Hello mojo...

D'oh!

Typical.

No sooner had I written that last blog about no-go mojo than in rolled the fog, out came the sun and - bom shanka! Two days of fresh inspiration...

There were spectacular displays of clearing sea mists, windswept cloudscapes and incredible light on the afternoon of the 22nd. I was at Aldwick Bay on the south coast for the low tide and the sunset. The first four images in this blog are a progression of shots that I took during the changing light and weather throughout that afternoon.

The three lakeside images and the final two coastal long exposures were shot in the thick fog and sea mists of the following morning, the 23rd.

Above image: The setting sun bursts through sea mists as the offshore winds pick up

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 64, 1/2500 second at f13, tripod

22nd January 2016

Left: A few minutes before sunset. The mists have cleared, giving way to some singularly beautiful clouds and colours in the sky

Nikon D810, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor at 18mm,

ISO 64, 1/100 second

at f13, tripod

22nd January 2016

Above image: The sun dips below Selsey Bill on the distant horizon and a more pastel colour palette develops

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 64, 20 seconds at f13, 10-stop ND, tripod

22nd January 2016

Above image: At 180 degrees to the sunset and just after the sun has dropped below the horizon, a waxing gibbous moon rises over a magenta and peach cloud bank as it recedes into the eastern horizon. A double aspect to the photo ops that afternoon!

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 64, 1/13 second at f13, tripod

22nd January 2016

And then... I was up and out on location an hour before dawn on the 23rd and spent the early morning around a disused quarry that has become a lake. Soft light, muted winter colours and thick fog is a very photogenic combo around still water. I even had a couple of obliging swans put in cameo appearances.

Above image: Swan Lake - in the fog

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 1250, 1/50 second at f9, tripod

23rd January 2016

And of course there are usually some opportunites for a bit of experimentation... The simple linear elegance of semi-submerged dead grasses reflected in the mirrored surface of the lake produced some very pleasing results.

I feel the image below works as a photographic abstraction by conversion from landscape to portrait orientation.

Left: Foggy grasses, reflected, re-oriented

Nikon D810, 85mm f1.8 Nikkor, ISO 64,

1/8 second at f9, tripod

23rd January 2016

As I was on my way home - and although it was a little late compared with the sort of times that I would usually shoot seascapes or landscapes - I stopped at Felpham seafront to see if the fog was still working its magic on the coast. I climbed the steps of the sea wall from the lower level street parking and, as I stepped onto the esplanade, I was confronted with this beautiful sight. Like a giant soft-box, the fog and sea mists were diffusing the full-spectrum white sunlight of early morning and the calm, almost wave-less seawaters were perfectly enhanced by the muted colour palette.

Above image: Breakwater, Felpham seafront, shot from Bognor Regis Promenade

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 64, 4 seconds at f16, 10-stop ND, tripod

23rd January 2016

Above image: Breakwater and nautical navigation hazard marker, Felpham seafront

Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, 15 seconds at f16, 10-stop ND, tripod

23rd January 2016

Over the course of eighteen hours, I had acquired a satisfyingly diverse haul of images from three separate locations, all of which are within a ten-minute drive of where I live. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating - what a beautiful, varied and photogenic country we are privileged to live in.

And what's the moral of all this?

What have I learned?

Well, we all know that photography requires a lot of patience - so the moral is: I should learn to exercise a little more of it when things are less than perfect in the productivity department - and certainly before I start prematurely banging on about no-go mojo in future...

;-)

And I have re-learned what I already knew - except that, for once, impatience got the better of me... That there is always something wonderful waiting just around the next corner.

And the next...