There is a great 6km walk around the Butt of Lewis, the most northerly point in the Outer Hebrides and one of the windiest places in the UK. As well as the dramatic coastal path that often hugs the top of the steep cliffs, the walk also takes in the 37m high red-brick lighthouse built by the famous Stevenson family in 1862:
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
A dark atmospheric rendering of a familiar subject for me….Perch Rock Lighthouse at New Brighton:
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
The small lighthouse on the tidal island of Llanddwyn, Anglesey, marks the western entrance to the Menai Strait:
© Mark Simms Photography (2016)
The South Stack Lighthouse near Holyhead has stood watch for over 200 years, warning ships sailing the Irish Sea that danger lurks on Anglesey’s rocky coast:
© Mark Simms Photography (2016)
Sunset at Perch Rock Lighthouse in New Brighton, Wirral……..one of my favourite local photography haunts:
© Mark Simms Photography (2015)
Before I was so rudely interrupted by the inclement weather, I was posting about our recent trip to Whitby. So to get my photoblog back on track, here is a telephoto shot of the lovely little lighthouse standing guard at the entrance to Whitby’s harbour:
More shots of Whitby to follow in the next few days…..
© Mark Simms Photography (2013)
I had a day-off work yesterday and decided to go to the cinema at New Brighton in the afternoon to watch “Zero Dark Thirty” (and yes it is a good film and well worth a trip to the local picture house).
When I came out it was late afternoon/early evening and it had just finished raining – the combination of cloudy twilight with post-rain reflections was simply too good to miss. So, rather than heading home immediately, I grabbed the camera and tripod from the boot of the car and decided to take advantage of this unplanned photo opportunity.
All the above were taken with my Canon EF-S 15-85mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM lens locked-off on a tripod, with long exposures from four to ten seconds at F16.
I’ve got some other photos from the same shoot (but on a slightly different theme) that I’ll post soon – so watch out for those if you’re interested…..
Copyright: © The Photography of Mark Simms (2013). All rights reserved.
I find lighthouses to be particularly photogenic subjects. They are fascinating buildings in their own right, but they also make good focal points for coastal landscapes/seascapes. So to have this one only a 20 minute drive away from home is great and it has definitely become another of my favourite local photography spots.
What helps is that at low-tide Perch Rock lighthouse is easily accessible…..you can, pretty much, get right up to the base and walk around the outside. In addition because New Brighton is west-facing (well probably more northwest to be accurate) the light from the setting sun can be fantastic at times.
It might surprise you to learn that there has been a lighthouse just off the coast of New Brighton since the 1680’s. The existing building, which stands 90 feet tall, was built between 1827 and 1830. It was decommissioned in the 1970’s.
Copyright: © The Photography of Mark Simms (2012). All rights reserved.
