Harbour Path Part 2: Wood

The second part of the Langstone and Warblington walk was away from the shoreline up in to the woodland paths and then through to the famous castle tower and the church. The tower is the final remains of a medieval castle that had a very lively history with it being in the hands of Kings of England on a few occasions and also visited by many Kings and Queens of England and Scotland before it being demolished during the civil war.

From the tower to the church and then off back towards the harbour, the late autumn sunshine was falling through trees on to muddy pathways looked something special. Looking down the tree lined tracks the sunlight was reflected back from the surface of the rippling water.

Harbour Path Part 1: Water

Despite today’s terrible weather, January can be a great time for walking and I’m hoping to continue and maybe even conclude my long running Chichester Harbour walk photography project in the next few months. So far I have walked about 70% of the circumference of Chichester Harbour, taking photos along the way documenting the terrain, natural habitats and wildlife plus how people live around and on the harbour.

A while ago Jo and I explored along the north eastern edge of the harbour between Langstone and Warblington. Langstone is one of my favourite places (with one of my favourite pubs on the quayside). Langstone was also the first part of Chichester Harbour I ever discovered, on a solo bike ride from Portsmouth some years ago. Jo grew up very close to Warblington and had strong family ties with the local church so we both had sights to share and explore for the first time.

These first photos are from the parts of the walk where we explored along the water’s edge. At one point we followed a quiet country mud path down to where a small stream met the harbour with what must have one been a concrete pier which is now just rubble remains. I’m looking forward to more exploring in the coming weeks.

Cold Blue Light of the Day Part 3

Looking back on last winter’s photos I found out I never posted many of them here, in particular the many photos from my Boxing Day walks. After visiting Beccles I travelled to Oulton Broad, part of the Suffolk broads which works it’s way to the sea at Lowestoft. Only a mile or two from the busy coast the broad was still, covered with thick ice and the only noise that of water birds.

I started off walking up in to the isolated reed beds and the old houseboats. The houseboats were empty and one had succumbed to the water, listing sharply to one side. Along the water’s edge were old mooring points where the aged wood formed seemingly random and impractical shapes. At many points the ice was very think, with the birds making their way precariously around the frozen detritus.

White White Water

Looking at my photography I seem to be drawn to harbour entrances. For the first time last year I was lucky enough to be shown around some of Chichester Harbour by small boat and it gave the familiar parts of the harbour a different perspective. One of my favourite places is East Head and it’s wide sands when the tide is low, this time I could see what I would look like from the water.

These were from a roll of B&W film that got tucked away in a drawer for ages, there will be some harbour seal photos soon.

Sandbanks and Beaches Part 2

With sandy shoes and shells in our pockets we hopped back on the ferry across the harbour and back to Sandbanks. Back in the car we slowly drove around looking at the huge houses behind the walls and gates until we made it to the thin strip of land that connects the spur of land to the mainlands. The inside edge is straight to the deeper harbour water but the outside edge is lined with golden sand and concrete and rock outcrops.

Out in the deeper water fog was settling in over the distant Isle of Wight, giving it an Avalon feel.

Sandbanks and Beaches Part 1

Earlier this year Jo and I ventured down to Poole Harbour to explore Sandbanks, the local home of the rich and famous and also the sandy outcrop of land that helps form the harbour entrance with Swanage and Shell Bay Beach. We had a quick look around when we first arrived, exploring the harbour entrance and seeing just how much it would be to catch the ferry over to Shell Bay beach on the other side. By chance someone had left some money in the ticket machine so we took it as a sign and got our tickets and made our way over.

Shell Bay Beach is a large and empty swath of sand and dune with a wide horizon. We explored the creek, the lake called ‘Little Sea’ and hunted for razor clam shells in the sand. I can’t begin to say how wonderful this beach is, really recommend it if you are passing by.

Where Salt and Stone Meet

Where the river meets the sea is one of the most interesting places to explore for all sorts of reasons, the changes in geography, the natural habitats that spring up and the inevitable human population drawn to such places. West Beach lies on the other side of the river entrance from Littlehampton and is diametrically opposed in almost every way. The town side is built up with sandy beaches, tourists and fun fairs. West Beach is composed of long grass dunes and pebble beach with only the golf club and the quiet drawing people in.

Sand Underfoot

How is it over? Where did it all go? Looking through photos from the summer reminds me how much I was looking forward to it in the winter and how fast it went by when it was here. Back in the summer Jo and I made a trip to Ryde on the Isle of Wight, my first time there in over 10 years. The weather was incredible, hot sun, radiant air and a the beach was shallow and warm. Wish we had sand permanently on the Southsea side of the Solent.

Impossibly Still Night Water

I haven’t taken any night long exposure photos in some time but after finishing a filming job at the country park just east of Southampton I drove passed the water channel with a view of the refinery and had to stop. With the drizzle and night fog the lights of the refinery on the opposite shoreline flickered on the choppy water and the smoke from the chimney hazily merged with the sky, I could only last in that weather with my camera for a little while but it was worth it. The first photo shows what I first wanted to capture, the smoke and the fog and the lights.

What I really wanted was to try and get a reflection on the wide channel waters of the lights. In real time that was impossible as the wind was churning the water up but with exposure times of 1-2 minutes the water becomes flat and calm, and allowing the coast lights to cast their glow in a way impossible to the human eye. The second photo captures best what I wanted to show.

I want to go back again soon and experiment some more.

A Sense of Scale and Movement

It’s been almost two years since my first walk on the shoreline of the Chidham peninsula, hard to fathom how much has changed for me in that short time, if not the shoreline itself. Times change quickly and places change slowly with our short and limited frame of existence and as such it’s places, views and environments that trigger reflection, comparing and contrasting times and experiences past as the natural world moves on in it’s own way at its own pace.

This walk was much shorter than the last, just a brief walk beyond the farmer’s fields out to the Bosham viewpoint and then down to the boatyard. I love birdwatching in the most useless of senses, I recognise the birds but have no idea what they are called, which is fun but useless. On this walk I was really pleased to correctly identify a pair of beautiful Red Kites, hovering high in the breeze eyeing up prey. I need to get educated in these things.

Skin of Iron and Bound in Rope

It’s so easy to take what you have on your doorstep for granted. One such example for me is the Navy Dockyard in Portsmouth, home to Nelson’s HMS Victory, King Henry VIII’s The Mary Rose, cutting edge naval ships and HMS Warrior, the first ironclad warship. The ship itself is moored up outside the dockyard’s dry docks and dominates the view for anyone in, on or around Portsmouth Harbour. Despite that, after time you get so used to it, it becomes part of the proverbial furniture of the harbour…which is a pity as it is a major historical piece of naval history and well worth a visit (and I shouldn’t have left it 15 years before I returned).

The Time Spent Inbetween

This summer has somehow conspired with work and weather so that I never quite managed to get out and do as much as I wanted with my camera. Too many things got in the way. Unlike springtime though, a time from which I have many photos to finally share both here and on Quiet Corners.

My job has changed significantly in the last 12 months and rather than working from home I’m now out travelling around the south coast more for both work and meetings. I tend to try and be very prompt for meetings but inevitably play it safe a little too much and turn up about an hour early…which has it’s advantages…principally that I can go for a walk and explore. One such exploration was around Littlehampton seafront which I hadn’t been to in over a decade or more. The beach is wide with soft sand when the tide is low and at this time of the year (just before the sun broke free) quiet of both people and activity.

River Water and Cold Toes

At the start of the summer Jo and I visited the river hamble, a place I’ve been to on many occasions and always love returning to. The early summer sun was really hot and we paddled down on a small boat pontoon. Despite the warm air and squinting sunlight the river water was still winter cold, perfect for creating laughter.

Haze on the Solent Part 2

The marker buoy was much bigger close up than they look from the shore, Pete bravely climbed up on top for a pretty unique view of Southsea and certainly a unique spot to shoot some photos. We spent some time after floating around near the end of South Parade Pier before setting back to Portsmouth Harbour, riding the wash from the returning Isle of Wight ferry, laughing, getting soaked.

Once back in the harbour we went over to the green light boat in the marina at Gosport, I didn’t know before that it was a pub so sitting out on the deck with a drink was a pretty perfect end to the day.

Haze on the Solent Part 1

Too long, too long, sorry. Huge backlog of photos to go up and now the new Quiet Corners website is up I can spend some time getting back to regular updates on Forever Circling.

The previous post was the first half of the photos from a morning spent shooting photos for a t-shirt lookbook for Strong Island. In the afternoon of the same day we went out in to the Solent to shoot more photos, hoping to take photos at one of the forts. The sun was roasting hot and the cool spray of seawater was amazing, as was exploring the far side of the fort and a marker buoy out in the middle of the channel water.

Sunburn and Sand at the Track Part 1

A couple of months ago as part of a day long fashion shoot for Strong Island my friend Tristan, myself plus two models visited the derelict greyhound track in Tipnor, in the northern edge of Portsmouth. It was a raw sunny day, with blue skies, bright colours and sunburn. The photos from this morning went to produce two lookbooks, Tristan’s was digital and mine were 35mm film, both have recently gone up on the Strong Island website to help promote the new tee design and the new online store.

Find out more at Strong Island and view my 35mm lookbook HERE.

(these are lo-res scans and seem to have lots of noise from the scanner, sorry).

Happy When I see The River and the Trees

It’s become a bit of personal sign that the summer has arrived, my annual day out with Zoe to shoot her new fashion collection for her clothing company ZoZo. This is our third summer shoot and we thought we would mix it up and use digital and after a recent visit I recommended Hamble river for the location.

We started off in the village with the sun shining and from there moved to the country park just down the road. Hayley was an amazing model and in the end it looked like this corner of Hampshire became a mix of Cape Cod and Southern France. in a way.

ZoZo now has a new website featuring loads of the photos, have a look HERE.

Decay at the Water’s Edge

I’ve walked Eastney beach on loads of occasions and posted photos on here from those walks a few times too but it was only recently I focused on the the old and worn wood and metal remains that are scattered along the waterline. The strong tide has left it’s mark on many of these structures (some of which may well have been piers or groynes in the past) with worn wood and rusty metal. Some of the decay has made the item unrecognisable, leaving their original purpose a bit of a mystery. Some of the items have even taken on new forms, merging with stones and other things creating new and unique objects.

Despite all the previous visits Eastney beach still will draw me back, so much more to discover there as the tide and seasons have their influence over time.

Through Yellow to Green to Blue

A few weeks ago Josie and I travelled up to Suffolk for a long weekend just before my birthday, we spent much of the time in Southwold but also spent a day walking from the pastoral village of Benacre out to the beach of Benacre Ness. Starting at the farm gates we walked through the rapeseed field, half blinded by the brash spring sunlight scattered by the fresh yellow flowers. The strong wind did a good job of disguising the heat and the blue sky and the sunburn consequences until later. From the crop fields through to the farm itself the trees and meadows gave some shelter but it wasn’t long until you could hear the waves hitting the beach on what was once a Ness before much was taken by either the long-shore drift or taken for concrete production in the Second World War.

Once the path broke the tree line the deserted beach opened up with shingle running visibly north to Kessingland and south down to Covehithe (somewhere I’ve photographed many times). The waves were being thrown against the beach by the inland blowing wind creating flying foam and filling the senses. Little beats experiencing empty beaches.

Within the Walls of the Round Tower

The Round Tower is a medieval structure located at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour and despite being a key defence for many centuries has spent it’s most recent history as an empty, derelict space. The council working with Portsmouth University and in particular Claire Sambrook worked to re-open this space to the public beginning with the Strong Island art exhibition which ran for two weeks at the end of April.

The first visit we had to the tower it was still to be cleared, fixed and improved and I took these photos to try and capture it’s condition before work began to turn it in to gallery space. I’m currently working on a short film that follows the reopening of the tower and the exhibition, more on that soon.