Weston-Super-Mare Seafront

“No Paddling”

I had a different image in mind here. My initial plan was to take a two-minute exposure and smooth out the waves. But after making this image, I started shooting 6-second frames and back on the computer—and in print—I like the shorter exposures better. I’ve learned to never have a fixed idea of how to shoot a scene until you see how the conditions and composition are developing in the field—with landscape photography, I’ve learned to embrace the unexpected. However, when the unexpected is water leaking in through a hole in your waders, it is less than welcome. Top tip: don’t wear work clothes under waders when sneaking in a shoot on the way to a meeting, and if you do, always check for holes beforehand. In hindsight, maybe my preference for the dramatic shorter exposures of this boating pond has something to do with my early morning soaking… Or maybe the moody clouds and frothing water just lent themselves better to this approach.