April 2024 Top 3 Picks
As we start a new month it’s time to look back and for me to pick my top 3 photos from last month.
This time it’s April 2024, and I’ve managed to get out a few more times and in a few different locations. This month’s Top 3 highlights the coming of the UK spring and how it draws us to the coast. Two of this month’s selections come from North Devon, with the third from North Norfolk.
April 2024 Winner - It’s Always Ice Cream Weather
It’s Always Ice Cream Weather - Olympus E-M10 Mark II, Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH, ƒ4.5, 1/800, ISO200
My top pick from April 2024 comes from my recent trip to North Devon, and a cold and blustery afternoon on the Westward Ho! seafront. Whilst sat eating a burrito, from Nach Ho! a brilliant little food truck on the seafront, I could see people queueing for an ice cream. This scene sums up us Brits at the seaside, it doesn’t matter what the weather is we are always getting ice cream, a quirk that my Australian wife finds hilarious.
I particularly like this image as I think I have done well in telling the scene's story. We can see the action, with people queueing for their ice cream. We can see it’s not ice cream weather as everyone is rugged up in their coats. And finally, the cool tones of the Ice Cream Van and the building in the background add to the feeling of cold in this image.
April 2024 Runner-Up - Looking Out to Sea
Looking Out to Sea - Olympus E-M10 Mark II, Olympus M. Zeiko 14-42mm, ƒ4.7, 1/1000, ISO200
April’s runner-up pick is also ice cream adjacent, this time it was me queueing for ice cream in less-than-ideal weather. At the start of April, we visited Hunstanton in North Norfolk for my parents’ 40th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated with a day of walking along the beach, some fish and chips, and, of course, an ice cream on the seafront. As we made our way through the lovely Victorian seafront gardens I spotted this lady in a red coat sitting alone looking out to sea.
I like this photo because I was able to catch a rare moment of solitude on this busy seafront. I think the single woman sitting on a bench looking out to sea asks the question of what is she thinking about. For me, this image sums up why many people are drawn to the sea and ocean. Its vastness gives us a sense of contemplation that we never know what is beyond the horizon.
April 2024 Third Place - Broad Park Farmhouse
Broad Park Farmhouse - Olympus E-M10 Mark II, Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH, ƒ1.8, 1/4000, ISO200
April’s third-place photo was taken on our camping trip to Broad Park Camping and Glamping on the final weekend of April. This site has many photogenic features, including goats and alpacas! However, the family’s thatched farmhouse caught my eye, especially as it was lit up by the setting sun.
I like this image because I am now really trying to bring some depth to scenes by using foreground and midground supporting subjects to emphasise my main subject. Here I have used the signpost to try and bring some more depth to this scene. By using an aperture of ƒ1.8 I was able to create a narrow depth of field to focus on the house, whilst the signpost appears out for focus. I feel this draws the eye into the image, giving it that three-dimensional feel.