Second Shoot: - 2nd November 2020
My second location was the Adur valley running along the river Adur from Upper Beeding & Bramber to the footbridge short of the old Shoreham Cement Works. I chose this area as I had noticed during the lockdown in the spring that many people flocked to the area for their “exercise”. Most rode or walked the South Downs Way, which runs down from the direction of Devil’s Dyke crossing the river Adur at the footbridge before going off towards the old church and on the Steyning. It is also a popular route for local dog walkers, hikers, and cyclists.
I made three changes from the first shoot: -
1. Camera – I used a full-frame Canon 5D Mark II (I used a Nikon D5600 for the first shoot)
2. A non-stabilised wide-angle lens – 20-35mm
3. I stuck to a single aperture setting (f11) for all images
Conditions were not as bright as the previous shoot; the cloud cover was variable which made things challenging. When the sun was uncovered there was considerable glare on the river which even with a CPL filter on the lens.
Just as I did in the first shoot there plenty of shooting opportunities with the steady flow of hikers and dog walkers. I used the river and footpaths as my leading lines.
Conclusions: -
The wide-angle lens worked well expanding the field of view though it did require more careful consideration of foreground elements such as vegetation and barriers.