On a part commercial shoot and shooting for pleasure yesterday I headed off for Southampton and surrounding areas for some landscapes. The weather in Bournemouth in the morning was absolutely glorious, so I grabbed my kit and jumped in the car!!
One of the downsides of being a photographer when shooting outside is having the uncertainty of the weather - but this also adds to the excitement as well. As I travelled towards the M27 with the New Forest each side of me, I was regretting not having grabbed my sunglasses, it was so bright. I got to Southampton and it started clouding over a little, but not to be put off I drove on.
As I got to the port area there was a huge sign saying "Queen Mary - Dock Gate 10" ....wow!! Brilliant! I said all my thank you's to those who were obviously looking over me and made my way to where the QM was. I entered a car park to find myself surrounded by high metal fencing - and although I could see her - there was no clear shot. I got out of the car and the sky seemed to darken immediately.
Light is a photographers best friend, we spend hours waiting for "that" light, but I didnt have hours! I tried a few shots - but knew they weren't what I wanted, so having wasted £2.30 on 2 hours parking for 10 minutes, I headed off again. I spotted a multi storey car park and figured that if I drove to the top of it that would be a fantastic view of QM in all her glory, but as I approached the car park entrance I was waved down by a guy in a high viz jacket and told I couldnt go in the car park! Great!!
Thankfully I carried on round and went into the Town Quay and although the weather was still not with me I fired off some shots of her and was much happier with the view.
As soon as I got back in my car and drove out of the city the sun came out in all her glory!!