Dovercourt Lighthouse

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Joel
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I spent last weekend chasing the tide on the East Coast of England, setting off from the North Norfolk Coast line on Sunday morning to photograph the groynes at Caister-on-Sea and timing it to get there just as the high tide was beginning to recede so as to get the kind of image I wanted.

After I'd finished there I drove over to Harwich to photograph this really characterful Spaceship, er I mean Lighthouse... fortunately I got there at pretty much the right time as well, high tide was a couple of hours later than Caister, and it was vital that I got there before the tide receded too much otherwise the images I wanted wouldn't have been possible.

I jumped out of my car, making my way onto the Beach and noticed this great composition straight away with a foreground interest and leading line in one. After I'd finished that I used a 16 stop Neutral Density Filter so I could achieve a single exposure of 220 seconds and achieve this ethereal dream-world look, just before I got this shot the Sun came out between the clouds and gave some great light and contrast on the Lighthouse, 5-4-3-2-1 Lift Off!

Shifting Tides by Joel Spencer, on Flickr

The Lighthouse by Joel Spencer, on Flickr

Lift Off! by Joel Spencer, on Flickr
 
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Don't you love it when the photography gods smile on you?

A very nice set and difficult to choose a favourite, I prefer the composition of the second image over the first, I think the lead in is stronger but can't fault the foreground interest in either. I love the pure simplicity of the third image.
 
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engine driver said:
I like it Astro ,obviously a shallow sand bank . Out of interest where is it ?
Click to expand...
Joel did mention it in the OP, the spaceship lighthouse is some way out on the shoreline at Dovercourt beach, just south of Harwich in the most north-easterly part of Essex. Marooned at high tide and accessible at low tide.

www.visitessex.com

Dovercourt Bay - Beach in Harwich, Harwich

Dovercourt is a peaceful family resort with gentle shelving sand and shingle beaches. A wide range of family activities are available along the…
www.visitessex.com www.visitessex.com
 
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engine driver said:
I like it Astro ,obviously a shallow sand bank . Out of interest where is it ?
Click to expand...
Coordinates are 51.93013, 1.27813
Just offshore from lower marine parade, in Dovercourt, & under 2 miles from my desk at work.
FWIW it's not actually a lighthouse, but the lower of two leading lights. Ships aim to keep the lights from leading lights in line - aiming straight for them to pass through a channel, while lighthouses have intermittent flashing lights (different flash codes allow identification) & warn of rocks etc
There is a second pair of leading lights in Harwich just up the road. I suspect the Dovercourt ones were kept aligned until the Harwich ones lined up, but they've not been in use for many years.

I've photographed it many times but not yet got a shot as good as Joel's second one.
I've never seen it as a spaceship before, that's something that makes it more interesting!
 
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Dale. said:
Don't you love it when the photography gods smile on you?

A very nice set and difficult to choose a favourite, I prefer the composition of the second image over the first, I think the lead in is stronger but can't fault the foreground interest in either. I love the pure simplicity of the third image
Click to expand...

Cheers Dale, yes indeed. There was a slight bit of planning but still you need a bit of luck. It was extremely windy on the Friday, and still very windy on the Saturday, but on Sunday the winds were forecast to drop significantly, just a slight breeze but mostly still, so I decided to go then. The light was nice having said that.
 
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