Weekly Photo Challenge: Muse

Since moving to North Wales there are two places I’m drawn to constantly for photography. One is the Ogwen Valley in the Snowdonia National Park. I never tire of the ever-changing scenery. Sure the mountains, rivers and lakes are fixed, they never change, but weather, the seasons and lighting conditions make for different photographs every time I visit.

But I suppose my first choice would be Talacre with the lighthouse, salt marshes and nature reserve. Did you know it’s the most northerly point of mainland Wales? So here we go with this weeks photo challenge. I’ve got a few photographs to show you so sit back and relax.

Over the years I have been photographing at Talacre, sunsets have been the main subject along with the lighthouse. But just occasionally I have managed to catch a sunrise like the one in the photograph above. This was one of those lucky ones. Sunrise can be so unpredictable, unlike sunsets. For one you don’t know if your going to get one. You get up early in the morning only to find it’s raining or maybe cloudy. Whereas with a sunset you can usually see it developing as the sun goes down. For my next photograph I was lucky again. I was getting ready to set the camera up for a long exposure when this dog walked into the frame. Fortunately I had already attached the remote control  so I was able to focus and fire off a shot before it ran off again

I don’t think you can create luck. You’re either lucky or you’re not. I don’t know if it’s really luck or if it’s just curiosity. I think the main ingredient, or a main ingredient for photography is curiosity. If you’re curious enough and if you get up in the morning and go out and take pictures, you’re likely to be more lucky than if you just stay at home. – Elliott Erwitt

The next photograph certainly wasn’t lucky. I planned to be on the beach, I knew I was going to get a sunset of sorts and as the sun set over the mountains it started to light up the clouds with a beautiful golden glow. It’s winter time and I almost have the beach to myself. Can you spot him? A lone figure on the beach. Alone, that is, apart from me.

Talacre isn’t all about the lighthouse and sunsets though. It’s a renowned high tide roost and in the salt marsh, which is open and wild, you’ll find a huge variety of bird species. As the tide comes in the roosting birds are forced further up the salt marsh bringing them closer to the hide

Here are just two, a Curlew and a Red Shank. Can you guess why it’s called a Red Shank?

I photograph all my birds and animals in the wild, in their natural environment. Some photographers will cut branches from nearby trees and bolt them to a small table. They’ll then put food at the bottom of the branches and sit back, behind a blind, with a long lens, and wait. To me, that may be bird photography, but it isn’t wildlife photography. – David Young

For some reason or other Talacre gets a lot of driftwood washed up on the beach, from large trees to small branches. It’s always good to find something like that on the beach as it makes the photograph more interesting, especially if you include it as foreground interest.

In most photographs you will see of Talacre there are wide sandy beaches. But when the tide comes the beach disappears and water laps at the sand dunes. Can you see the driftwood that’s been brought in? Admittedly this was a particularly high spring tide, often the tide never reaches the dunes, just leaving a small strip of sand and stones to walk along…..

…..and when the tide goes out we get the beach back again, often with pools of water left behind. Great for reflections. Just to give you an idea of how high that tide can be. Look at the photograph above where the steps up to the lighthouse are covered. Compare it to the photograph below. The stone blocks to the left of the lighthouse are about 1.25 metres (4ft) high, the steps easily 3 metres (10ft). Tides can vary in depth depending on the phases of the moon but this coming Saturday we have a higher than normal one. Still not the highest we’ve experienced but with High Tide at 9.15metres (30ft), and Low Tide at 0.87 metres (2.85ft), I expect there won’t be much beach to see as the tide comes racing in.

I started with a sunrise and for my final muse photograph I’d like to leave you with a sunset. Look back to the first photograph, see how the steps are on the right hand side of the lighthouse, whereas they’re on the left in my sunset. I much prefer sunsets. The quality of light is so much better and even when the sun goes down below the horizon there are still some great photo opportunities to be had.

It is light that reveals, light that obscures, light that communicates. It is light I “listen” to. The light late in the day has a distinct quality, as it fades toward the darkness of evening. After sunset there is a gentle leaving of the light, the air begins to still, and a quiet descends. I see magic in the quiet light of dusk. I feel quite, yet intense energy in the natural elements of our habitat. A sense of magic prevails. A sense of mystery. It is a time for contemplation, for listening – a time for making photographs. – John Sexton

Finally I’d like to leave you with this final quote…..

You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either. – Galen Rowell

Here’s what other bloggers are saying about this weeks challenge

https://passionatelybored.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/weekly-photo-challenge-muse/
https://petalumaspectatorphotoblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/wordpress-weekly-photo-challenge-muse/
https://thephotoseye.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/weekly-photo-challenge-muse/
https://throughalaywomanslens.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/weekly-photo-challenge-muse/
https://rubyspolaroid.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/flower-muse/
https://booksmusicandmovies.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/my-muse/
https://oliteahouse.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/nympheas/
https://halfaphotograph.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/musing-on-life/
https://lightslant.wordpress.com/2015/06/28/art-of-the-city/
https://aditixpictures.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/water/