Note to self - never go to Portland without a coat. Yep, that is exactly what I did last night and whilst the weather inland was quite warm and calm, the situation at Portland was very different. The winds roared, the sea swelled and as I stood on the edge of the country, I could feel the full force of God's breath. It was freezing, but I was determined to get some decent shots. And I think I did. I don't normally like going to the same place on consecutive trips, but everywhere else had a forecast for bright blue skies and Portland was the only place that was reported to have any cloud cover. As I am sure you are all aware, there is nothing worse for a photographer than bright, featureless skies. So, I headed to Portland, minus my coat. Anyway, I started off over the far side of the lighthouse with the colour in the sky behind me. I thought to myself that I would slowly make my way from there to the far side of the lighthouse where I would then capture the setting sun. Although the sunset wasn't the best I have ever seen, I have certainly witnessed a lot worse. There was a hint of orange, magenta and red in this dying sun and as it mades it way beneath a distant horizon, it bled into the nearby clouds. The problem is that at this time of year, the sun sets way over to the right and it is almost impossible to get it into shot at Portland. So, I decided to do a few panoramas. Six shots, with an incredibly close focus point to give the image a sense of immediacy. As I fired off shot after shot, all 6 seconds long, I watched a pair of seagulls fighting in the sea. Locked in battle, they bobbed upon the roaring tide, wings flapping and beaks snapping. Eventually, just as I finished my panorama, the angry sea carried them into the rocks and out of sight. For a moment I was worried, worried that the sheer weight of the swell would have killed them as it knocked them into the coast. But a few moments later my fears were quashed and I watched them both fly off towards the lighthouse for round two. The image, I think, was a success.
On The Edge At Portland
