Initially I took images of the lighthouse on Whitby West pier, but they seemed a little uninteresting, so I took this set at the old St Stephen’s church at Robin Hoods Bay. Although the church is no longer used for services, it’s open most days for visitors. The graveyard is tended by sheep, so not very good on the weeding. There are several generations of my ancestors buried here, so I paid my respects while I was there.
The camera was tripod mounted and the white balance was set to ‘daylight’ (hence the colours aren’t as I remember them).
Frontal sunlight
With the sun directly behind me the image seems flat. The shadows seen on the grass are due to using a wide angled lens – the stones directly in front in the direction of the sun’s rays. The colours are much stronger, but the texture and depth don’t stand out so well.
Side light
The shadows give the image much more depth and texture. The lines of stones lead the eye into the picture. This degree of shadows is only there when the sun is at a relatively low angle in the sky, so it’s worth getting up early.
Back light
I’ve used HDR on this image. Without it the back lighting was burning out – mainly because of the reflection from the sea – and the stones were almost black. The use of HDR also brought out more colour – the greens couldn’t be seen on the straight image. Flare was reduced by shielding the sun from the lens using my hand.
Edge light
Ivy in the graveyard had the edge light seen here. Again I had to shade the lens to reduce flare. I really like this effect.
Yet again – it’s the best time of day and well worth getting up for.
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