Moving across the Country
'Morning Light on the Exe'
Me, taken off the Starcross steps early on a Sunday morning, after scouting out locations on the Saturday morning and realising the steps offered an unencumbered view of the water. This particular morning was nice and calm. Late September, 2024.
I have been living in the south of Devon in the south—west of the country for almost 5 months now.
The time has passed by quickly. I arrived at the dawn of summer and am now entering the experience of autumn by the sea. It feels unusual thus far, mainly as throughout my life I have associated the sea purely with summer and being on holiday, but I’m now beginning to see (sea) a new side to it.
I live on the west side of the river Exe estuary and work on the east side of the river. The weather changes really quickly and weirdly can be different from one side to the other - you can set off for work in the sun in a shirt and sunglasses and not realise you’re going to be arriving in the rain, wishing you hadn’t left your coat at home. I’m unsure if I have misremembered the weather of my native East Midlands (and UK in general), but the contrasts here feel more on the extreme side.
The light can be absolutely beautiful. My bedroom window faces the sea - sun rises and sunsets across the water are breathtaking and have become a reason to visit the beach after work or open the curtains early when I wake up. Sometimes the water is completely still, rendering the reflections quite something. I am trying to make them a part of my photography repertoire, which I haven’t had an option of thinking about including previously. They’re tough through: you’re trying to balance the exposure of the bright light against the exposure of what’s around you, which may need a lot more light than the sun needs!
I used to enjoy driving up or down the M1 and a plane landing overhead at East Midlands airport, or arriving into Derby and a train going overhead as my road drops down beneath another. From my view now (where I am writing this from my bedroom bay window at my desk with warm lamp light and a tea) I can see the sea, the river, Exmouth, boats, birds flying by, an occasional train, cars, people, bicycles; lots of moving things. I like situations where I am still but the world is moving around me, especially overlapping views such as these.
On my doorstep is the great combination of both. The calm of the water vs the movement of life in front of it. It’s something I want to make a photographic project of moving forwards. The calm and quiet of Devon vs the busy life which runs right through it.
'An Exmouth Sunset'
Me, on the beach at Exmouth with my tripod as the sun was setting. I was into my first week of living here and visited the sea every day out of amazement that it was so close-by. One evening in early June, 2024.
