Taking a walk around Southport’s Marine Lake the other day I decided to try for a long exposure shot of the lake, pier and bridge. The intense sunlight made it almost impossible to see the image on the camera’s screen, but I could just make out enough to get a few shots. I was so intent on getting the exposure right that I didn’t notice the tram setting off. You can see the blurred movement of the tram along the pier in the centre of the shot.
I was standing in the middle of Southport Pier, catching the last gasps of sunlight as the sun dipped below the horizon. I was using my wide angle lens. I saw the tram, honest, but it was oh so far away through my viewfinder! When the driver started tooting I thought it best to move to one side. I quickly placed the tripod and clicked the shutter. The tram flew past in a blur leaving me with this…
Is it the fastest tram in the North West, or was I just a little bit slower than usual?
I haven’t been down to the beach for ages, and certainly haven’t had time to take my tripod with me, but at long last I’ve got a long exposure shot of marram, sea and sky all in motion together…
It’s not often that the tide comes right in on Southport Beach. It’s less often that high tide is really high. Once in a while it is possible to see the pier completely over water from the breakwater outwards. Yesterday was on such day. The light wasn’t great, but it was better than we’ve had for some time. Of course, high tide’s not of itself a pretty scene. The water is so shallow that the waves are small and choppy and the sand is stirred up along with the waves. The best solution is to take a long exposure of many seconds to smooth out the sea. This shot is a 50 second exposure which gives the sea a smooth texture, with whorls and patterns caused by the movement of the waves and tide.