One thing that I have learnt over the last 10 years of pursuing photography as both a hobby and an income (has it really been 10 years since I had my first ever image published?), is that you should approach each shoot with an open mind and a willingness to employ a flexible approach to the subject should it be required. The last couple of days I have passed photographing various subjects throughout Northumberland, have once again reinforced the importance of having a Plan B.
Yesterday my problems were with snow and the difficulties associated with hiking through it. My first plan had been to hike down the Breamish Valley within the National Park, with the goal of reaching a suitable viewpoint overlooking the Cheviot itself. My progress was slowed down by snow and I decided to work from a lower elevation in the valley to ensure that I could return to my parked car by dusk. The Cheviot had to wait but I turned my camera towards the valley and surrounding hills - returning home with a handful of memorable winter images.
With the promise of a good weather forecast, I left my house at 5.30AM this morning and drove north towards Ross Sands along the Northumberland Heritage Coast. Why can a promise from a weather forecaster never be 100% trusted! As I drove towards my destination, a large blanket of cloud started to appear on the horizon - and I started to get worried! As I reached Alnwick, I decided to use Plan B - Cullernose Point.
I reached Cullernose Point and I was delighted to see that the blanket of cloud had remained in the north - just. It was almost as if the point I was about to photograph was the divide between the cloud and the clear skies.
I had two minutes of exquisite light before the blanket of cloud finally obscured the rising sun as it steadily started to hug the north-east coast. I doubt that I would have even taken a photo this morning if I had not taken the decision to abandon my trip to Ross Sands. Plan B worked... and I returned home with one of my favourite images to date!
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