A typical British summers day on the coast - wind, rain and a dark brooding sky! It was tempting to stay indoors but there was an impressive swell in the Atlantic which meant there would be equally impressive waves along North Devon's rocky shores where I was staying.
In my mind Welcombe Mouth is one of the rockiest beaches on this coast so it seemed the obvious choice for such a day. On arrival I discovered the wind was whipping up salt spray off the sea and my lenses were covered within moments of being exposed to the air. Salt spray is particularly difficult as it sticks to lenses and filters and stubbornly refuses to come off when wiped down as it just smears all over the glass. Today was going to be hard work. I was soon dodging the waves looking for compositions while enjoying the exhilaration of the rough sea at close quarters. The inconvenience of constant lens cleaning was a small price to pay.
I was looking for interesting patterns formed by the waves as they retreated around the rocks. Once I had the camera in place, focussed, exposure set with lens and filter clean, it was just a case of waiting for the right moment to trigger the shutter. I would hold a microfibre cloth over the lens until the last moment before triggering the shutter. This kept most spray off the lens but it still needed a clean after each exposure. The sea was unpredictable so I had to have my wits about me. Several times the sea threatened to knock over the tripod and I had to make a hasty retreat from the odd large wave too. Before I knew it the light had faded and it was time to pack up.
The next morning, after an intensive camera gear cleaning session, I was ready to do it all over again….
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