Bamburgh Castle
via Lindisfarne.
Northumberland.
24th January 2008
Everything about Lindisfarne Castle on it’s craggy out crop of rock just screams “Photogenic” but somehow I’ve yet to get the shot I want of it.
This day was to prove no different. I think part of the problem is that I’m not quite sure what lighting I’m looking for. I keep thinking I’ll know it when I see it, but that is not a good approach when it comes to planning a shot.
All that said, Lindisfarne is almost always worth a visit for other reasons, my best shots so far have been of the boat sheds and the Pilgrims way, this day the island suffered from that curse of the landscape photographer.... ”nice” weather.
I confess, I like a bit more atmosphere and a bit less sun and blue sky. That’s not to say that such conditions are always bad, they’re just not my favourite in the middle of the day.
After looking around for a bit and getting the rather conventional view of the castle above, I looked across Budle Bay and decided to try my hand at Bamburgh Castle instead.
I knew what I had in mind there and I headed straight for Harkess Rocks.
There has been a fortress at Bamburgh for at least 1500 years but the one we see here is mostly 19th century built. For me it is the place it’s self that tells the story.
I had tried to get a shot like this with my old Nikon but couldn’t quite pull it off.
Today I felt conditions were just right and with the tripod weighted down with a bagful of wet sand and water swirling around the top of my wellies, I reeled off a few shots until I got, more or less, just what I was after. Persistence pays off in the end.