This is my office
Gavan Goulder - 9th February 2021
I sometimes have to pinch myself when I think that I’ve been getting up before dawn to take sunrise pictures for 16 years, that’s quite a few early mornings, especially if you think that at mid-summer, we have to be up at around 3.30am. It’s not for everyone.
A number of years ago I was struggling with the early starts and I had to find a way to make it easier for myself. So, when the alarm went off at silly O’clock, I started to think this, “Gav, plant your feet firmly on the ground and think, this is my time, just me and the elements and what I choose to do with them” I’ve been doing this ever since.
During the first lockdown I used to use my daily exercise to take our sunrise pictures and loved the walks to get to my chosen locations. The pictures in this gallery show my journey to my favourite location of Porthkidney, my favourite place in the world to take pictures.
So, when the alarm goes, I’m usually up straight away, a snooze button is a big mistake, I just need to get up. I swing round, place my feet on the ground and think my mantra “This is my time”. I carefully get up and usually walk quietly to my window and look out to see what the morning is going to give. I love the clear spring mornings as you can see the lovely glow on the horizon even over an hour before sunrise. I get changed and head down to the kitchen for a quick cup of tea. It’s really usually just a slurp to get me going, I then slip quietly away into the darkness.
There’s a nip in the air and I have warm clothes on, it’s surprising how cold you can get during the blue hour. I decided to head to Porthkidney the long way round so I could take in the visual fruits along the way. As I walk along a fence, exotic plants push up beautifully into the orange to blue sky making a wonderful silhouette. It’s so good I had to take another picture of a palm tree which looked wonderful. I took a quick detour to a bridge going over the St Ives to St Erth railway line, I like the highlights on the track. I also see a beautiful palm tree and can’t help but photograph it but remember thinking I’d better get going as I don’t want to miss the main event.
I walk along the path that joins Carbis Bay and Porthkidney, taking pictures here and there along the way, my journey into my office. Across the railway track again, always a thrill as the view from there is spectacular. I then pass a couple of small cabins and take more pictures. I look up (always look up, you just never know) and saw the contrails of a plane in the sky. My path then narrows, and I walk between bushes full of birds singing their beautiful dawn chorus. Finally, I’ve arrived at Hawks point, the cliff top above Porthkidney Sands and the view is breath-taking with St Ives Bay and Godrevy lighthouse to my left and the beach and headland to my right. The air is crisp and clean and it’s time to go to work.
