Assignment 3

The purpose of this third assignment has been to consolidate learning so far by producing a photographic essay. I chose as my subject the holiday weekend of 10th/11th/12th October (to commemorate Spain's National Day on 12th October) in the coastal area where I live in Spain and although it was October, the weather was excellent with clear skies and warm weather about 25 degrees C, and there were many people enjoying themselves on the beach and in the bars and restaurants. I took a series of photographs, mainly during Sunday 11th October, which I think capture a typical day by the seaside. From the 25 shots taken, I have chosen the following as being representative. All photographs for this assignment were taken in RAW with a Canon EOS 1000D SLR and Tamron 18 - 270mm lens. Processing was done using Elements 7.

I first of all took my tripod to the nearby fishing port of Sancti Petri to capture some sunrise shots. In October there was some cloud around at sunrise and this ensured some stunning sunrises which I tried to capture.

This first photograph was taken just before sunrise and it has been significantly cropped from the original to give this composition. As well as the colours, I like the horizontal lines formed by the reed banks and water channels as well as the distant hills. Taken at shutter speed of 1/350 secs, f/4.5 at 91mm and ISO 400.

This second shot shows the sun rising over the town of Chiclana and over a number of moored boats around the harbour. I love the reflections in the water and the colour of the sky. The shot was taken at ISO 400 with a shutter speed of 1/250 secs and f/5.6 @ 154mm

During the first hour after sunrise, the sun is very low in the sky and casts long shadows. Taken with the sun over my left shoulder, this photograph of three early morning dog-walkers on La Barrosa beach shows the wonderful light at this time of day The figures were deliberately placed in the right hand upper quadrant of the frame to give the shot a more dynamic quality. Taken at ISO 400with a shutter speed of 1/1000 and f/5.6 @ 270mm.

The other early morning shot that I took was this one looking along the line of the promenade with the sun to my right. The strong shadows from the palm trees can be seem across the beach and, in contrast to later in the day, this is almost deserted. ISO 400, shutter speed of 1/1000 and f/4.5 @59mm.

One of the 'iconic' landmarks of La Barrosa beach is the offshore island of Sancti Petri. I wanted to take a different shot by finding something to frame the island. A piece of equipment in the shape of a boat in the children's playground was ideal with its round portholes looking out to sea. With some difficulty (as the was nowhere to balance a tripod) I managed to get this shot of the island. ISO 400, shutter speed of 1/1000 f/5.6 @119mm.

Later in the day, a number of vendors set up their stalls to sell crafts, 'designer' sunglasses and clothing, real imitation leather goods and caricatures. This colourful stall caught my eye and I have tried to crop it to achieve a balanced composition. ISO 400, shutter speed of 1/1500 secs and f/10 @ 65mm.

The next photograph was taken in the middle of the day and shows that the beach is now in full swing. There is a full time Red Cross (Cruz Roja) presence from a dedicated building, look-out towers, life boats and these vehicles which can be used on the beach. Taken at ISO 400, shutter speed 1/350 secs and f/10 @154mm.

The degree of crowding on the beach can be seen in this shot showing the sweep of the bay towards the luxury hotels seen at the top of the frame. Unlike the Costa del Sol with its high-rise buildings almost to the waters edge, on the Costa de la Luz there are strict building controls with a maximum of three storeys allowed. ISO 400, shutter speed 1/500 secs and f/10 @ 184mm.

I wanted to take some shots to show the hustle and bustle along the promenade as people check out the vendors stalls, make their way to the beach or the cafes or just take an afternoon stroll. This photograph has some strong colours with the red of the umbrella dominating but there are several strong blues - the sky, the lamp posts and the woman's dress on the right hand side. Taken at ISO 400, shutter speed of 1/500 secs at f/10 @77mm.

At the end of the day, the sunsets here can be quite spectacular. Here we have the setting sun with the silhouettes of several people at the waters edge. ISO 200, shutter speed 1/4 secs at f/22 @154mm.

After the sun went down and the lights started to come on the atmosphere around the bars changed and this shot shows the different lighting conditions, but still people are out and about. ISO 200, shutter speed 1/3 secs and f/8 @ 18mm.

I debated what photograph to use as my final shot but decided on this one of a lone fisherman gazing out to sea as it seems to capture an element of calm after a very busy day - I like the colours too!

ISO 200, shutter speed 1/200 secs at f/11 @109mm.

Conclusion

This has been a very interesting assignment and I have tried to produce well composed photographs with good use of colour in different lighting conditions. I am happy with these photographs although I would have liked to be a bit more 'pushy' and had a couple of close up shots of people, but I find this very difficult.