Nic Skerten Photography Blog

Received an email back in February telling me that the image below had been shortlisted in the Landscape category of the Professional Photographer magazine Professional Photographer of the Year competition.

I grew up in Cornwall near St Michael’s Mount and when I visit my mother, who still lives down there, I always make sure I get out to do some photography of the beautiful Cornish landscape. When I was down there late last year I took the opportunity to get out onto the North Coast of Cornwall. High winds were forecast which always means spectacularly stormy seas on the Atlantic facing coast. This shot was taken early in the morning at Godrevy and the wind was blowing a “hooly” – as it does down there. Even though it was windy it wasn’t particularly cold – not like it gets up here in Norfolk!

Godrevy Lighthouse was built in 1859 and when you see the seas running like they are in this picture, you can understand why they put a lighthouse here.  A dangerous reef, called the Stones, extends outwards from here towards St.Ives, on which many vessels were wrecked.

There hasn’t been a lighthouse keeper here for a long time as the lighthouse was actually modified to automatic operation way back in 1939 and became solar powered in 1995.  It’s now monitored and controlled remotely from the Trinity House Control Centre in Harwich.

Anyway, back to the competition – I haven’t heard anything and they announce the result in a week or so’s time so I imagine I haven’t won.  Oh well – maybe next year!