Norfolk Broads and Coast with Justin Minns FRPS
By Maurice Wright LRPS
Thurne
The day started early with a drive from home to our 5am rendezvous at Thurne Staithe, a time when sensible people are still tucked up safely in their beds. But we are landscape photographers, so what the heck. Our group of six RPS members were warmly greeted by our guide and mentor, Justin Minns FRPS, and following introductions, torches in hand, we wandered down to the area of the Thurne Dyke Drainage Mill to meet the break of day.
As the dawn broke, we were greeted with a light ground mist and an almost clear sky. The sun below the horizon gave a warm glow to the mist and patches of thin cloud. Shooting started well before sunrise, which was at 6:18am. The soft light presented many options for composition and for this first image, I chose portrait format using my 20mm f1.8 prime lens at f11.
Image: First Light at Thurne Dyke Drainage Mill © Maurice Wright LRPS
Shortly after sunrise, Justin led us round to the other side of the Staithe for a different viewpoint. Although the composition was difficult due to the close mooring of boats on this side of the water, the location revealed views looking north along the River Thurne. For this image, I chose my 24 to 120mm f4 zoom lens at f16 and a focal length of 52mm.
Image: Early morning mist on the River Thurne © Maurice Wright LRPS
Turf Fen
At around 7am we returned to our cars and headed north to Turf Fen. We parked in the How Hill Trust car park and headed for the east bank of the River Ant. From there we had views of Boardman’s Drainage Mill to the north and Turf Fen Wind Pump to the south. We walked south towards Turf Fen. En route, we passed a traditional clinker-built Norfolk wherry, a photo opportunity not to be missed. The still water yielded beautiful reflections until a broads cabin cruiser came sailing by. After waiting for the water to settle, I used my 24 to 120mm zoom at f11 and a focal length of 28mm to capture this image.
Moving on further south we came to Turf Fen Wind Pump on the opposite side of the river. Again, Justin was on hand, advising on composition and settings. After trying several different viewpoints, I finally settled on a landscape format with the mill towards the left of the frame, balanced by a small bush towards the right of the frame. 24 to 120mm zoom at f11 and a focal length of 28mm.
We returned to our cars just before 9am to head off to Potter Heigham for breakfast, before moving on to Hapisburgh.
Image: River Ant, Norfolk Wherry, and Boardman’s Drainage Mill © Maurice Wright LRPS
Image: Turf Fen Wind Pump on the River Ant © Maurice Wright LRPS
Happisburgh Beach
Our final stop of the morning was Hapisburgh Beach. Despite the many visitors catching the final days of summer, we found space to explore the sea defences and to try out long exposures using ND filters. The jetty remains caught my attention, again I used my 24 to 120mm zoom at f11 and a focal length of 30mm.
Image: Jetty Remains on Hapisburgh Beach © Maurice Wright LRPS
We headed back to the car park at around noon for our return home, but before packing up and saying our goodbyes, I managed to get this shot of Justin and Co. Not being one for taking ‘selfies’, I am the one missing from the group. This is the Header Image for the article.
Header Image: Justin, and five of the RPS Landscape Group Members (the other one’s behind the lens) © Maurice Wright LRPS
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