With an albeit temporary increase in temperature, spring like weather, and even the odd spot of blue sky, no further excuses were needed to grab the camera and lighting gear and head off to White Rocks for what is hopefully the first of many beach photography outings for 2011.
The only day of the week that suited everyone was probably about the worst day’s weather forecast, though as the day came closer the forecast improved ever so slightly, so the ‘will we – won’t we’ go ahead with it was decided as a yes and we’ll take our chances. Having said that, the experience of sitting in the car in White Rocks Beach carpark with the rain bouncing off the windscreen isn’t a pleasant one! Trusting totally in the forecast for the weather to improve for the afternoon we set out while it was pouring with rain, and sure enough by the time we arrived at the beach the sun was trying its best to make an appearance 🙂
We met with Natasha and Slade and while Catherine applied Natasha’s make-up, Slade and I chatted about South Africa where he’s from. A big thank you to Natasha and Slade for being great on the day, and although the sun was shining, the sand on the beach was freezing cold with a biting wind coming in off the sea, and there were many cold hands and feet!
From a technical point of view, photography conditions weren’t easy with very bright and contrasty sunlight and a lack of shaded areas with a decent background. My relatively new Pocket Wizard flash firing system was used throughout, both in TTL and in manual. With barely a misfire of the flashes the biggest problem was the high working apertures for the bright sunlight, typically beyond F11. This was a big ask for the speedlights and at one stage when changing batteries, they were extremely hot!
All in all it was a great few hours though and any reason to be on the beach is a good one 🙂 Thanks again to Natasha and Slade for their participation and their company was great. This was Slade’s first trip to a North Antrim Coast Beach and he rated it highly, which is quite a compliment given South African beaches he comes from!
- We started off in a more formal attire.
