Photograpic Locations - Dungeness

Dungeness 

Although I regularly shoot my own personal projects, it's not often that I get the chance to just go out with the camera and shoot whatever I come across. So when I had a free day, and my good friend and photographer Kevin Clow suggested we have a day out photographing, I decided a change would do me good. But where to go? Various destinations were considered before Kevin suggested Dungeness.
Now I have seen many photographs of Dungeness, (in fact if you follow English photography, you probably can't not have seen pictures of the place!) but I had never been. So it was settled and off we went.

For those wondering, Dungeness is on the South-East coast about mid way between Hastings and Dover. Getting there is quite easy as you just go through Beyond to the Back, and it's about 5 miles further on! It is apparently one of the largest areas of shingle in Europe and is quite impressive in it's... er... nothingness! Standing on the beach facing the sea, the right side is dominated by the nuclear power station followed by the two lighthouses. As you move round the vista does not really improve and and is generally dominated by derelict fishing boats, huts and rusting equipment. The area behind the beach is littered with an assortment of small houses, some made from converted railway carriages.


All in all it's a strange eerie space, quite unlike anywhere I've been before. However its bleakness has a certain majesty about it which I found fascinating. I can well understand its lure to creative types and why the director and artist Derek Jarman had a home there. The small scale steam engines of the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway that pull the trains across this scene of desolation, only add to the surreal feeling of the place.

Apart from the sea breeze, the place is enveloped in a profound silence, broken only by the beeping of focus locks from the many photographers that seem to migrate there. Of the dozen or so people spread across the beach during our visit, I think all but a couple had cameras! It's understandable why various films, tv shows, and music videos have used this as a location. A tip for anyone planning a visit is to make sure you have a good pair of shoes. I made the mistake of wearing some old shoes that were on their way out. Walking on the shingle is hard work and by the end they were totally wrecked!



For a photographer it has a lot to offer. There is (apparently) a huge range of wildlife, in the area behind the beach, for those interested in nature. As a landscape it offers quite a unique vista which I would imagine is constantly changing with the weather. And the tones and textures of the dereliction and decay are sure to appeal to many. I'm not really into nature photography and although the landscape and details were great to work with, after a while, I started to feel a bit limited. However I could not help but think, what an epic stage upon which to create my own vision! :)

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