Down to the Sea ..., a photo from North Yorkshire, England

Photographer's Note

Good Morning Everyone,

Lisa (delpeoples) enquired if I had more photographs of the charming little seaport of Staithes, which is on the northeast coast of England.

I browsed my files and found this shot.
It immediately brought to mind:

Sea Fever

I MUST go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must down go to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield

It has been on my mind ever since!!!!

I hope you can feel the antiquity of the village, with its narrow streets, many partly cobbled for grip and many needing to have steps because of the steep incline. The tiled red roofs add a sense of jolity, even on the cloudiest of days.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

dta, Kofman, danos, tyro, gildasjan, delpeoples, saxo042, geoant68, RhodieIke, vasilpro, jhm, kato, Cricri, Kielia has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dta (98542) 2011-04-21 3:56

Hello Beverley ,
i like this kind of open window towards the sea , between houses in the FG . Not too much light , but pleasant colors . A minor default : the little tilt of the horizon line :)
In any case , a charming place .
Regards

snunney (130967) 2011-04-21 4:26

Hello Bev,
I remember learning this poem at school, I would be very hard pressed to recite it now after all those years though:-) Your composition complements the poem very nicely indeed. The point of view is very well chosen using the pathway to invite us to step in and explore further. Good natural colours and excellent sharpness.

Nicou (193806) 2011-04-21 4:47

Hello

superbe compo et iamge, amngigique quelc adrage avec la vue sur ce facades, sueprbe captage et iamge très recherchée.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

npecanhuk (79329) 2011-04-21 7:14

Hi Beverley!
What a beautiful picture!
What a lovely place! It seems to be so calm and peaceful!
Sharpness, exposure, chosen pov, dof, colors, contrasts, vertical format, black & white borders and composition are all excellent features here!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

ikeharel (105923) 2011-04-21 11:36

I was thinking to myself how should I managed to avoid the "for sale" sign stuck there, Beverly.
That becouse the image is so typical waterfront little town, and the place looks as it was like this, probably from long ago.
Marvelous taken from POV, perfect DOF and other details apllied.
regards
Ike

danos (110407) 2011-04-21 11:48

Hello Bev,
nice the stairs as lead-in the eye on the port.The houses on the hill have an excellent view with the mix of the narrow alleys to make the scene even more attractive.

Regards,Danos

tyro (30513) 2011-04-21 16:13

Hello Bev,

Gosh, I remember Masefield's wonderful poem from schooldays too - I loved it too because, at the time, I was building an Airfix model of the "Cutty Sark" and loved the whole idea of sailing ships and the power of wind and sea.

What a beautifully clear, crisp and sharp photograph this is! Fabulous detail throughout, from the nearest cobblestones to the distant horizon, so much so that I am tempted to 'phone those estate agents to arrange a viewing of the property with a sea view!

Oh, but just a thought. There's another fine poem with the same opening lines:

"I must go down to the sea again,
To the lonely sea and the sky;
I left my shoes and socks there -
I wonder if they're dry?" (Spike Milligan, 1963.)

Kind Regards,

John.

emka (152228) 2011-04-21 23:19

Hi Beverly,
Nice old street with cobblestones, charming view of the red roofs and samll fishing seaport. I would like to go to the sees again,...to the gulls way -but to far from me:).

Warm regards

Malgo

lousat (129979) 2011-04-22 0:58

Good morning Bev! A beautiful composition whit this neverending background made by the sea.I like a lot the choice of point of view and the excellent quality of sharpness and colors in the difficult light of a cloudy day.A typical english place! I like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

gildasjan (43826) 2011-04-22 1:42

Hello Beverley
Un très bon POV pour nous faire découvrir les éléments de ce port en contrebas.Ici les tuiles apportent la touche de couleur chaude qui convient à cette image.
Have a nice Day
Regards
gildas

delpeoples (60326) 2011-04-22 1:43

HI Bev

Oooh this really conveys the atmosphere of this attractive little town. I love the rooftops and the cobblestones. The textures are lovely. It reminds me a little of the village in Doc Martin, although I know it's the other end of the country. The colour contrasts are wonderful and the image is beautifully sharp. Thanks for sharing and if you manage to snavel any more of Staithes, I'll be most interested :) Nice poem too.

Good Friday to you
Lisa

saxo042 (38078) 2011-04-22 11:26

Hi Bev,
The small parts of red tile roofs cooperate nicely into this composition. A very nice view over the North Sea. The blue part of the window and the green sign add essential parts to the picture.
Kind regards
Gunnar

geoant68 (331) 2011-04-22 12:55

Hello Bev,
beautiful and picturesque the view of the village with the narrow alley to lead in to the port.The clarity and the sharpness are great with the light to be well captured.

Peter

RhodieIke (11752) 2011-04-22 12:58

Hi Bev Great photo of this charming area,love all the textures and colours, Have a nice Easter break, Cheers Iain.

vasilpro (41801) 2011-04-22 13:58

Hello Bev,
Beautiful view to the see through the houses, very nice light management, natural colors, excellent POV.
Have a nice weekend,
Happy easter,
Vasilis.

macjake (96157) 2011-04-22 20:53

Hi Beverley
its always important to keep Lisa happy :)
haha
quiet often, these ugly little towns are actually very beautiful, you just have to know where to look.
We have tons of these towns in Eastern Canada.
love the rooftops as you said, and the overall charm in the rocks, and stonework.
There's a place for sale there!
have a great one
craig

jhm (203039) 2011-04-23 0:56

Hello Beverley,

You chose a very well angle this care for depth and perspective.
Also wonderful sight on the small port and the sea.
You play wonderful with light and shadows, sharpness and clarity are perfect.
Nice composition, excellent presentation with pleasant colors and light.
Very well done, TFS.

Happy Easter weekend,
John.

rodgerg (55767) 2011-04-23 9:04

Hello Beverley,

Excellent POV with this sympatic small way which learn the galnce to the well coloured red roofs and the sea. Greta depht with the large prospect open whitha bota ( I think) in the BG.
Have a nice WE,
Roger

s_lush (16602) 2011-04-24 11:26

Hello Beverley,
This high-quality picture represents a special romantic atmosphere of the seaport perfectly well. Along with the poetic note it gives a very good idea about this picturesque place. Very good composition, beautiful perspective, vivid colors and excellent clarity of the image despite the gloomy weather at the moment of capturing!
Best regards,
Sergiy

kato (11630) 2011-04-24 19:57

Hello Beverley,

It is seen the scenery of a typical fishing village in the north provinces in Britain. A damp row of houses and the wintry sky are suitable at the season of autumn and have put out settled atmosphere. Whether the stairs are dead ends or it descends on the curved coast right and left is imagined. Houses with the red roof seen in the other side of the handrail and the fishing boats that moors in the embankment in the creek as well as the wall of house in brick block in this side is impressive.

Regards,
mikio

Cricri (176) 2011-04-24 22:28

Hi Beverley
Très jolie la présentation du village, depuis la ruelle, ouvrant une vue sur les toits des maisons et sur la mer, beaucoup de détails a voir et a apprécier, compliment
Joyeuse Pâques
cricri

sacavem (18620) 2011-04-26 13:29

Olá ,

I apologize for the delay in my comment, I've been very busy.

You like this little town, away from urban confusion. Without realizing photographed poster "for sale":)
I like the narrow street that leads our eyes to the sea.Atmospheric conditions always difficult to photograph, which is on the northeast coast of England.

Cumprimentos,
Filipe

Kielia (24077) 2011-04-28 2:25

Hi Beverley,
this fascinating view is a very popular subject here, but you created a very fascinating impression. The light and the moody colors are very attractive. Very well working POV and an excellent composition. My compliments, also for the accompanying poem!
Warm regards
Harriet

zoomer (6) 2011-05-01 17:11

Your image conveys the special atmosphere of this place well.Because the picture is so sharp and detailed one can appreciate all the intricacies.The muted light works great for the colors and mood.Friendly regards Wolf.

ChrisJ (160036) 2011-12-17 5:24

Hi Beverley!

I like the high pov here looking down towards the sea, and the pastel colors. Excellent sharpness & nice textural details on the walls. The fg path adds good lead in lines. Tfs!