We spent a few days by the coast in the East Neuk of Fife over New Year's. It's a favourite place to go in the winter, not too far from Edinburgh but far enough that it feels like a getaway. You can't guarantee dry sunny weather, but you can rely on some fresh sea air to blow any cobwebs away.
The weather was damp and gloomy for much of our stay this year, but if anything I found it easier to photograph in those conditions. It feels somehow sympathetic to the mood of the season and the ambience of the local environment at this time of the year.
I took a new lens for my Canon M6 Mark II - a surprisingly inexpensive 7artisans 35mm f/1.4 manual focus prime lens. It's sharp when it wants to be, and a little unpredictable, with some beautiful softness when the aperture is wide open. I like it a lot already.
Our winter trips to this part of Fife always come with a visit to Crail Pottery, where this year we came away with 3 mugs and a little pot with a fish on it. I fully recommend it to anyone who loves beautiful ceramics and appreciates the handmade over the mass-produced.
It was cold and grey as we walked around the harbour in Crail, but that didn't stop 3 people from swimming out to sea beyond the harbour wall. I don't know how they managed it, although a lot of people do around here.
The next day we walked from Anstruther to Pittenweem and back. It was another grey winter's day, but the kind with good light, and we even saw some blue sky in the afternoon.
There was a nice blue atmosphere as the sun came down on New Year's Day. The sea was unsettled after a couple of days of high winds, crashing against the rocks and walls of the villages.
The next day was our last before heading home. We called at St Monans for a slightly sunnier walk along the coast there, though it was curtailed by the closure of part of the coastal path on the way to Elie. It was still icy cold. I found it harder to take photographs in the bright sun, partly because I could barely see the LCD screen on my camera.
And that was our New Year's break for another year. Last year, we had to cancel our trip en-route to our accommodation in Aberdeenshire because the weather was so bad. I'm glad we could get away again this year; it makes such a difference to have a change of scenery every now and again. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far, and Happy New Year.
Write a comment