Working the Scene

It is that time of year when we landscape photographers find it hard to resist the lure of heather in bloom; it adds so much colour and interest to a scene. The closest location for me which has a really good display of heather is the National Trust owned Thurstaston Common on the Wirral Peninsula; it is just under a 30 minute drive for me and has the added attraction of bearing many good memories from my childhood - as well as being the place I proposed to my wife some 31 years ago.

The two images above were taken there almost exactly a year ago. I was fortunate to get a fine evening with some lovely, late evening light on the tree and was able to find two quite different compositions by moving just a few feet. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get back there again but kept this spot in mind for another time; that other time being a year later.

This time I wanted to see what I could make of the same spot at sunrise so I rose at 5am last Friday and headed out there. The views above were east facing and it quickly became apparent that the conditions were not going to suit this. However, simply by turning 90 degrees, I was presented with the scene below.

Although it was in no way a spectacular sunrise, it was clear that the sun was eventually going to light the scene and create more interest; it was just a question of waiting for 20 minutes or so.

Turning around, and moving to my left a few feet, I had a view over to Thor's Rock framed by the heather and trees:

I was pleased with these images but felt there was more to be had from this particular spot and so, with a favourable looking forecast for Sunday morning, I headed out once more for sunrise. The sky looked far more interesting this time and I was determined to get a panoramic version of the same scene. Unfortunately, although the sky was better, the sun was quickly swallowed up by low cloud shortly after rising and never quite managed to light up the foreground as before:

Finally, moving a few feet forward and adopting a portrait format, I sought to emphasise the sweep of the heather in the centre - this being the main feature that attracted me in the first place:

At this point the cloud spread and my morning of photography was over but it was an enjoyable break from a weekend of decorating.

If it isn't already obvious, the moral of this story is that it is worthwhile spending time at a location as it is often possible to find a variety of compositions simply by moving a short distance, looking around and changing height and angle of view.