'Last Light'

Standing at the edge of the creek, watching the geese fly by in search of their nearby roosting grounds, I had mixed emotions running through my head as I waited for the light to become 'just right' thereby allowing me to trip the shutter of my trusty Nikon D4. It was a beautiful end to what had been a lovely day on the North Norfolk Coast. Burnham Overy Staithe was tranquil, the sun just beginning to set behind the attractive white boat house on the little quay front, the light disappearing fast. It's at times like these that you can't quite imagine just how hostile the British coastline can be and it takes certain events to snap you back into reality. Not eighteen hours earlier, just several miles along the coast to the east at Cley Next The Sea, four American servicemen had lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident whilst out on an exercise, their bodies yet to be recovered. At the time of writing this it is not known what caused the helicopter to crash, but it is believed the aircraft may have hit a small flock of geese as it passed low over the marshes bringing it down. I think the reason why I had mixed emotions at that time, standing there in such peaceful surroundings, was because it really made me think about the little things in life and how much we take them for granted on a daily basis. We can be here one minute and gone the next, events can happen incredibly quickly. Sometimes it pays to just stop for a while and take in the beautiful scenery and natural history that we have all around us and appreciate it for what it is, no more no less. The noise of a jet aircraft caught my attention, snapping me back to reality, and as I looked skyward I saw a Tornado GR4 flying above me performing tight turns and a couple of barrel rolls and loops. It looked to be having such fun for several minutes until finally it levelled out, lit it's burners and sped off  in a South Easterly direction, the crew no doubt smiling and laughing at their antics. The noisy engines a vivid bright orange against the darkening sky fading into the distance, everything becoming quiet once again. Bad weather was approaching, the Cirrus clouds gave indication to this, but they also completed the composition I was after. The boat, the boat house and now finally the sky were how I envisaged them so I pressed the shutter release, happy I'd captured the image I desired. I carefully packed my gear away and started to walk back to the car, mixed emotions still running through my mind, the events of the last eighteen hours still raw. But I was satisfied. Satisfied because I'd somehow managed to capture my own thoughts and emotions in this one photograph. As time ticks by the image will provide me with many memories of that one cold day in the depths of winter, both good and bad, tranquil and even melancholic... As a photographer that's all I can ask for.

Last Light