Go Fife: Seafield, Kirkcaldy

Seafield beach, Kirkcaldy on a Thursday afternoon in late March.  I arrived with about an hour to go before low tide (due at 4pm) to see the waves rolling in and a bit of colour in the heavy sky so stayed for about 2 hours.  Was absolutely baltic but you tend to forget the cold when you absorb yourself in rocks and waves and cleaning filters and watching for rogue waves (above).  

An Inukshuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by the Inuit and other peoples of the Arctic regions of North America. The Inukshuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps or hunting grounds as well as other uses.  Today I decided to build my own version of an Inukshuk using big boulders next to the sea.  As the tide was due to come back in it would be temporary only but would serve as a prop.  The stormy weather migrated westward and was replaced by a brief interval of blue sky before more overcast conditions signalled an end to the best light at which time I called it a day.

Seafield beach is on the south side of Kirkcaldy.  Accessed from Seafield Road, off Kinghorn Road (A921).  The gate to the car park is automatically controlled to open at 6:30am and close at 10:30pm.  There is a height restriction for cars only.  

Go Fife: December sunrise, Seafield, Kirkcaldy

A really dramatic sunrise today in the company of Stuart Low and Scott Masterton.  My first sunrise shoot so the adrenaline was flowing. Was minus something when we arrived and the beach was covered in frost when we packed up.  The tide was on its way out so we had to constantly move down the rocks.  The sky was full of black clouds which added a touch of menace to the already dramatic scene.  

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Although it looks like the type of scenery you would find in The Lord of the Rings, this is the Fife coast between Kirkcaldy and Kinghorn.  Seafield beach to be precise, on the south side of Kirkcaldy.  Accessed from Seafield Road, off Kinghorn Road (A921), the gate to the car park is automatically controlled to open at 6:30am and close at 10:30pm. There is a height restriction for cars only but the parking is free.  

We all set up at different positions along an area of the shore south of Seafield Tower, about a mile from the car park.  The rocks here are tilted and slope into the sea with the channels between being tidal. I got the above shot a few minutes after sunrise having noticed the big rounded boulder was glowing orange in the corner of my eye.  Had to quickly reposition and check all my settings to make sure I got the shot as opportunities like this are rare. 

  All images taken with a Canon EOS 5D mk II with Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens and Lee ND Grad filters helped with the dynamic range.