stew, Author at Stewart Mckeown Photography

Jan 14

by stew in field report 0 comments tags: field report, folkestone, kent, kent coast

Folkestone Photographic Guide

Folkestone is an increasingly popular town on the East Kent coast which I have visited many times and so I thought I would share my tips for any visiting photographer. The main areas can be broken down into three sections; the harbour arches at Sunny Sands the harbour arm and lighthouse The harbour The rows of brightly coloured fishing boats in the harbour can make for an attractive shot from either direction. My favourite image here was taken just after sunrise with the old railway bridge which intersects the harbour beautifully side lit by golden light. The harbour can completely empty out at low tide which is something to beware of if you are interested in shooting reflections. Blue hour shots can also work well here using the illuminated town and seafront restaurants in the background. Arches at Sunny Sands beach The arches underneath the promenade on Sunny Sands beach are ideal for when the weather or light is not the best. Typical shots include shooting through the gaps to show the arches fade off into infinity, also shooting out to sea towards the harbour arm can work well. The […]

Oct 23

by stew in field report 0 comments tags: borrowdale, castle crag, cumbria, derwent water, hallin fell, lake district, latrigg, tewet tarn

Lake District Autumn 2017

Welcome to this little blog/debrief about my latest trip away to The Lake District. This is my fourth trip here in 5 years. I have been hooked on the place ever since me and my girlfriend drove up from Kent in the Summer of 2013 to camp under the Langdale Pikes. We have since swapped the tent for a cottage in Keswick which has been a good base to explore from. Autumn does bring with it much more rain but generally the conditions are better suited to photography. My plan for this trip was to explore a bit more and to visit new locations rather than to revisit old ones. If the weather did not play ball at least I would have more knowledge to call upon when I came back. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and after the long drive we were in need of a little leg stretch but nothing too taxing. Latrigg which overlooks Keswick was the ideal first location of the holiday. I had not been up here before, although I had seen a lot of images from the viewpoint at the top so I knew I could ease myself into the trip with […]

Oct 18

by stew in field report 0 comments tags: blog, blue hour, dusk, kent, kent coast, margate, photography, reflections, twilight

Margate Seafront: In pursuit of perfect reflections

I thought I’d share with you my pursuit of the above shot taken on Margate seafront at dusk. Those familiar with the area will know there is a small bathing pool on the beach that you can walk along at all but the highest tides which is where I (eventually) got these reflections. It did take me a few dedicated trips though to find it myself, as in the past I have tended to neglect Margate for the nearby beaches in Broadstairs which I am slowly correcting. When I did finally explore one evening I found my way to the pool just a bit too late and with the wind slightly too strong for mirror-like reflections but the game was on. Over the next weeks and months I kept an eye on the forecast waiting for an evening with very low wind. With the location being quite exposed on the coast, these conditions didn’t occur that often and even when they were forecast to, the slightest side wind would make things ‘interesting’..! I was quite happy with these results but I would need to go back again for the panoramic view of the seafront. Shooting […]

May 01

by stew in printing 0 comments tags: epson, fotospeed, home printing, landscape, paper, photography, printing

Why Print?

I’ve recently bought a printer and started printing my images; but why? Printing is expensive. Inks, paper, the printer itself all cost a lot of money, something I have little of so it took a long time to convince myself to go through with it. Here are my reasons… Yep, so we’ve all heard that ‘there’s nothing like a real print in your hand’ sentiment, but it’s true. Viewing an image on screen cannot match having that print in front of you to scrutinise and marvel at and for those special images you’re really proud of, it’s great to have them on your wall or in a portfolio. Ok, so why not just send it off to a professional printers? Yes, well I’ve been doing that for a few years and it was working out alright. I had gone through a few different companies and I ended up finding a really good printer who produced nice work, quickly and for a reasonable price. All of this work was the traditional C-type prints on a Lustre paper which worked out fine for the odd portrait shoot I did but for my own landscape images it fell short. I looked into getting […]

Jan 26

by stew in field report 0 comments tags: bamburgh, budle bay, castle, field trip, holy island, landscape, lighthouse, lindisfarne, north-east, northumberland, photography, scottish borders, st abbs

North-East Photography Trip Report

I’ve just returned from the best part of a week away in Bamburgh, Northumberland. This is my second Winter photo trip after escaping to the epic West Cornwall coast last year. I like going away at this time of year as there are less people about so you’ll often have the place to yourself, accomodation is much cheaper and the coast can be wild and stormy; my favourite. Day 1 I arrived shortly after dusk and checked into the Victoria Hotel in Bamburgh. I set out to quickly gather my bearings and look around the village which consisted of a couple hotels and shops. The castle dominates the view, in its size and the fact it was the only thing lit up at night. The rest of the village was in pitch blackness which is not quite what I’m used to in Kent. I began to walk along The Wynding but I was unprepared to exploring in the dark so I turned back although the sound of the coast was impressive and wet my appetite for the following morning. Day 2 One shot I was keen to get while on this trip was of Bamburgh Castle reflected in the […]

Nov 24

by stew in field report 0 comments tags: coast, dover, field report, kent, landscape, long exposure, photography, seascape, st. margaret's bay, white cliffs

St. Margaret’s Bay Field Report

St. Margaret’s Bay Field Report The other week I made two trips down to St. Margaret’s Bay nr Dover at sunrise. It’s a place I’ve been to many times before and in the past I’ve come back with some nice images. I wanted to visit again as at this time of year the sun rises directly out to the middle of the sea and with a high tide forecast I thought I could get some good shots of the incoming waves at sunrise. Of course that didn’t quite work out did it…! The tide turned out to be so high and rough that I couldn’t get down onto the beach far enough to reach the nice round pebbles this bay has. I persisted probably a bit too long before admitting defeat and moving on. By now the sun was coming up and casting nice golden light onto the far cliffs so I quickly shifted to a tried and tested shot to make use of the light. Although its a view I’ve shot before I’m glad I did as the rough waves have really add something different. As it happens a few minutes after this the clouds rolled in and the […]