Highbridge and a Spring Tide
A fellow photographer (named Ian, as am I) called me to ask if I'd like to make the trip to Highbridge, Somerset, UK, one evening. One evening when the tide would be coming in and we could photograph some wrecks... Well, yes please!
Now, I have been to Highbridge many times, yet had never been to this inlet which is at the end of a Cul-De-Sac off the main road. We park up and tote our gear across a small bridge over the river, clamber over some stiles and through a turn style gate then down along a raised ridge of a flood plain. Setting up tripods we begin photographing, as we wait for the waters of the Bristol Channel to rise.
At this stage the river level is still relatively low. The weather was perfect with good light even as the sun began to set. The wind though was a little on the brisk side with a cool edge to it. This cold air eventually sapped the warmth from our hands!
These were the two wrecks we'd come to photograph. One, could be forgiven, I reckoned, for initially feeling somewhat underwhelmed, or disappointed even, especially if one were expecting a shipwreck of any kind, as these were damaged and abandoned boat wrecks! Once over that preconception though, these two craft were photogenic and worth the trip.
Once set up and ready for high tide, I wandered around looking for suitable subjects, anything that caught the eye – for black & white...
... such as this metal pole. A ground anchor or mooring post, with a substantial rope attached.
...or this, substantial, reinforced concrete pillar, again with substantial rope attached.
Back to the wrecks themselves which were well out of the river and stranded up on the bank – We couldn't get that close even at low tide though as the ground is water-logged and no, we didn't take Wellies with us and that, in hind sight, was a mistake! There always next time...
Above: a wooden launch. Below: a motorboat with the right rear side missing.
And now, the tide was coming in and the river's water level was rising fast!
Then it was pretty much high tide. Though spring tides can reach higher, this tide didn't disappoint as nevertheless we are photographing from the raised bank at this point. The setting sun casts a beautiful, warm and orange glow over the scene.
The end of the day is amazing to experience at Highbridge on such an evening as this. Whether one is a photographer or otherwise. To say this photographic excursion lifted one's spirits would indeed be a huge understatement. I often think of these outings and usually at length.
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