So it seems that in addition to the new camera, new lens and new rucksack that I mentioned in my previous blog post, I also need a new tripod.
A few days before my soggy trip to London, I decided to explore somewhere new for a change. I opted for Broadstairs as my husband was working from home and would be able to cover the zoo if I got back late. The weather was lovely and I had a pleasant drive down, finally parking up on the old harbour wall. I had read about the tidal pool at the far end of Viking Bay and was keen to give the new camera a whirl using my ten-stop filter to create a long exposure. There were many more settings to check than with my old Sony, so I was still fiddling about when a group of German students turned up. When I realised they were heading for the pool, I rushed to finish what I was doing and pressed the cable release (with fingers firmly crossed). Exposures have to be carefully calculated, but I had no time to do a test shot. As it turned out, the exposure was pretty much perfect and the 25 seconds were long enough to create ghostly figures standing around the pool.
Everything else had pretty much been closed for the season, so after wandering around for a bit, I headed across the beach one last time in the direction of my car. Then I spotted a lone gentleman on top of a sand wall. My best guess was that it had been created to protect the top of the beach from the worst of the winter storms. The new lens only goes up to 70mm and I had to walk closer rather than relying on a longer zoom. I took one shot and then spotted a red bobble appear from the other side. The bobble became a hat, which in turn became a young girl – clearly the gentleman’s daughter. So I took one more photograph before heading for home.
It looks as though I got very lucky with the image featured at the top as it was the only successful long exposure I had all day. The Nikon is far too heavy for my old lightweight tripod and in fact, I actually stood and watched the end of the lens bounce up and down in a gentle breeze. I will now require another one – bigger, heavier and far more expensive, but it will allow me to branch out and try new techniques.
