Beaches: Bantham Beach, Devon + Perspective



Bantham Beach, one of Devon's best known beaches, UK. {Photos taken in November 2010.}

It has been nearly seven months since my last trip to Devon, but these photographs keep making me feel happy.
I'm excited to share these images with you and take you all on a journey within my photos.
Bantham Beach is a beautiful sandy beach on the south coast of  Devon, UK, ideal for water-sports, especially surfing.
I love to watch people surfing. 
I'd love to take a stroll down the Bantham beach. I've been feeling the travel bug pretty strongly as of late.

Composition And Perspective 

A brilliant photographer and wise person once told me.
"Use your creativity to:

*"build" your image,
*figure out what perspective would be best,
*make your photographs tell a story."
                                                                                                            
Actually, I've seen pictures with stunning color combination and perfect exposure - taken with big, fancy, expensive cameras, but they look quite ordinary. Because in my opinion they lack two major things:
Composition and perspective.
If you're into photography you may have heard of "The Rule of Thirds". It is one of the basic techniques and refers to the way a composition is constructed. (Of course, there are many Photography Composition Rules - but rules are meant to be broken, right?

The Rule of Thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds- both horizontally and vertically. Ideally your picture will fall in or near one of those intersections.  (Highlighted in red.)  The human eye tends to be more interested in images that are divided into three parts, vertically and horizontally, with the subject falling at or along one of those divisions.   

What makes a great photograph? What are the elements that make a picture great?
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my lovelies! xx

(Photo diagram credit Rick Baker Images )      

Update: A great tutorial on composition by Steve McCurry. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.



                          

78 comments:

Rui Pires - Olhar d'Ouro said...

Beautiful photos and interesting perspectives!

Good weekend

Rui Pires
OLHAR D'OURO - Portugal

Joop Zand said...

Hello Betty

Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures... i like them a lot.

Wish you a wonderful weekend,

Hugs, Joop

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Beautiful pics! I especially like the fence. I'm not sure what makes a good pic. I love the ones that are simple, with a unique focus.

Irredento Urbanita said...

You got great textures and fresh environments in the coast.

Regards

Valery

Barcelona Daily Photo

Samantha said...

Would love to visit Bantham..what a gorgeous place.

Unknown said...

Nice pictures of the beaches free, with a fresh sea breeze on your face, and those surfers disputnado withthe force of the waves.
Beuno work.
Greetings .-

Hilary said...

Lovely photos. I sure would love to wander around there.. with or without a camera. Nah, who am I kidding? With, of course. ;)

Shalet Jimmy said...

wow...I am sad for I am missing so many beautiful sights....Lovely pictures...

Betty Manousos said...

haha, hilary, with, of course!!:)

Nancy said...

Thank you for taking us on your beach trip, Betty. Love the surfing shots, although I've never surfed (except on the Interwebs.)

:)

MadSnapper said...

thanks for my trip to the UK, since i don't float or fly i will never see it, but can visit through photos. i like that fence on the beach and the boat up against the wall. beautiful

Bitch said...

I feel the same with you, Betty.
Photographs telling the story without any explanation...
I admire the surfing sport!
I have never tried :(
Wish you a weekend without sweets
(I just consumed a huge ice cream)!
Hugs and love coming from Greece,
Monika

Leckeres für Mensch und Katze said...

Very beautiful. I love the waves :) LG Tina

ANRAFERA said...

Bonito lugar el que nos acercas a través de estas estupendas tomas.
Buen reportaje.
Cordial saludo y feliz fin de semana.
Ramón

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

These are lovely photos. I miss the beach.
nellie

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful sands and reeds. very peaceful. (and i'm trying harder to follow the rule of 3rds... don't give up on me!) :)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful pictures, I mlove the beach too!
Have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

just beautiful...

Ruth Hiebert said...

The scenes are pure joy.I know about the rule of thirds and sometimes try to follow it,but since I take a lot of bird photos,that is not always achievable.

Diane AZ said...

What a beautiful beach! As usual, I love your photographs. Maybe it is because they "tell a story." I've never thought about that before. Have a nice weekend. :)

FilipBlog said...

The sea looks wild and very cold.

ΑΘΗΝΑ said...

I agree with you!These photos offer a great relax in mind!Have a weekend with many trips!

kayerj said...

great shots! Kaye—the road goes ever ever on

imac said...

Truly remarkable, great post.

Ms. A said...

I can't imagine living somewhere, anywhere, with beautiful scenery. It's hard to find that in my neck of the woods, without driving. Just houses and pavement and busy. Beautiful images, Betty!

Gaelyn said...

These images clearly tell a story of a place that calls your name to return for a beautiful beach walk.

My camera has a grid to help me with the Rule of 3rds, but I like to break rules sometimes. Ok, I really Like to break rules.

Ashley Sisk said...

So many gorgeous gorgeous images - and happy belated birthday!

Tara said...

beautiful photos! Looks like a very lovely place!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures and it looks like a wonderful place to visit. I too have the travel bug, thanks for sharing with us. Denise

Allison said...

What makes a lovely photo is when it speaks to the heart. Beautiful shots.

Anonymous said...

Admirable pics.
looks like a very beautiful place.
:D

Bob Bushell said...

You have started with the longing to be somewhere, let's get going. Beautiful photos.

LBB said...

Beautiful shos! I could sit there all day :)

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I enjoyed these pictures and appreciate the helpful photography tips. I really like the green sky in that first photo too.
Be well and have a lovely weekend, Betty.
xoRobyn

Fábio Martins said...

I love the beach. Good pictures. especially the last three

Kelly said...

I've never been to Devon and judging from your photos I think it would be a great place to visit!

I'm not sure what makes a good photo. Whatever it is, yours always seem to hit the mark just right. I love your photography!!

Have a wonderful weekend, Betty!

Bobbi said...

Beautiful photos!

Cloudia said...

restrained glory!



Aloha from Honolulu :)

Comfort Spiral

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Leovi said...

Beautiful and charming images. I love those skies with beautiful clouds. I also like photos that tell a story and if those photos are also able to convey feelings better. Yours, tell a story and convey pleasant sensations. A hug.

Anonymous said...

What a welcome lesson.

Four months did pass since last I've been back home in Germany - yes times passes by fast, probably the only thing that provides me with fear.
Interesting though, that we seem to make usage of places to measure time.
A wonderful weekend for you.

daily athens

Pat said...

The second and fourth photos are my ALL TIME FAVORITE!! I wish I could paint because those beauties are begging to be on a canvas.

Self Sagacity said...

Glad to see you're back?
If you have time on Thursdays, Come & Play: Thursday Two Questions Meme. Have a great weekend Self Sagacity

Claudya Martinez said...

I think a great photograph can be taken with any type of camera and is just a matter of who is taking the photo. It's almost like the soul of the photographer comes at you through the picture, that's why some pictures can leave you empty even though they are beautiful and other pictures that are not technically perfect can stir something inside of you.

Pat Tillett said...

A lot of nice photos Betty!
I think after a person takes a ton of photos, you eventually develop an "eye" for what will turn out well in a photo. Speaking for myself, I look at everything as if I was looking through a camera.
I can tell you what I don't like. It's photos that are processed with photoshop (or some other program) to the point where they don't look realistic anymore.

Cezar and Léia said...

Very interesting set of pictures, the beach is adorable!
Léia

magda said...

Αγαπημένη μου Μπέττυ
Υπέροχες οι φωτογραφίες σου, με μεταφέρουν σε όμορφους τόπους που δεν είδα...
Κανόνες για τις φωτογραφίες, χρειάζονται οι επαγγελματίες φωτογράφοι.
Εμείς οι ερασιτέχνες, βάζουμε την ψυχούλα μας, βλέπουμε με τα δικά μας μάτια και είναι μεγάλη η χαρά μας που τις μοιραζόμαστε!!!
Να έχεις ένα υπέροχο Σαββατοκύριακο!
Εμείς εδώ κολυμπάμε, κάνει ζέστη.
Πολλά φιλάκια

Anonymous said...

I love the beach. I've never been to the UK...maybe after my kiddos fly the coop. : )

Hope you have a great weekend!

Betty Manousos said...

pat, good aspect! i utterly and totally agree with you. :)

Jesús Castellano said...

Muy buena serie de imágenes, con muy buenos encuadres y composiciones.

Saludos.

Betty Manousos said...

unknown mammi, great thought!:)

Magia da Inês said...

。˛♥
Amiga,

IMAGENS MARAVILHOSAS!!!

Beijinhos.
Brasil

。˚ ˚ ˛✿♪♫♪
。˛♥

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

That is a nice beach. I think yours are the first pics I've seen of surfers in England.

I think the "eye" of a photographer is much more important than their equipment. The rule of thirds may seem simple minded to some but I think it works. I think a key also is try different things. Every once in a while something "clicks."

LifeRamblings said...

what a lovely beach. beautiful series of photos.

chow and chatter said...

wow lovely beach really want to visit this part of the UK, hope you get to travel again soon us travelers always have the bug :-)

David Macaulay said...

cool Betty - this post was evocative for me beause I used to live in Plymouth and the Barbican was the place to hang out. I miss the coastline too.

Leontien said...

I have been there!!!!!!

Sooo great to see those pictures!
My little sister lived in England for two years and i visited her once (yes i know not enough)!

Thanks for sharing
Leontien

SquirrelQueen said...

What beautiful scenes Betty, I love the grasses and fences. You are making me want to find a beach and go for a walk.

A great photography either makes me happy or makes me think.

La sonrisa de Hiperion said...

Amiga, estupendas todas las fotos. Me encantan las fotos del mar.

Saludos y un abrazo.

•°°• IcyBC •°°• said...

Oh mine, beautiful scenery!

Red Nomad OZ said...

I LOOOOVE that first photo - Why? The colour, the mood and atmosphere, the evocative subject.

But those surfing beaches in Devon look NOTHING like surfing beaches downunder in OZ!!!

Thanx so much for visiting my blog and commenting - it's always a pleasure to hear from you!! Glad you liked my rainbow!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that beach is so deliciously lovely!

Wonderful perspective in the last three photos - so many stories to tell!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

What gorgeous shots! Thanks for taking me to Devon - maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to visit in person.

Tracy said...

Happy Belated B'day; I hope it was special and the photos of the beach with the angry skies are striking! I really enjoyed those :)

Nevine Sultan said...

Dearest Betty, I always journey with you in your photos. They're so beautiful, uplifting, and transporting. How could one not travel with such sights? And I've been feeling the travel bug too, recently. I can't wait until I take a couple of weeks off to go to the beach and just relax, but that will be a while yet.

I hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend, my dear friend!

Have a great week, too!!!

Big hugs,
Nevine

betty-NZ said...

If I couldn't take photos of the beach, I'd be so lost! Yours are wonderful!

MoonChylde said...

Amazing beach photos! Wish I were near one to photograph at :)

Annabeaninc said...

Great pictures! Thanks for the follow! AnnaBean is now following back

Inge said...

Very nice pictures :-) I like them a lot.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

It looks like an incredibly beautiful place for sure!

The Blonde Duck said...

It sounds fabulous!

Sérgio Pontes said...

I like these photos =)

Kerstins foto said...

Love your photos from the beach.

Branson said...

Really lovely photos and great tips!

Unknown said...

Lovely as always. I really like that first shot--the green is very peaceful :)

Maria G said...

Wonderful photos!
Have a nice day!

Emm said...

I recognise that last photo! It is still on my desktop at work! ♥

These are absolutely stunning photos Betty. Thanks for sharing.

NatureFootstep said...

a very good post. :)

Kim said...

LOvely!:-)