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Kent is where London goes for fresh air and to get its feet wet. England grows much of it's fruit & veg here, plus hops for it's ale and grapes for eye-wateringly expensive English wine. Turner painted many revered landscapes and seascapes in Kent and Tracy Emin was forged here.
I came to Kent from London in 2023. I knew nobody and spent a year just walking on the beaches taking photos. My first photography exhibition came from those walks (East Kent Open Studios 2024).
Photography wise, Kent is a different country to London. It has fewer people and they move more slowly. It has a geographical horizon where the UK slides into the English channel with France looking back from the other side. It has more space and no smog so the air is more fresh. All sweetness and light apart from the stale whiff of right-wing politicians promising miracle cures and occasional turds bobbing in the sea-water.
Street photography isn't so easy here, but there are shots to be had (especially in the holidays when London descends to Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Folkestone, Faversham, Sandwich, Whitstable, Dover and my home town of Deal).
Better to follow Turner's lead and the light for landscapes and seascapes. Golden hour is often glorious and there are nights when the sky is speckled with stars and a fat moon bathes the coastline in silvery light.
On Landscape days I go to deserted places during golden hour and pray for good light.
I find scenes that make good compositions - background, foreground, middle ground, lines converging on a subject, etc. Background is the sky - don't go out if its flat grey clouds or no clouds. Subjects can be trees, boats (on seascapes), solitary buildings or random objects you chance upon. Usually no people but one or two wandering in adds seasoning.
Whereas street shots are over in the blink of an eye, landscapes generally take some time to set up. Move around the subject until the composition clicks and adjust the settings until the exposure is right (watch the histogram).
As with street work, wide angles are the best - 28mm and 43mm for me - with a tripod for low light settings. The tripod allows slow shutter speeds without losing the sharpness you need for good prints.
Settings are adjusted for the light. If its handheld I'll open up the aperture to f/4 and slow the shutter to 1/30 second. With a tripod I will slow the shutter right down and close the aperture to f/11 or smaller for a sharper image. I still leave ISO on auto but reduce the range to 400 or 800 max.
Important to always shoot in RAW format. It gives you much more freedom in the editing stage.
If you like any of the images in this gallery, send a message here. Limited edition fine art prints are available in sizes from A5 to A0.