dawn

Shot for the Day (27 MARCH 2025)

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Teignmouth Pier at sunrise a few days ago.

After not being very active photographically, I joined the Exeter camera Club in late 2024. The club is full of exceptionally talented people and is reigniting my love of photography. Although this is a standard image for me, I am starting to experiment with new areas, from marco to wildlife.

I have even dusted off some of my film cameras and ordered a few roles of infrared film. There is such pleasure in the need to slow down and be deliberate in your actions. THe film and development is expensive, so each exposure demands you complete attention to evaluate, set up and shoot.

Shot for the Day (28 November 2022)

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Mallorca at dawn

Dawn in Mallorca in the summer of 2021.

This is a favourite location of mine in Mallorca. A boat docks at the end of the pier around sunrise and these were the last people who disembarked.

I love the backdrop of the sun haning in the sky above the couple. It was already a warm dawn and within 30 minutes, the temperature was almost 30 degrees.

Shot for the Day (05 September 2020)

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Earlier this year, I was fortunately enough to spend some time in Mallorca. Each morning I arose well before dawn to seek out new places to shoot.

On this day, I headed south to a place called Can Picafort. On the beach, there are several installations of sculptures by Joan Bennàssar.

I found an interesting selection of sculptures towards the southern end of the town, close to the main beach. This image is looking north towards Alcudia, as the sun rose in the east, to my right.

Shot for the Day (27 September 2019)

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Last weekend, after watching the weather develop for a few days, it looked as though Sunday morning would be interesting with thunderstorms forecast.  I headed down to Tower Bridge, as I knew the light would be aligned with the bridge at dawn.

This was the first image I liked of the morning. The sky was a glorious mixture of red, yellow, orange and grey, opalescent clouds.

The rain held off for most of the time I was by the London Assembly.  Several ladies past me, heading to an early morning gym class along with many joggers running along the Thames.

Above is the last shot I took before the light  was obscured by ran clouds.

Which of these images did you like the most?

Shot for the Day (18 May 2019)

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Ness Cove is one of Devon’s most secluded and picturesque beaches, completely enclosed by the shelter of the cliffs above. The secluded beach is tucked away, underneath the Ness Headland.

Access to the beach is through the intriguingly-named Smuggler’s Tunnel, which leads the visitor through the rocks of the Jurassic Cliffs out onto the beach. It is not clear whether the tunnel itself was ever used by smugglers however.

Shot for the Day (09 March 2019)

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Last morning in Devon for a while and the weather was meant to be bad. As I drove towards Dartmoor the fog was think and almost impenetrable. I ended up getting lost on the moors after taking a wrong turn. However, once back on track, the fog gave way to clear skies around Haytor.

Leaving the car in the nearby car park, situated a short walk from Haytor,.  The imposing granite stack was covered in lichens and mosses, holding an imposing position over Dartmoor.  Apparently, these rocky granite outcrops, or tors, were formed over 280 million years ago.

Shot for the Day (02 March 2019)

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Hopes Nose, situated close to Torquay on the southern coastline of Devon, was not somewhere I had been before.  Fortunately, the light was decent and the tide was compliant, albeit somewhat frisky. From the water’s edge, Ore Stone island is visible below the rising sun. My daughter joined me on location for this shoot. It was a treat to share such a lovely view with her.

Shot for the Day (09 November 2018)

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I was recently back down in Devon and took this opportunity to do a few early morning shoots of new places.

This one is of Daymark, in Kingswear Devon, which was built in 1864 by the Dartmouth Harbour Commissioners. It is a hollow, octagonal tower, 24m tall, constructed of limestone. It was built as a guide to mariners to the position of the harbour entrance and is visible for many miles out to sea.

Shot for the Day (12 September 2018)

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Part of the Devon set from my time there in August. This was taken in Paignton, about 20 mins drive further south from Exeter than Teignmouth. Both towns have piers but Paignton was blessed with a more impressive sunrise the morning I was there.

This shot was taken moments after the sun crept over the horizon and was a long exposure as I was looking to create the illusion of a vanishing point aligned with the end of the pier.

The shot below was taken about 45 minutes later, from the other side of the pier. Again, I employed a long exposure to fill the vast sky with movement. The golden hour had past by the time I took this shot, with the cooler blue tones more apparent.