Somewhere Special to Me

There’s somewhere special to me. It’s a place full of memories from my childhood. However, when I went back to photograph it recently, it looked very different from how I remembered it

Deja Vu

This time of year, I get deja vu. Every year, it’s a constant rush of producing gift certificates that people buy for their photography enthusiast friends and family. However, I did get a couple of days away. Instead of running back and forth to the post office to mail the certificates, I took my camera to one of my favourite beaches.

Thinking Back to the Past

When I was a lad, I holidayed at Waxham, on the Norfolk coast, with my family for several consecutive years. One summer, when I was maybe 12 years old, there was the constant pounding of a pile driver that was putting in new wooden groynes.

I thought they would make a great subject, so early one morning. So, I drove there, donned my Wellington boots, and walked across the dunes, only to discover that those breakwaters had long gone. Large black boulders now protect the beach. The seascape I remembered was changed entirely.

Shooting in Low Light

Nevertheless, I made my way to the shoreline, set up my camera on my Benro Tortoise tripod, and started shooting.

It was half an hour until daybreak, and there was heavy cloud, so I initially set my OM-1 to 1-second exposures at f/10 and ISO 200. I had the OM-1 Mark II with me as well, but it had my long lens attached for photographing marsh harriers later.

Something Special: Live ND and Live Time

I wanted longer exposures than that. So, initially, I activated the camera’s Live ND feature. That gave me up to 60 seconds of exposure. One of the many things I like about the system is its ability to shoot up to 60-second exposures in P, A, S, and M modes; most cameras are limited to 30-second exposures.

However, the light got brighter. Consequently, I fitted my Urth Plus+ ND1000 filter. I then switched to Live Time mode, which lets me see the image gradually develop on the rear screen.

This was not the “something special” I anticipated. Furthermore, despite the gnarly wooden groynes being long gone, it still proved to be an excellent place for a photoshoot. Despite the dull, flat light, there was plenty of contrast.

I considered going back with my M. Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 PRO lens to photograph the seals. They were watching me at my work. However, the light didn’t pick up during my stay. Therefore, I gave that a miss.

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