday morning, 96% humidity and a max wind speed of 4 mph and a good dew point so mist was on the cards and I planned a visit to North Dorset to try and get some mist in the valleys.
I looked outside and to be fair it didn't look very good at all, more murky than misty but I was up and out anyway in the hope it might look a bit different further north as per the forecast.
The drive down should have told me everything I needed to know really, the usual misty spots were devoid of any and I had that sinking feeling but I persevered just in case then finally there was a small bit of mist of the journey there and hopes grew, that was until I pulled up to my location of choice and there was none, it just looked rubbish and as I got out of the car I knew why, the wind was way faster than 4 mph and once again I had been hoodwinked by the weathermen and their uncanny ability to get it wrong.
There was nothing much worth shooting here without mist so I turned tail and went home hoping to find something en route to make up for the poor morning, but alas it wasn't to be so instead I placed a few more pins in my weatherman voodoo doll and overdosed on coffee to get me going.
Throughout Saturday I couldn't help but notice some decent clouds outside and the odd weather system floating by and not one to miss a chance I decided I would nip out for an early afternoon shoot along the coast.
The plan was to head to Gad Cliff, part of the Tyneham range and get the long lens out in the hope that some nice light and shadow would present itself along the coastline.
When I arrived there a new problem arose, despite the hoards of tourists of which I could deal with I was now presented with my ultimate nemesis, a field full of cows.
I had a choice, either walk straight through them on the footpath or walk right down to Worbarrow Bay and then back up the cliff, a pretty long and hard walk and I didn't fancy it but it was preferable to going through a cow field in all fairness.
In the end I decided to man up and just go through the field and much to my surprise they showed little or no interest in me which is unusual as Im usually a magnet to these walking steam rollers.
I hiked up the top of the hill and stood on the edge of Gad cliff overlooking the mighty Jurassic coastline towards Kimmeridge Bay, I was at home here and this was my style of shooting and I couldn't wait to get started.
Light danced over the flanks of the coastline and I happily snapped away slightly under exposing to emphasise the light as it travelled along.
I switched over to the 400 mm lens and waited for the light to hit Clavell's Tower at Kimmeridge, it seemed to take an age to happen as it slowly teased me by getting close and then stopping.
The wind had really got up now and I was forced to up the ISO to 400 in order to get a shot without camera shake which at this focal length was pretty hard to avoid.
A large cloud went over and put a shadow right behind the tower and I prayed for light to creep up the flanks, It was almost painful watching and waiting for it but then from the left it started on its journey and crept further and further up till the tower was fully illuminated and behind in a dark shadow, it was exactly what I was after and I took my shot and quickly zoomed in to make sure it was sharp, RESULT !
I was super happy with this shot and yet its one that probably won't get much love if I was to put it on social media as its not a pretty sunset full of colour but this image was what personified my style and enjoyment, this was one for me.
I was really happy with the final outcome of this one and it would gain a place in the gallery, plus it had the added bonus that I never see it shot like this so it was a nice fresh image and not yet another rehash of the same tired old shots.
The range was due to close at 8 O'Clock and sunset was at 7.47 pm so I needed to be off and find somewhere else for sunset.
As I was just round the corner from Kimmeridge bay I thought I would take a drive there and just mess around with some ideas I had.
As I arrived the usual over exiteable gatekeeper wasn't on duty so i got a free pass, result ! That was until I saw the sign saying the gate would be looked at 8pm which again didn't really leave me anytime to shoot sunset, well I was here now and there was still some good light moving across so I headed down to the beach.
The main ledge at Kimmeridge has been shot to death but it was close to the car park so I could get back in a hurry in order to make the gate before it was locked.
There was some decent light moving in from the side but a severe lack of cloud so I thought to myself, I haven't done a long exposure in ages so why not do one now.
Golden light poured onto the ledge and I took a shot and it came out pretty nicely and I also did a time-lapse so you could see how nice the ledge looked while side lit and also how when the light went it looked completely different and far less interesting.
I liked the shot but wasn't really sure if I would call it a keeper or not, i'm still sat on the fence with it really so maybe it will make it in, maybe it won't, Always keen to hear your thoughts ?
I hope you enjoy these short time lapses ? This will show you what a difference light makes to your shot and why its important to wait for just the right moment for your shot.
Sunday the 6th of September
The forecast looked a bit rubbish to be fair but it was the weekend so I would force myself to go out anyway but would keep it local so as not to be too disappointed should it be a failure.
I had been working on a small project at Knowlton Church recently so it seemed ideal to visit as it was close to home and I wasn't expecting much to happen.
It looked pretty cloudy on the way there but there was a bit of a gap on the horizon where the sun would be coming up, this did however mean it would be a really hard to expose shot as there was so much contrast in it, in fact it was so much I pretty much gave up trying and instead went to the other side of it in the hope that the clouds behind would catch slightly, they didn't really and it was a fairly uneventful sunrise.
I decided instead to go into the wishing trees area as I had become quite obsessed with all the ribbons and trinkets people had left there, each one to symbolise a dream or a wish or in some cases something much darker, but either way it was very interesting and I had a play around with various shots there to try and through things out of focus and have just one central subject, it was pretty good fun and I was enjoying myself.
The sun was now up but there was some thick cloud the other side and the church suddenly looked very good so I rushed out and took a shot of it nicely illuminated but with a very heavy sky behind it, once again my kind of shot and its turned out pretty well to be fair, That was as eventful as it got that morning so I called it quits and headed home for a much needed coffee or three and some bacon & eggs, love Sundays !
After a fairly calm start to the day all hell broke loose and my computer decided to go into meltdown, usually I wouldn't be too worried as I have always backed up everything but because I had been going so much recently I had about 2 months worth of images sat on the computer that hadn't been backed up as I hadn't had time to go through them and get rid of the bad ones and process the good ones.
The computer simply wouldn't boot up so a frantic search began on the internet looking for any way that I could get into the computer and retrieve my files.
After about 4 hours of trying various things I managed to get into it and started to back up all my images, on to two separate drives which took hours, then did a full system back up which ran over night and I finally went to bed about 2 am, this wasn't good as I was up in 2 and a half hours as the forecast said mist.......
Monday the 7th of September
I awoke to the alarm and checked the computer first and it was still backing up but was almost close to finishing and I was so tempted to stay just so I would know if it had resolved itself or not but I headed out as the lure of mist was too much.
Corfe Castle was the intended location, I've shot it to death but a friend of mine was yet to visit it and I had said I would show them around.
When I got there it seemed pretty poor and not a lot of mist present at all which was a pain as my friend had travelled a reasonable distance on my say so, awkward !
I climbed up West Hill and there was actually some mist swirling around at the back of Corfe Castle so I hoped as the sun came up it would make it increase a little.
A fair few people had the same idea about going to Corfe and it turned into a very social morning seeing a few old faces and a few new ones and meeting some people for the first time with who I had spoken online for a long time which was really nice.
Soon after arrival it seemed the mist decided to clear and I was left with a pretty much plain old shot of the castle although it was a very nice sunrise its just not what you want with Corfe Castle, its all about either mist of light there in my opinion.
I shot a few pictures anyway as the sky really was pretty nice but my heart wasn't in it as I wanted to get back to fix the computer.
I tried a few other spots on the way home in case there was any shots to be had but there really wasn't so I headed for home and spent the next few hours sorting the computer out which seemed to have worked although I did lose a few bits of data but nothing so terrible it couldn't be redone, at least the images were safe and a valuable lesson was taught, don't wait to backup, do it there and then or else you could lose everything.
I looked at my Corfe Castle pictures and the sky was just too much and the images would have needed to be forced a little in order to look reasonable and by doing so I was fairly sure the image would suffer for it so I decided to bin them off rather than push it to the point it looked bad.
Wednesday the 9th of September
The morning looked pretty shabby on the forecast so I didn't bother going out but the evening was showing some reasonable potential so a visit to Chapmans Pool was in order.
When I arrived it was quite clear but I could see a huge cloud building and by the time I had walked from the car park to the area I wanted to shoot the cloud had grown to such huge sizes that it now covered most of the area in front of me.
I waited for the cloud to move through and it did so and the light began to fall on the landscape again but with and hour till sunset I could already see what was going to happen, the dread clear sky syndrome was on the way and true to form after about thirty minutes there wasn't a cloud in the sky and sunset simply was a non event, sure I could have shot it but it just wasn't doing anything for me so instead I called it a day and headed home.
Thursday the 10th of September
I had a workshop booked today from 11 am and the conditions in the morning didn't look fantastic but I knew I wouldn't be able to shoot on the workshop so I decided I would get a cheeky sunrise in somewhere local in the hope it might just be nice.
I decided on my old fallback of Knowlton as it was just handy to be honest, close to home, the dog could run around in a safe enclosed environment and I was still after a specific image from here so it seemed logical to go.
When I arrived I wondered if I had made a bad decision and should have had the much needed extra hours in bed instead, the sky really did look a bit iffy.
What started off as a very cloudy sky started to break up and a small bit of colour came and I snapped off a couple of shots but I knew they would be destined for the bin as I had it better before, If i was going to get the shot I wanted the sky had to be EPIC and nothing less would do, the dog however enjoyed his freedom and played fetch till long after sunrise so it wasn't all bad.
Friday the 11th of September
The forecast was looking good, in fact really good for the morning so I settled on visiting Winspit for Sunrise.
When I awoke and looked outside the sky really didn't match the forecast and it looked distinctly poor but as is so is so often the case I didn't want to miss out so I set off for Winspit and when I got to the car park and had another look it looked even worse.
The wind was pouring in too which was a vast difference from the forecast four MPH wind they said would be happing, I think they missed a two off the front of that estimate.
I felt pretty sure sunrise wasn't going to be good and the walk to windspit is a fairly long one especially with a fully laden back pack so I decided to divert to an easy option which was close by, Swanage beach.
I arrived and looked at a pretty uninspiring scene, I could barely be bothered to set the camera up but did so just in case.
Swanage seemed especially busy this morning with tourists all asking the same question, what am I photographing ? Am I in the way whilst stood in front of the lens or worse still the "Expert" with his point and shoot camera telling you his life story and how to do it.
It all got a bit much and my replies had become jaded and sarcastic and I knew it was time to leave so another trip was chalked up with no results, the month had started so positively and lulled me into a false sense of security and now it was making me pay again.
Never mind the weekend was here which meant extra photographers everywhere and furloughed families deciding that Dorset would be the best place ever to visit with their 12 screaming children and out of control dog, oh the joys !
Saturday the 12th of September
I hadn't gone out for sunrise and in truth it was quite a relief as I had been pushing hard again but as the day wore on the conditions couldn't be ignored, there was some really decent cloud floating about and I decided I would nip out for sunrise so I headed off to an old favourite location that I felt would look great when side lit and with dark brooding clouds behind it.
The journey was one of the most frustrating ones of my life, sat behind several cars that insisted on driving around 20 mph for the entire journey and one that usually took 30 minutes took near an hour and the longer it took the more the cloud was clearing.
By the time I eventually got there the dark heavy cloud had all but gone and the sky was clearing but there was still little bit of high level cloud about and with around an hour to go till sunset it looked like I might still be in luck.
The first picture I took was with the mill bathed in golden low light and the surrounding trees lit up too, it was an image that I really liked although I wished it had a better darker moody sky like earlier but it was as good as I was going to get.
The image was simple, it was just about great tight and that made me really happy, it won't ever be as popular as shooting big sunsets but for me this was the essence of what I like.
The cloud broke up just before sunset and typically it went clear and that was the end of that but there was a ace up the sleeve of mother nature, tomorrow there was mist forecast and I really fancied a return trip to the same location for that.
Sunday the 13th of September
I could barely sleep, I had images of the mill with mist swirling all the way round it, the sluice flowing into the river and big plumes of mist rising off it bring atmosphere and mood and I really wanted it.
I kept looking at the the forecast and it wasn't changing, humidity was right, low wind speed and dew point were all good so I felt super confident.
The alarm finally went off and I had barely slept but it didn't matter, I was super excited and charged up ready to take the mill again.
As I drove down there was a good bit of fog through Beech Avenue and I wondered if I should maybe stop and shoot there, it did look really good.
But I had a plan and I wanted to stick to it, I arrived at the mill around an hour before sunrise which in hindsight was a tad excessive but that's the level of excitement I had about the morning.
It was pitch black but I could make out some nice mist around already and I couldn't wait for some light, I fiddled around with the gear, checking it all over, checking it again and finally after about half an hour there was enough light to see reasonably well.
As I walked the handful of steps from the car to the mill my heart sank, the earlier mist had vanished and it just looked cold and bleak and really uninviting.
I waited around in the hope that the mist might kick up a bit as the sun came up but it just didn't happen and no light was forthcoming either so eventually I gave up and headed home via Beech Avenue.
As I drove down it there was still some fog drifting across it then I saw it, light rays streaking through the trees in a simply wonderful golden saturated tone that just screamed atmosphere.
I couldn't pull over till much further up and I ran back as quick as I could but just like that the light rays vanished and it looked as bleak as the mill had, I cursed myself for having made the wrong choice on location today and made a mental note to do Beech avenue in future.
Monday the 14th of September
The forecast was again showing promise for mist but I felt it would be more likely to be fog as the humidity was almost 100% in places so I decided to head to the forest in the search for some nice trees to shoot on open areas to allow the fog to penetrate the forest.
Little did I know the morning was going to turn out pretty bad, I arrived and to be fair it looked good but as I pulled up I felt my stomach cramp up and got that feeling all landscape photographers dread, in the middle of nowhere and you know you need a loo badly !
Come on, we've all been there......
I had little choice but to drive home as nowhere else en route was open so I dashed off to the call of nature and then leaped back into action and drove back to the forest, it wasn't looking too bad still and I thought I might be able to sneak an image out of it.
As I wandered round nothing was really catching my attention, there were some "OK" scenes, but nothing with personality or interest.
I shot a few bits and pieces but one of them were keepers really, meanwhile I could hear constant emergency service sirens on the road close by and I hoped whatever was going on that people were ok but they just didn't stop, it went on for about 40 minutes so I decided to call it quits only to find out something had dropped out of my pocket in the forest and it was a fairly small item so finding it was going to be the needle in a haystack scenario.
I searched for around an hour but never did find it, instead knowing I would just have to bite the bullet and buy another sadly.
As I got back to the car I could see an unusually large amount of traffic on the road and it was all stationary, it turns out they had closed the road as there was a bad accident further down and it took me an hour plus to get home while stuck behind a school bus full of kids who thought it was the best thing in the world to keep making faces at me in the car behind.
Mildly amusing at first, one hour later and I could have quite happily driven my car into the back of them, tolerance was at an all time low !
The next few days saw high pressure arrive and with it brought clear skies and high winds so sadly I wasn't able to get out then I had a series of workshops one after the other which meant almost a week went by without me getting out to shoot, By Sunday I was itching to go.
Sunday the 20th of September
The forecast was for sun & cloud and it looked really good, maybe a touch windy but that was a small price to pay if it was good conditions.
Saturdays sunrise had been exceptional but sadly I missed it due to teaching a workshop but I was hoping for a repeat performance on Sunday to make up for it.
When the banshee cry of the alarm came I was up in a flash and eager to look out of the window, but it wasn't what I wanted to see.
Thick cloud was swirling around outside and quite a heavy wind, it wasn't the conditions I wanted but I was going to go anyway as I just had to be out.
I had chosen to visit Winspit quarry on the Jurassic coast, I hadn't been to the coast properly for a long time as I had been enjoying the solitude of the countryside and avoiding the crowds but having given several workshops on the coast recently the bug had bitten again and I wanted to be back there.
Winspit is a fairly decent walk from the car park of just over a mile and all the way there the sky was looking 50/50 with clear spots coming through and then vanishing again under a blanket of the darkest cloud.
By the time I got to the sea itself the wind had really got up and was blowing strong but not enough to dampen my enthusiasm.
The cloud started to get a bit thicker again and I knew it probably wouldn't be my day sadly but I was going to make the most of the super low tide that was happening and get some shots of something a bit more moody.
As the waves crashed against the rocks of Winspit I felt very much at home again and happily snapped away with some longer exposures while I was waiting for the sun to come up.
No colour was forthcoming except the tiniest patch which was barely even noticeable.
I had found a composition that I really liked and just needed some decent light or colour but it just wasn't going to happen so I settled into getting a few moody pictures instead.
Shortly after this picture was taken I started to feel unwell, I became very hot and felt a little dizzy which was a bit of a problem as I had a decent walk ahead of me back to the car and a fairly awkward scramble back up the cliff face to even get out.
I was completely alone and there is zero phone signal at Winspit so concern was starting to set in.
My back pack was loaded to the hilt and I had brought an extra tripod for some time lapses as well as a whole host of other gear, it suddenly seemed like a very bad idea as it was heavy, really heavy.
I sat down on a rock to gather myself together and just wanted to put my head down but knew I had to get going for my own safety.
I scrambled up the cliff face and made it to the top but I felt weak and wobbly so another sit down was had for around 30 minutes until I felt able to do the walk.
It's not an especially hard walk, it's just a bit long and all uphill and when you are laden with a lot of gear it can be a bit of a trek.
I made it to around the half way point and then there in front of me was my worst nightmare, one of the cows from a neighbouring field had escaped and was stood across the path looking directly at me, I froze.
I really have a thing for cows, I have been chased by them several times and I don't mind admitting I'm petrified of them, but I needed to get back so I pulled myself together and decided I was just going to go for it and walk past, the cow didn't take its eyes off me and I knew if I had to run I would be in big trouble as I was carrying enough gear for an army.
I got closer and closer and I could hear the cows breathing getting quicker and just as I was about to pass it it let out a loud moo which sent my blood pressure sky rocketing and I moved so fast I could have made a champion sprinter look slow, The cow however wasn't even phased and just went back to eating grass much to my relief.
I managed to get back to the car on pure adrenalin and collapsed on the seat and laid down while everything around me seemed to spin round, then just like that it stopped and I felt fine, really odd ? I drove home gutted that I had missed out on taking more pictures even if it wasn't especially good conditions but safety always came first.
The rest of Sunday was a fairly quiet affair and I didn't bother going out in the evening which worked out nicely as it just went clear and stayed like it.
Tomorrow was going to be a reality check as I was back to work full time and it was going to be painful and I knew I was going to miss out as I became a weekend warrior only for the foreseeable future.
Thoughts turned to a few cheeky mornings before work in the New Forest, it was about all I could get to do before work so everything was pinned on hopes of misty conditions turning up over the next week, but I doubted id be that lucky.
Tuesday the 22nd of September
There was a brief break in the weather forecast and mist looked like a possibility so it was a perfect chance to head into the New forest before work.
A 5 am alarm was set and the thought of a full day at work afterwards was not appealing but you had to do what you had to do to get the conditions when they were available.
I awoke and had a peep outside, it was a fairly clear morning and pretty still so it looked good and I got myself sorted and headed out with the hound full of hope.
The drive down was a mixed affair as some of the usual misty areas were showing none at all but others that didn't usually have any were showing signs of it so it was touch and go till I got to my chosen area.
When I arrived it didn't look to bad, a decent head of mist was rolling over the hills in the distance but there was a large cloud right where the sun was coming up and due to the lack of wind it didn't look like it was going to go anywhere.
The time ticked by and I watched and waited hoping but it just didn't shift, the composition I had set up was heavily reliant on light hitting the foreground and lighting it up with a backdrop of misty goodness, but without the light it just didn't really work.
The minutes felt like hours and while the hound ran around having the time of his life I waited full of frustration knowing deep down I wouldn't be getting the shot I wanted.
It was now about 15 minutes left before work started and I had to go, this was the point the cloud chose to clear and as I was driving off I watched the area I had been stood at fill with golden morning light and I was really annoyed, I was just moments away from a decent shot but I guess it just wasn't meant to be sadly, especially annoying when you put in extra effort to get up early and nail it.
A draining day at work followed and the tiredness gnawed away at me, next time I told myself, Next time.
Monday the 28th of September
I had been doing workshops again all weekend and was itching to get out so a pre work trip was organised for the morning on the way in.
I was very limited by time at this point in the year, I had one hour max after the sun came up and I needed to have a venue that was close to work so I fell back on my old favourite of Knowlton Church, Im not really sure why I didn't go to the New forest but I just really fancied Knowlton for some reason.
The forecast was showing completely clear but I had a sneaking suspicion there would be a little bit of high level cloud floating about and when I woke up and looked out of the window it was confirmed so I got myself up and ready and headed out to Knowlton.
The drive down there saw some mist over the river areas and I could see several layers of decent cloud and it all looked very positive.
As I pulled up with around 40 minutes till sunrise I could already see a glow starting and the very bottom of the clouds starting to colour up so I rushed to get set up and as the morning unfolded and started to look good there was of course one big problem.
The dog walker who turned up as the sun was coming up and proceeded to stand in front of the shot throwing a ball back n forth for her dog till it had finished then casually walked off with a smirk and I'm pretty sure they knew exactly what they were doing as Ive seen this particular dog walker down there on a few occasions and it always happens to be at sunrise regardless of the time of year and no matter where the photographers are standing that's where she chooses to throw the ball, a proper nasty bit of work trying to ruin everyone else fun.
I got a few pictures but they were nothing special and sadly I knew this was probably my last opportunity of the month as severe wet weather was moving in for the next few days so I was pretty much stuck.
As I drove to work there was still signs of mist around in the New forest and I wished I had gone there instead but thats how it goes.
Wednesday the 30th of September
The conditions looked shocking according to the forecast, rain, wind & thick heavy cloud, Pretty much everything you didn't want but as I watched the evening turn to night I couldn't help but wonder where these forecast conditions were as it looked really nice out there.
The more I looked out the better it seemed to appear but by midnight I convinced myself it was going to be good the next day so I set an alarm.
I awoke and peered outside, it did actually look good, I checked the forecast again and it was still sending a message of dont even bother ! But to hell with the weathermen, I was going.
I decided mainly due to the fact that I was super pressed for time to go local on the way to work and that meant a trip to Knowlton Church.
As I arrived I was pleased to see I had the place to myself, a rare thing here as it has got much more popular in recent times but I felt the poor forecast had probably kept people away.
The sky was starting to colour up a little around 40 minutes to sunrise and I was super excited as I just knew it was going to go off.
Waiting for the sun to come up seemed to take forever and as the sky teased getting more colour as it crept up further into the sky, mother natures striptease !
I felt it had reached a crescendo of colour and took my image, I have to say I was rather pleased with it, it was so nice to finally get a decent sky.
Then just like that the show ended as a bit of cloud moved in front on the rising sun and plunged the area back into dull grey tones.
I knew the cloud would eventually clear so I decided to wait around and hopefully catch the light on the church and when it eventually did I just wasn't happy with the chosen composition so I decided to go in-between the wishing trees and take an image in there using a natural frame around the church and again I liked the image so it wasn't a bad morning.
I was so pleased I had trusted my gut on this occasion and had ignored the weathermen who seem to get it wrong for sport now, I'm sure its a conspiracy against landscape photographers !
I was pleased that the month had ended on a positive note as it can only be described as a gruelling one at best, I prayed October would be kinder to me than September had, well in fact the whole year had been a really tough one but as always I had no intention of giving up and was planning other adventures already.
Print of the month for October will be Infinity, a beautiful long exposure from Evening Hill in Poole.
Grab yourself a bargain, More details available by clicking HERE
As always happy shooting.
Daniel Wretham
