photography Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Stewart Mckeown Photography

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 […]