Dunstanburgh Castle

Northumberland is a diverse county with an almost infinite variety of potential photographic subjects. With a land area of approximately 2000 square miles, and including such highlights as the ruined magnificence of Hadrian’s Wall and the large, unspoilt areas of open wilderness in the Cheviots, there is no possibility of running out of new material anytime soon.

One of my favourite photographic locations in Northumberland is the jagged remains of Dunstanburgh Castle, a mile north of the fishing village of Craster, and one of my favourite views of the castle is that from the beach looking toward the Lilburn Tower.

There are many potential interpretations of this view. A summer sunrise is a good time to create an image of the tower. The sun, rising in the northeast is in the perfect place to light up both the castle and the dramatic wedge of Greymare Rock that it stands upon. In winter however, the sun rises behind the castle and so sunset is a potentially more rewarding time to create an image.

In this photograph, the pink and grey expanse of Embleton Bay is the dominant subject and the Lilburn tower has been reduced to a lonely speck on the horizon. There is a quiet tranquillity to this image thanks to the evening colours reflecting on the sea, and the motion of the waves over the rocks has been softened by the use of a long shutter speed. On my next visit there I’m sure conditions will be different again, and so an entirely different image will be created. Such is the wonder and joy of Northumberland, that there are numberless possibilities even in the same location.