Return to Osea

So it took much longer than anticipated to get the image I wanted of the Osea beach huts. Looking at the tide tables in more detail, I could see there weren’t that many very high tides from spring onwards and none coincided with sunset. Eventually, I decided to make a note of the next suitable tide in my calendar, with a note that I needed a cloudy day. The tide occurred in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday and with the huts facing south, I needed cloud to get the long exposure I wanted. The forecast looked suitable for a time, but then it suggested heavy rain, so I turned my attention to another sunset location where I might stay dry.

In the end the forecast changed once more and the sunset was abandoned. I charged my battery, paid the Dartford crossing fee and set out. I should have had over an hour to spare, as this time I wanted to have a drink in the leisure park cafe while I mulled over how to approach the shot. In the end, I didn’t have that luxury, as I sat in my little car on the M25 for nearly 90 minutes. Now I was going to be late and the problem was compounded on arrival, as being a Saturday afternoon during the school holidays, there was nowhere to park. I drove up and down, but the park was on a narrow country lane and the only spots on site were all full. Just as I decided to give it up as a bad job and drive home, I saw someone coming out of the visitor’s car park. Naturally, I wasn’t visiting anyone on-site, but my car is tiny, so I hid it behind the estate next door, grabbed my gear and ran. OK… perhaps I didn’t quite run, not loaded down with rucksack, tripod and wearing wellington boots, but I needed to get away from the site owners, who were by now checking all cars on arrival.

Dressed as I was, I don’t need to say that I stood out like a sore thumb, with everyone else in swimsuits or shorts and T-shirts. I kept my head down and hoped I wasn’t going to be stopped. Miraculously I made it to the sea wall and I discovered in an instant that I wouldn’t be needing my boots. The water behind the huts (and where I had planned to set up) was up to people’s waists. It was receding fast though, so I had no time to think, but set up on the wall as quickly as possible. In fact, I only had time to take one 30 second exposure before the water left, revealing mud and dirty weeds.

It was the only shot I needed though, so packing up, I found a quieter path back to my car, slipping behind the site owner once again. Throwing my gear on the passenger seat, I swapped wellies for shoes and drove out of the leisure park as quickly as possible. I won’t be going back until the holiday season is over.