Inspired by the hot weather that we have had this summer and the work of photographer/YouTuber Julia Trotti, I planned to shoot some portraits at the coast. Unfortunately, as the day fast approached, the weather forecast grew worse and worse for the day of the shoot - just typical!
As I met Mollie, the rain began, and I was a little disappointed that things were looking a bleak already. However, I had optimistically decided to wear shorts and wasn't going to let myself get too disheartened just yet. We travelled to Cullercoats on the Metro. The plan was to shoot on the beach and the rocks at the North End of Tynemouth Longsands and had timed our shoot to fall on low tide to ensure safe, easy access to the rocky shore.
Upon arriving at Cullercoats Metro station, it became apparent that the initial plan to shoot bright and sunny portraits was not looking to still be on the table. A sudden burst of torrential rain saw us take cover at a small shelter and I took a few minutes to look at the sky and check a few weather apps. While I was initially a little frustrated with the situation, it became evident that there was a reasonable chance of the weather clearing up in the next half an hour, and so during a break in the rain we quickly clambered across the rocks and incredibly slippery seaweed to get to a large cave between Tynemouth Longsands and Cullercoats Bay.
We decided to use the cave as a base as we shot at different points around the rocky outcrop, particularly in light of the changing weather. As the rain eased off, we moved to put together the first shot that I had envisioned on a location scout around 10 days earlier, with Mollie sat on a rock surrounded by water, and then in the water. Despite not having been particularly hot on the day, the sea water was quite mild!
After a while, the sun made an appearance, and we moved round to the beach to walk on the sand and in the sea. I feel that we got a good range of images, and that, despite my early concerns about the conditions, the gloomy weather gave us a bit of variety that ultimately proved beneficial for the final images!
