Westcountry wanderings » kitesurfing http://www.totnesolutions.com Some views from a walker with a camera... Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:17:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Winter in the Bay – light and activity http://www.totnesolutions.com/2012/01/winter-in-the-bay-light-and-activity/ http://www.totnesolutions.com/2012/01/winter-in-the-bay-light-and-activity/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:20:08 +0000 nigel http://www.totnesolutions.com/?p=2003 The past month or so has brought few photographic opportunities for a variety of reasons sadly.  However some of the images have been quite worthwhile – one of my favourites is here on facebook however that day didn’t produce enough for a blog for me.  This set of images were taken on a single afternoon between Preston and Goodrington a week or so back.  I had planned to go on the moors but the weather was very changeable and I was getting over a slight illness so I opted for something closer to home – this is a sample of the results.

Misty beach in winter

The image above – taken on Paignton beach – is one of my recent favourites.  When I took it I was aware of how the colour of the kite in the distance stood out and it was an obvious candidate for desaturation.  I realised that leaving some of the colour other than just the red of the kite enhanced the mistiness of the images too.

DSC_3743Reflections at Goodrington

The fact that the tide was very low (although not quite a maximum spring tide) made for quite large expanses of beach which were useful to me from a photographic perspective.  The one above of Goodrington  combining crespuscular rays from the sun with great reflections of the clouds and shy in the sand is one of the better images I’ve taken in this part of the Bay.

Flying the kite on Preston beach Kite action on the beach

It wasn’t only me who was making good use of the sands.  Running across both Paignton and Preston beaches a guy was kitesurfing on the sand.  The wind was fairly strong and he was getting some good runs.  His largely red kite could been seen easily and he stood out whether looking into the sun or away.

Windsurfing in the Bay in winter Kite surfing in the Bay

Out at sea a number of people were making the most of the wind and the waves.  The wind was slightly easterly which is the only direction which brings waves into the Bay.  Not enough surf for surfing itself but it appeared good for both kitesurfers and windsurfers and quite a few were out.

Clouds, light and reflections in the bay

Finally heading back to the car and walking the rather wet sands the light, reflections and colours were exceptional.  This burst of sunlight over the promontory between Paignton and Preston beaches seemed to catch the feeling quite well.

Reflections in the sand

A final look back got what was for me another good shot that caught something of the day well.  Far fewer people around now and the tide was turning however that just enhanced the feeling of space on the beach in the late afternoon winter light.  I’ve enjoyed making the most of the coast at very low tides in the past and blogged that a time or two before but that has been largely looking at what can be found in rockpools and the like.  This sense of exploration of the space created made for another dimension for me and a pleasant walk.

]]> http://www.totnesolutions.com/2012/01/winter-in-the-bay-light-and-activity/feed/ 1 Dawn and an easterly wind http://www.totnesolutions.com/2010/03/dawn-and-an-easterly-wind/ http://www.totnesolutions.com/2010/03/dawn-and-an-easterly-wind/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:22:26 +0000 nigel http://www.totnesolutions.com/?p=559

Given the fact that Summer time will start soon making dawn earlier I thought I’d try and catch one before having to get out of bed very early. The forecast was for clear skies (right this time) but I’d missed the forecasted temperatures.

It was pretty close to [...]]]>

Given the fact that Summer time will start soon making dawn earlier I thought I’d try and catch one before having to get out of bed very early. The forecast was for clear skies (right this time) but I’d missed the forecasted temperatures.

It was pretty close to zero with a strong easterly wind blowing into the bay (it is sheltered from all other directions). the tripod was not quite heavy enough to keep the sharpness on some shots. Equally the gloves & rather numb hands made the camera work less than easy.

I did get one or two shots and then went home to thaw out.

Having seen the seas that were running I decided to go back later to get some further shots of the surf.  Easterlies are not that common in the area and, as said above, the bay is sheltered from other directions.  If there is a reasonable swell when they do blow then the surf can get quite interesting.

I’ve certainly seen it far higher than this but this is the first such surf I’ve been able to catch recently.

The beaches in the bay are good for surfing but only when there is a good sea running.  I saw no surfers but  was not the only one taking advantage of the conditions.

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