Photo of the Day 2016 – 4 September: Woodbridge Tide Mill
This is the last of the “Photo of the Day” images which I am publishing from my recent trip to Suffolk and was taken at dawn on the final morning. As with the Southwold Pier shot the previous day, I used a Lee 0.6 soft garduated filter to hold back the exposure for the sky.
There is a large pond in front of the mill which would be good for reflections on a still day, which it definitely was not on the morning I went. The mill could also be a good location for a sunset shot, taken from the other side of the building. It would need two things. The sun would have to be shining, of course, but also the tide has to be out. There is a slipway from which there is a a good view, but when the tide is in it is not possible to avoid a large mooring post in the centre of the shot, as I discovered during the previous day’s reconnaisance. The only thing I would add is to take care on the slipway and wear shoes with a good grip as the surface is very slippery when exposed.
If possible, it is always a good idea to go to a location beforehand to plan a shot as you do not want to waste time finding the best position. On this occasion, the sun was obscured by a hill as it rose and the dawn light did not last very long. The shot below is from my initial visit. It shows not only the mooring post, but also the difference that light can make to a scene.
This is part of my occasional “Photo of the Day” series when I publish any shots which I think might be of interest and tell the story behind them. They might not necessarily be portfolio standard images, nor the final version, but still be of sufficient interest for inclusion in my blog. If I do not show a shot on any given day, it does not mean that I did not take any photographs, just that I did not get anything worthwhile. For me, that is part of the fun of photography, not knowing what you will find on a shoot when nothing is planned.