For the last few years a few of my fellow photographers and I get together for an annual meet at Dungeness Beach in Kent, England. This year we went for July 26th and 27th with a sunset at about 9.30pm followed by some night shots, then up again for sunrise at 4.00am … we won’t do that again I’ll tell you! …well actually we might, because the sunrise was particularly impressive and beautiful, we all worked the scenes hard and left a few hours later very happy yet totally exhausted.
Dungeness Beach. A photographic documentary.
Their’s something uncanny about Dungeness beach, its isolation down on the tip of Kent leaves it with a ghost town feel, and although its within the highly populated south eastern tip of the UK, somehow, because all journeys end here, there’s no through traffic, no rush hour or peak time, the people come and go quietly, the place is restful and confidently at peace with itself and altogether happy with its bleak, bleached and wind blasted coastline. In fact the coastal waters along this stretch hold more hidden secrets than you’d realise … If you ever walk across the beach at the Dungeness tip, be careful not to tumble over the bank of pebbles at its edge into the sea, because its not too far out before the sea bed drops into deep ocean. Its that deep ocean that tugs at the fishermen we watched preparing that morning, before the light had flooded the sea they where up and running their boat down the shingle bank, rods baited and cast almost before the boat left the beach, and I can image, it wasn’t long before they hauled in their first catch.
Some of the sunrise shots first … More from this set can be found within the SnappingBishop Gallery. (opens in new window)
Sunrise. 4.10am
The day.
We met at the Pilot pub as normal … cool drinks and good fresh fish and chips.
The Newer Automated Lighthouse at Dungeness.
Near deep sea fishing ..
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The Old Dungeness Lighthouse and keepers house. Two exposures, merged top and bottom.
The bait…
The fish…
Yea old lighthouse. Two 10mm wide angle exposures merged top and bottom.
Below is a small selection from my previous vivists …more like these can be found within in the Snapping Bishop Gallery. (opens in new window)
