I have mentioned in a previous post, here, my visit to Bempton Cliffs and the RSPB site located on the north east coast of England in search of Puffins. There is something about this place, aside from the puffins, that makes me want to keep coming back. The only impediment is the 500+ miles round trip between us. On an initial visit I had used a Nikon D300 and a subsequent visit with a D500. So since my photography is almost exclusively on film these days another visit to Bempton Cliffs was definitely on the to do list.
Timing was important, because too early and the Puffins would be sitting on eggs and there would be very little activity. On the other hand too late and they would be gone. So with the weather forecast saying a beautiful sunny day and it being the 10th July, things seemed ideal for a visit. But it would have to be a day trip this time. Would it be worth it?
Which camera to take ? I initially thought of the Nikon F5 or F4 principally for their speed and focusing abilities. But I didn’t want this to be a “spray and pray” exercise, rather I wanted to be a little more thoughtful in my image taking. I then thought about their weight. I didn’t want to be loaded down as I was going to be taking my Nikon D500…. just in case.
I decided on the Nikon FE for its Matrix metering and lightness. Also, I was going to be taking my Nikkor 500mm reflex f8 lens. Using the aperture priority Nikon FE would mean that it would automatically look after the metering leaving me to literally concentrate on focusing on the subject. Additionally I could opt for centre weighted spot metering if I wanted it. Simple photography!
What about film? I limited myself to a roll of Rollei Retro 400S and one roll of Fujifilm 200 colour film slightly out of date by 4 years.
Getting up and out by 5am 🥱 we arrived at a sunny and warm Bempton at just after 10am. 😎
As you walk towards the cliffs edge all is relatively quiet and peaceful. When you get to the edge …Wow The cacophony of bird sounds and the pungent smell really hits you , literally😲
Looking in land. Although only slightly out of date there is definitely a purple colour cast, as you can see above and below, but not in every photo?
A pair of gannets grooming
An example of the Nikon FE’s basic matrix metering in evidence above. Although the gannet is blown out I rather like the image.
And you thought your neighbours were close!
There is an abundance of flaura around the location. I was interested in what I think is a Salsify seed head caught by the sun.
Not to forget the fauna as well. This Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly sat long enough sunbathing to allow me to capture it.
Some Razorbills surveying there surroundings.
Ah..the star of the day. Doing a search on the web , I was surprised at how little we know about the puffin.
Above the Nikon FE with the Nikkor 80-200mm f4.5
The same distance but with the Nikkor 500mm reflex f8
On the cliffs below, out of sight were a number of puffin groups. They would launch themselves off the cliff allowing a brief moment to capture them as they went out to sea, and out of sight, in search of food. I was keen to try to capture one in flight.
On my way home I wore a large grin on my face.😁 Everything had worked out so well. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile visit on so many levels.
My choice of camera and lenses were definitely the right one. They worked seamlessly so that I could enjoy the visit as well as the photography. If only there were some way to make the journey closer. Beam me up scotty!
arhphotographic 