Moments: March 2023

09April

As March came to a close, the opportunity to look back to go forward. These are a few moments from the last month, that have stood out.

A few trips out to visit a local ancient woodland were the order of the day. As the spring flowers start to show their heads, it’s worth visiting to make sure I have a handle on when the bluebells and wild garlic are nearly there. A trip during one of the last frosts of the month, to one of our local heathlands focussed my eye to something different.

A walk before heading to one of the hotels for a photoshoot brought a few compositions. The conditions were good enough to capture one of the old boats on the beach. I also returned to another of our woodlands, full of old trees and the first signs of bluebells. Back down to the Suffolk coast at Shingle Street, to see how the shingle has shifted in the last few years.

An ancient world

To start March off, I headed towards an old woodland that is a regular haunt inhabited by ancient oaks. It’s a woodland nestled in East Suffolk with loads of opportunities for compositions.

Until this trip, I hadn’t really explored it extensively. I took more images that were off the beaten track and found some interesting subjects to photograph. I did capture a few compositions of trees that I have seen multiple times. As I walk through more and more, the chance to see new perspective and angles are more apparent.

I took a visit back there a few weeks later, to go and capture an image of a tree I’ve photographed before. It is an old oak that has low-hanging branches, that are very much like the claws of a villain from the Spiderman series. I decided to take an infrared image, as I has originally planned to take it earlier in the month but ran out of time.

Frozen Heathland

We were plunged back into freezing weather As the temperature dipped below -0 it was a treat to get out to one of our local heathlands. The heather is far from at its best but still, the browning leaves and flowers did get caught by the lower temperature.

Sometimes the light is quietly perfect. While walking around a local heathland the light started catching these low-hanging branches on this tree. I have walked past this scene multiple times without taking any notice, the glow from the sun breaking through transformed the scene. On a crisp morning, this warming moment was a little relief from the freezing conditions.

There was a herd of deer, running around the heathland. It was quite interesting to follow their movements. I didn’t have the right lens with me so no photos were caught of them but it was still great to see.

With the freezing weather came the puddles in the area were all frozen. It gave me a perfect source of observation and will one day become part of a specific post about how observation is a key to unlocking the creative eye. They were really interesting shapes and patterns that are once in a lifetime.

Aldeburgh and fishing

The sound of the sea and the rising sun, are just a few reasons why heading to the coast is great. Obviously it’s not always like this, so it makes it little bit more sweeter to get good conditions when heading to the coast.

The boats lining the shore in Aldeburgh, are the perfect subject to offset the shingle beach. This is a scene I have walked past loads of times in the last few years. It was worth stopping by on a walk, before heading to one of the hotels for a food photoshoot.

I also took a few shots along the coast of the lobster pots and the tractors on the shore. They are great subjects, to capture as they give so much context to the industry of the fishermen and women that work the coast.

Exploring a old woodland

Having walked the paths of this particular woodland loads of times. The notion is that with the change of conditions, seasons and light there will always be something new to explore. I do like to visit this woodland regularly as it is one of the quietest ones that are in the area. It also large boasts areas of bluebells, so it will soon be a place I will be back to visit as they start to bloom.

These two old oaks stood out on a recent trip, they looked as if they were having a chat in the middle of the woods. I have walked past them before and they’ve never caught my eye until the light shone between them. Catching the low-hanging leaves on the tree furthest away.

An ever-changing landscape

The ever-changing landscape of Shingle Street is always a joy to go and capture. As the months go by, it’s never obvious what you’ll encounter when you next visit.

I visited at sunrise and saw how the tide has shifted the shingle again. It was great to see it in another guise. I came back with the idea to go and photograph a few compositions there when it’s a little less windy.

The location does lend itself to longer exposures, where the sea meets the shore. The way the water crashes into the land can be smoothed out with the use of Neutral density filters.

We did encounter some wildlife while walking along the coast, with a seal resting on the beach and some fish that had been washed up with the high tide. Some were more fortunate than others.

I hope you have enjoyed my quick round-up of last month. Do let me know your favourite images.

Some of the locations haven’t been named to protect their habitats. Although they are public places, I feel I have the opportunity to remove the chance of increasing footfall.

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