River Blyth, evening, low tide

Date: August 2007

Camera: Ebony RSW45
Lens Schneider 80mm Super Symmar
Exposure: not recorded
Film: Velvia 100

This location is extremely difficult to reach and is only really usable during a brief period of the year. The spring and summer is out of the question because of the risk of disturbance to breeding birds. In the winter, the river holds many thousands of wintering wildfowl and waders, so again, access can not be contemplated without a huge impact on wildlife. There is, however, a short period after the end of the breeding season and before the numbers of wintering birds has built up, when the river is relatively quiet, and that's when this picture was taken.

From this position, the photographer looks almost due north, so the best light occurs either early or late in the day. The tide also plays its part, so careful planning and a fair amount of luck are needed if all the elements are to come together successfully. This picture is my best attempt so far, and I like the way the different pictorial elements - the wind blown foreground, the channels and wooden posts in the mud and the curvy clouds - all have their own distict personality, yet add something interesting to the whole. Nevertheless, I don't think this image is the best that can be taken here and I'll be back again in the years to come, hoping to improve on this one.