A project can be a great aid to creativity, in this blog I describe my project to make a book of images of the North Kent coast.
Why a Project?
I’ve previously found projects a helpful way to enable creativity. My wife and I have, for example, visited the small Greek island of Paxos many times and I have taken (on a digital camera) all the obvious “big view” shots. I have found it helpful to pick a topic such as “blue things” or “shutters and doors” to focus on during a holiday. Having a project in mind enables me to spot images I would not otherwise have noticed.
Whitstable Photographic Group set members a challenge for the 2021 – 2022 season, to “create a project”. I decided to shoot B&W film on the local Kent coast between Whitstable and Broadstairs, and present it as a book. I already had some photos of the area, the project was a perfect opportunity to add more images using my “new” Mamiya 6.
Mountains and Lakes in Miniature
I started making new images at Dumpton Gap near Broadstairs. It’s a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” with unusual flint and chalk formations on the beach. The first time I visited, the light was flat and grey but the “mountains and lakes in miniature” still showed promise. I decided to return when there was low sunlight falling across the beach, to give the shapes more definition. I returned a month later, an hour before the published sunset time, only to discover the “mountains” were about to go into shadow because the sun was going behind the cliffs! I worked fast and grabbed a few shots, but I’ll have to go back again. Kent is a part of England where landscape photographers work hard because we have no mountains or lakes; these miniature landscapes at Dumpton Gap are the nearest I’ve found.
On my first visit to Dumpton Gap I also noticed some curved railings and thought they would make an interesting shot when they were casting a shadow, but on my return, a café had opened and there were tables and chairs standing on the shadows! I made the best of it, creating a picture looking in the other direction, showing people at the café. The curved shadow shot will have to wait for next winter when the café is closed.
More Curved Railings
At Broadstairs, I found a good view from the cliff top of some curved railings, I liked the result but again felt I needed to return when the light was more directional, and the tide was in, to cover the untidy, distracting pebbles. The plan was to use a long exposure to smooth the water and create a simple composition. Sadly, on my return, weeds had grown on the cliff top and I could no longer get a clear shot of the scene! I couldn’t do any “gardening” because the weeds were growing on the wrong side of a fence, right next to a dangerous drop. This is another shot which will have to wait for next winter, when the tide is in and the weeds have died back.
Walking back to where I had parked the car, I spotted some handrails disappearing into the sand with the high tide lapping around them and decided to make some images there. The railings were in the shadow of the cliffs but I think this was helpful, keeping the contrast down. I picked a shutter speed of 1/125th to capture a little movement in the water and am quite pleased with the result.
Tidal Pools
This stretch of coast is blessed with a number of tidal bathing pools, they make great images just as the receding tide uncovers them. Sadly, I have not managed to get the timing quite right and so far, I only have a shot of the one at Minnis Bay, and that was taken about 30 minutes too late, with a bit of distracting beach visible. Getting there just as the tide reveals the pool, on a calm day, with good light and an interesting sky, when I’m not at work, has proved to be a challenge.
Still to come
In addition to the locations already mentioned, I’ve also covered Whitstable, Tankerton, Herne Bay and Hampton. There are many locations I’ve not yet shot on film, including the ruined church at Reculver and the town of Margate. Do you have any suggestions for locations between Whitstable and Broadstairs that I’ve missed?
Presentation
I decided to present the project as a book in a ring-binder. It’s not the most stylish presentation but has the advantage that pages can be added or replaced as I make new images. I created the publication using Affinity Publisher from Serif Software, it’s very good value and easy to use. I printed the pages on Fotospeed A4 Mat Duo 240 paper because it is double-sided and not too expensive. I think the mat finish suits black and white film, too. I was tempted by the Fotospeed Easy Books but don’t think this paper would lay very flat in one, it's quite thick and stiff. In future I might try spiral binding which would look better than the ring binder and allow the pages to stay flat, but I need to buy a machine to try it out! Do you have any thoughts on ways to present this project?
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