Robin Hood's Bay, a photo from North Yorkshire, England

Photographer's Note

About 10 miles south of Runswick Bay of my previous mini-series (and past Whitby), down the northeast coast, lies another picturesque seaside village with houses built into the cliffs. This one is called Robin Hood’s Bay, although there is no evidence of any connection to the Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest. At low tide it is a good source for fossil hunters.
There is evidence of settlement there as early as Saxon times, followed by Norsemen (Vikings). The first recorded reference to it is not until1536 when it is mentioned by Henry VIII’s topographer, and in 1540 it had 50 cottages, which for the time, was a big settlement. In the 16th century evidence suggests it was more important than Whitby, which is not mentioned in that record. In the 18th century it was the busiest smuggling community in the area, and hiding places and secret passageways abound. Apparently the whole village was complicit in this activity as bounty was passed from house to house to evade the excise men.
The North Sea is an ever-present danger and in 1780 22 houses fell into the sea. Today there is a huge sea wall you will see in a future post.
When you arrive at the village there is a car park at the top of the cliffs along with many houses, guesthouses etc. Visitors are not allowed to take cars down into the village below, as the streets are far too narrow.
Before walking down into the village I was attracted by the sunlight on the water. To include that and the houses in the frame presented a problem as the houses are too dark. I used a poloriser; I did consider a graduated filter but decided the graduation would be in the wrong place to help. I attempted to lighten in PSP. This is the result. What do you think?

sleon, fabio_ts, Paolo, sam224, Tue, DLM, Ged, rabdelnoor, john_c, sarju, jwmunro, Steft, annagrace, osmarq has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sleon (9402) 2005-09-26 7:23

Hi Kath
I really like the light effects on the sea, and I think the dark houses contrast well with the sea - they create a dramatic feel and I like the path which leads the eye into the frame. I think the lighting and contrast is just about right.
Regards, Susanna

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fabio_ts (13694) 2005-09-26 7:26

I think you have obtained a pleasant result here, also I like a lot the way that you have composed it, with the houses in foreground in a low corner of the picture..
nice atmosphere, BRAVA!! ;o)
have a nice week, Fabio.

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Paolo (41216) 2005-09-26 7:29

Hi Kath, what a wonderful image! you give us fantastic postcard of your region!
great POV, excellent light and colors, fantastic reflection in the sea...great!
thanks for the note!
ciao

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hdl (6995) 2005-09-26 7:41

Quite different than the Belgian coast (much nicer I think). Lots of green and only a few houses give it a good atmosphere. Good depth and nice lines with the landtongue behind. The sun reflection gives a good effect I think. Good composition.

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Tue (25798) 2005-09-26 8:52

Hej Kath,
Wonderful landscape again, the coast line is beautiful here and you had a great sunlight too. I also like the composition with the houses on the right. Well done.
Hilsner,
Lars

rbcy1974 (20758) 2005-09-26 12:26

Hi Kath,
Nice light and reflectiion on the left, beautiful village in the right. I like the silvery tones prevalent in the picture.
Regards
Daniel

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DLM (6479) 2005-09-26 12:55

Hi Kath a delightful shot,the sea shimmering looks awesome,composition as always is very nice .well done.
Dave.

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danyy (0) 2005-09-26 13:07

Bonjour Kath,
Des lumières qui donnent une apparence métallique argentée à l'océan qui devient lui même source de lumière.
Un excellent cadrage et un moment de photo qui lui donne, à cet endroit, une atmosphère particulière de calme.
Compliments.
Daniel.

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jocasta007 (0) 2005-09-26 13:24

a nice all round picture with good composition. i think your attempt at lighting it up is spot on(you haven't overdone it)nice one feather.

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Graal (88886) 2005-09-26 13:59

Great view, Kath. I like the composition and sharpness. Lighten in PSP (houses)- is the good result. You had strong the light with reflections. Good work.
Rgs, Aleksander

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Ged (391) 2005-09-26 14:46

Hi Kath,
A lovely shot of the bay. Very good POV, light and colours great, useful notes too. Nice one!

Ged.

Stepan (27210) 2005-09-26 15:29

I had nos idea of what Yorkshire was lookling like before discovering your gallery. This must be really cool...
What a light ! What a place !
Thanks
Stéphane

jjbach (9322) 2005-09-26 18:38

Hi Kath,
Very nice composition with amazing lighting. Sharpness, colours and contrast are superb. I also like the texture of the sea. Very well done!

Regards John

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rabdelnoor (3421) 2005-09-26 20:23

Hi Kath,
Great view and very nice result on this difficult light condition. I liked how you got a nice reflex on the sea and yet got not to dark foreground. Beautiful colours too.
Greatly done.
Ricardo

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john_c (24662) 2005-09-26 22:55

Hi Kath,
An outstanding shot of this picturesque bay. I think that between the polarizer and your PP work you achieved the ideal effect here, as the buildings and boats and grass in the foreground are all distinctly displayed, while the sheen on the water is outstanding and makes the shot a winner. The headland neatly balances the scene and also acts as a good divider between sea and sky. Very well seen and captured.
John

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sam224 (6215) 2005-09-27 3:28

Nice landscape view. The thing I like the most is the light and its reflections in the sea. Very good depth and omposition here with the houses in the lower corner giving balance to the image.
Well done!

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t0mmm1 (5440) 2005-09-27 12:23

Hi Kath,
I like the view very much. And the wonderful sun reflections are adding some magical touch to the picture. I know that the boats and white benches are important but I find them disturbing the attention. But I really like your composition with the houses in the corner. TFS

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coco (30433) 2005-09-27 20:14

Hi Kath.
Nice landscape with a good capture. The colour and the light are right and... and... and I would like be there.
Nice, very nice.
Regards.

ajcsousa (1804) 2005-09-28 7:20

Hi Kath,
Very nice picture with a very pleasant atmosphere and a great composition / POV. The reflections on the sea are amazing. Very well done
Regards, António

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sarju (5324) 2005-09-28 9:54

Hi Kath
Excellent settings for this photo ... usually I do not like going against the sun, but you have managed the exposure well in dramatizing this landscaple
well done ... cheers ... sarju

jwmunro (286) 2005-09-29 8:31

Kath -

Again another beautiful image of the "Mother Land" (you know us Anglophiles can never get enough). IMO, just a tad over exposed in the highlights off the water but still a servicsble image.

Thanks for sharing

Cliffy (590) 2005-09-30 12:00

I have a shot from an almost identical viewpoint as this,you have caught the beauty of the area really well and also balanced the exposure between the bright sea and the land perfectly.Dont know if you had considered a toighter crop at the bottom or cloning out the cars

Steft (5975) 2005-10-02 7:57

Hello!
Very nice photo. I really like the composition, because it gives the photo a nice depth. The way the light gently falls on the ripple of the sea is very beautiful. Maybe the contours of the hills in the background are a litte bit too sharp, but it's not disturbing.
Thanks for sharing!
Stef

danielswalsh (13591) 2005-10-02 21:55

Nice shot Kath;

A very peaceful bay indeed. Soon as I read the title my thoughts went to the movie starring Kevin Costner, and when he arrived back from his travels abroad. I'm sure absolutely no connection.
Great clarity, and very true and natural color tones.

Well done Kath!
- Dan

annagrace (2467) 2005-10-03 16:21

What a wild and beautiful place to live. I think those benches are calling my name. Great capture Kath, I really like this one!

Alli

Henryk_Bilor (20797) 2006-02-17 16:17

Hello Kath
Beautiful place, well captured. Nice reflections in the water. I like it.
Regards