Paddy’s Hole

One of my favourite places on the North East coast.  There is something about the incongruity of the boats in this industrial landscape that appeals to me.  Even though this place is often flagged as a photographers `hotspot’ I rarely get anything that pleases me, but there again I’m not sure we’ve ever visited when the light is really stunning.  Last nights sunset would have been ideal.  I quite like this one where the sky adds to the drama and leaving photography aside, we always enjoy our visits.  Yesterday we had several interesting conversations with locals who also enjoy the place and learnt of new places to visit (a shame we are going home today, but there is always next time).  

I spent a little time trying to capture the moving blades of the wind farm out in the bay.  I think my favourite is the first one I took - no movement but the best composition and light.  I didn’t think it was going to work because of the grassy bank in the foreground but it does!  Better than all of the others.  My polarising filter wasn’t enough to slow the shutter speed down with the result that I ended up overexposing to get the movement which I have been able to correct in Lightroom.  I’m not sure about these yet, maybe I need to live with them for a while!

Oh and I did manage to capture a very nice male Common Blue when it eventually settled on a vetch plant in the grass.  There were several blues flitting around the bench where we ate lunch.  Also quite a few small whites, several meadow browns and where I stopped to take photos of the retired blast furnace I spotted a very tatty speckled wood.  A lovely day ending in Saltburn at the supermarket to buy food for our evening meal.