A recent 4am start saw me
pack my camera gear and head out of Stockton on Tees to do some early morning North East commercial photography, at a well-known beauty spot, South Gare, near Redcar. This is an
area of reclaimed land and breakwater on the South side of the river Tees, and
is a popular spot for fishermen and walkers, as well as offering a safe harbour
to any ships caught in stormy weather.
Skipping breakfast doesn’t really
agree with me, but I was anxious to catch the pre-dawn light. I’ve got a useful
phone app called Sun Scout that tells me when sunrise is and in what position – a handy gadget
when I’m doing commercial photography or architecture, and need to know exactly
where the sun will cast its shadow on a building.
I’m a big fan of what we professional photographers call the ‘golden hour’ – the time when the sun is
rising and setting. The quality of the light is fantastic, particularly in the
morning when it has an purple tinge that gradually turns orange, and looks
fantastic with a blue sky. I have to work quickly though, in lighting terms so
much can change in just 15 minutes.
As the sun comes up it adds
a richness that lights everything up and the colour is so intense. And sunrise
on a cold, crisp day has such a clarity that in a seaside location like this I
would be able to see right into ships’ cabins out to sea.
As I walked to the end of
South Gare I could see some fishermen had beaten me to it and were already
setting up, presenting dark silhouettes against the sea. A drift of cobwebs
hung with dewdrops were sparkling, and I managed to get quite close
to a group of seabirds which were sunning themselves on the wet rocks as the
day came to life.
The views here are
spectacular, and no two days are the same. On the South side the view is towards
Teesside a well photographed location and a lovely sight when the sun is setting. And looking with a really
long lens in the opposite direction you can just see Redcar and even get a
glimpse of Sunderland too if you look up the coast.
In my 25+ years as a North East editorial, corporate and commercial photographer I’ve learned that a good shot doesn’t always have
to have the obvious ‘aah’ factor, there’s a lot of beauty to be found in an
industrial landscape too, particularly when it’s shot in black and white.
People often slate Teesside for its industrial setting, but the juxtaposition
of industrial and natural beauty can throw up some really amazing shots.
The pictures I took at South
Gare were for my own pleasure, I have approach shipping companies, commercial businesses and stock libraries with my early morning pictures and looking at using them in a callendar.
I had a much-needed
breakfast at McDonald’s in Redcar on the way back, before heading off to Rockliffe Hall in Darlington to do some corporate portrait photography for a large corportate business.
As I passed people heading
into Middlesbrough on their way to work I reflected that as their day was
starting, mine was almost half way through. I don’t mind the early starts and
late finishes though, I don’t charge my clients extra for unsociable hours -
they are well worth it in my quest for the perfect shot.
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