This month’s NDPS club trip was to Essex.
At this time of year, with the sunrise at its later time, it’s far more agreeable to travel further afield.
Many members of the landscape group have the Justin Minn’s Essex Fotovue book and were keen to explore somewhere from the book.
After some research, we looked at a return to Thorpe Bay and Lion’s Wharf, but also locations such as Heybridge basin and Tollesbury. But with the conditions not ideal with respect mainly to tides, somewhere a little bit closer was suggested.
Wrabness was suggested, and we would then move on to Dovercourt with hopefully a breakfast in-between locations.
Meet time was just before 07:00 so it was a rise and shine of around 04:45 for me.
About Wrabness
Wrabness is a small village just a few miles from Harwich.
It has a train station, a nature reserve and an estuary to the river Stour.
If you have Justin’s book, check out page 85.
The Shoot
It was the estuary we were walking towards and with the help of the book, we parked up and walked the 800m to the beach.
On arrival on the beach, we observed a small cluster of rowing boats and a line of huts.
It was very drab with a white, bland and somewhat hazy sky, and we were trying to figure out what we could shoot.
We decided to leave the beach and head along a grassy path observing Harwich docks on the horizon.
Within a fifteen minute walk, we saw some trees that might offer some opportunities – it was tough, and we knew it.
I saw this small tree surrounded by the branches of a larger tree and it appealed to me.
I grabbed a few shots of this scene and given the bland conditions, it’s obvious there would be a monochrome shot somewhere in the mix.
It was time to hunt for something else, and I started to look for shapes around the nearest edge of the estuary. Looking for different things and shapes.
Looking for shapes is something I know Gill Moon encourages photographers to do.
I had another capture trying to grab the shapes and a bit of the trees as well, and patterns in the water channel in front of me.
We had exhausted our attempted captures at this location so we all decided to wander back to the beach.
The challenge there was no different to the first times our eyes had seen it earlier.
There was a boat behind us on the beach and half a wreck of a small boat (the one in the book).
One of the photographers had checked this out earlier and between us we decided walking in the opposite direction further down the beach was the best next step.
Before that, I grabbed this shot of a boat trying to make the rope a leading line.
A fellow photographer was walking back from the spot I was about to walk to, so I ensured I got them in the frame for a bit of added interest.
Further up the beach, there was a boat on the water and some birds scurrying near the shoreline but it was slim pickings.
I tried to get a half decent shot of the boat using the buoys as a leading line.
And that was a wrap.
We wandered back to our cars and after getting out of our wellies and grabbing a coffee, we headed off to Dovercourt for breakfast.
A super breakfast entitled the ‘Go Large’ was hoovered up at The Blue Flag café – highly recommended.
Upon observing even more drab conditions with the sky becoming more grey and dull (if that’s possible), we decided to not bother shooting the old lighthouses.
After some chitchat back at our cars, everyone departed for home.
On the drive home, I had wondered if I should’ve shot the lighthouses while I was there.
I could’ve done some minimalist shots or looked for something different but it was almost 1pm now and perhaps not so enjoyable on my own.
My other thought was it’s not as if I haven’t shot the lighthouses before.
Back home and it was off to bed for 2-3 hours of napping having got up at 04:45.
Although our venture to Essex was not what we would’ve wanted, it was enjoyable to explore somewhere new and push ourselves, and it’s always enjoyable to chat and enjoy a trip out together.
Onwards and upwards…