The weather between Christmas and New Year was uninspiring – grey and foggy – except for one day when the sun shone. Son and I headed for the South Coast to re-view Birling Gap.
The tide was going out and together, but mostly independently, we explored the beach, the rock pools, and the rock falls of chalk at the foot of the steep cliffs. It was a very leisurely hour or more, cameras in hand.
The time came to leave, there was less than an hour of daylight left, and we wanted to visit Cuckmere Haven as well. Walking back to the iron staircase up the cliffs I spotted a lone photographer standing in the shallows, camera on tripod, patiently waiting. For the light perhaps? For me, he was the picture; the light was warming up towards sunset, the sea was quiet and gleaming. Possibly the best picture of the afternoon.
When you leave, always take one last look behind you.
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Now, there’s a bit of wisdom: “take one last look behind you.” I’ve always enjoyed the fact that the New Year comes in January: the Janus-faced month that’s perfectly designed for looking back and looking forward.
I really do like this photo. Everything about it seems just right — so right, in fact, that it makes me want to tidy up the loose ends around here and get back outdoors with my camera in hand. I’m certainly looking forward to your out-and-aboutness in 2017. Happy New Year!
Thanks so much Linda, and a Happy New Year to you too. I always feel a reluctance to leave a beautiful spot, especially as daylight draws to an end and the light grows warmer. We would have stayed longer, but wanted to visit one more place and by the time we were walking back to the car from that second place it was almost pitch black.
Yep, always take that last look behind!
Thanks Sue. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you, Andy!
Good advice, Andy. And it often is rewarding to just sort of twirl in place on your way down a path or sidewalk.
Thanks Linda. The world always looks different when you glance behind you. We need to ‘twirl’ more.
Good advice, Andy. You may have missed a great shot. I really like this.
Thanks Ken. There were a lot of beautiful on the beach that day, but most had set off back for home. He was the lone figure – anyone else in the frame would have been a distraction.
Something tells me you got an even lovelier shot than that super-patient and dedicated photographer. Nicely done, Andy! And a nice lesson you’ve passed on to your readers, too: “When you leave, always take one last look behind you.”
Thanks Heather. I’m not sure what he was seeing as he was looking along the beach, and the light would not have been so good in that direction. But we all see different things, don’t we.
So beautifully said: We do indeed all see different things! That’s why I’ll often take a photograph even if it’s been done a thousand times already.
Yes, we will always want the classical shots – they are what i like to call the diary points on our visual journeys
I join in with the others, this is a good advice, Andy. How nice to be able share your passion for photography with your son. 🙂
Thanks Dina. Richard (Son) has a more expensive Nikon than me! He’s a keen photographer, as is my daughter. Both of them spent time with me in their teens in the home darkroom learning how to print from their B&W negatives.
I’d love to see their work, it it’s possible.
Do the blog as well or can I see their work somewhere on a website?
If you type ‘Richard Hooker designer’ then the top four entries from that search in Google should be of our son (also known as RZH on-line)
Excellent bit of advice. Lovely place to be.
Thanks Paula. It is a lovely place and one I will return to many times I am sure.
Yes, an excellent recommendation, Andy…and a very nice photograph, as well….
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Absolutely, always look behind you. Superb advice Andy. I can’t count the number of times I’ve stood in that man’s shoes. It sometimes pays off, often doesn’t but we photographers are not unlike fisherman sitting on the edge of a river, never knowing when the next bite will come.. 🙂
Thanks very much Adrian. Patience is a virtue, or trait, that we need to cultivate as photographers. I’m not good at that, and I absolutely loathed fishing. But when patience pays off there is a great sense of satisfaction.
I too loathed fishing Andy but somehow I’m quite happy fishing for a photograph. I guess a lot of it for me is just being out there in the landscape, enjoying it and pressing the shutter every now and then when things look good. I think my lack of mobility has taught me to be patient. I set myself up where I think I might get a picture and settle in and wait for things to come together. If they don’t, well that’s OK. I’ll have had a good day out anyway. 🙂
I think a lot of us could do well to copy your ‘relaxed’ attitude of waiting for the images to come to you. I think the longest I have physically waited for an image to materialise is twenty minutes.
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