This picture, of the Corfe Castle countryside at 5.30am, represents a very large slice of humble pie I have to eat.I always used to say "I can't see the merits of rolling out of bed at some unearthly hour and putting yourself to goodness knows what discomfort for a sunrise when you can get a good picture anytime". I also (wrongly) said "What's the point in just specialising in one subject, like seascapes, when there's so much out there to photograph."
Ah!!
I was privileged to be invited down to Dorset to meet up with five other photographers who I had only communicated with over the internet. It was a little daunting, knowing their level of expertise and creativity but hey, go for it, I thought.
We had about 3 and a half hours sleep a night over three nights, snapping sunrises at 4am and sunsets at 10.30pm and was completely shattered at the end of it, but (and a very big but) I had an appreciation of the 'why' to both my previous misconceptions.
We saw some magical scenes and was present at some unique shooting opportunities. Mostly I feel honoured to have spent time with such dedicated photographers who really show their passion and comittment to their field of interest.
Despite the years I've been snapping I learned a lot and I suppose the moral is, always keep an open mind and expose yourself to new challenges. For example, out of the new friendships and collaboration we produced a book of stunning photos and moments, that can be seen at: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/710154
