Confessions of a Litter Picker
Martin Litchfield from Doncaster Camera Club, has been to Scunthorpe a couple of times as a judge. On this occasion however he entertained the club with a selection of his own slides. In his spare time, Martin is a volunteer for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the conservation charity for Yorkshire which manages 80 reserves, covering over 6000 acres. One of these is the Spurn National Nature Reserve, where Martin volunteers as a litter picker, clearing rubbish up that has washed up on the reserve .
Martin described Spurn Point as a wild & remote place, which has lovely walks, shifting sands, war bunkers, and a disused lighthouse! It is similar in shape to a big spoon, and vulnerable to the tide, losing 2 meters a year. Many of the old villages have been a victim to the coastal erosion over the years.
His photographs illustrated the rawness of the Humber estuary and the constant changes in cloud, wind, weather and light. Spurn Point is a location where all 4 seasons can happen in one day. Martin demonstrated how this can make for challenging but stunning photography. There is also no protection against thunderstorms, Martin’s advice was shoot quickly to capture the dramatic constant changes, and move even faster for shelter ...
The ever changing light was used to good effect on Martin’s wave shots. He recommended taking both slow and fast shutter speeds for an interesting array of shots. Other interesting subject matter included underground war bunkers. These have no defense against the North Sea, and are now emerging on the beach. Martin had also taken some photographs of old Victorian defenses now left to erode, which made lovely rusty distressed images. He also captured the interesting shapes of the groynes – elephants , masks and pigs were all there to be discovered. Martin demonstrated how fishing nets make good strong eye catching images, in both colour and mono.
Martin warned of the mudflats on the Spurn, where you can find yourself sinking if you remain stationery for long. Windy sand storms on Spurn Point can also be a problem for photographers, who need to be careful changing lenses. He had recently acquired a new fish eye lens and was having fun with his ‘new toy’. Martin demonstrated how the lens was ideal for landscapes with its lovely curvature. It also came into its own with the lighthouse images with those wonderful skies.
A lot of wild life can be found at Spurn Point but, but requires big lenses. The mudflats are a major feeding ground for wading birds. However Martin photographed other wildlife, including tiger moths, millipedes and seals. As well as his own slides , Martin also presented other relevant images including fascinating old Victorian pictures taken by a photographer who had rowed across to Spurn Point from Grimsby!
A series of images on Spurn Point would not be complete without photographs of the boats which use the Humber. Deep water channel tankers from Immingham come through, guided by the busy Humber Pilots which guide all the ships and ferries in the Humber. Martin had also captured dramatic images of the lifeboats and crew in action.
The Crown & Anchor pub proved to be an ideal place for sunset shots, west facing over water. Martin captured some spectacular photographs of the excellent sky patterns, and sunset light coming though the groynes. Fisherman also added nice silhouettes.
In his closing remarks, President Elect Vic Llewellyn thanked Martin, who’s enthusiasm had held the avid interest of his audience throughout a most informative and entertaining evening. Martin had demonstrated with his stunning photography that if you keep your eyes open its surprising what you can see…
