Thursday 3 July 2014

Icons or clichés?

There are some views that have been photographed by just about everybody with a camera from Fox-Talbot through to me.  Well, I've photographed some of them.  In England we have the view across Derwentwater from just above Ashness Bridge:


And there is the traditional view of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton:



Would this be because they are iconic views, classics of amateur photography, I wonder?  Or are the photographs nothing more than clichés?

Whatever, there was one view here in Sussex that I had long wanted to capture with my camera.  I have tried to find how to get there without success, until this week I stumbled upon the necessary directions.  Yesterday seemed to present the ideal weather conditions, so the Old Bat and I hit the road after I had given Fern her afternoon walk.  It did involve me in a walk rather longer than I had expected, but I have finally managed to take a photo of the Seven Sisters, one of England's white walls.


As one might expect, the Seven Sisters are the seven hills.  They are to be found between Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap and are called (from west to east) Haven Brow, Short Brow, Rough Brow, Brass Point, Flat Hill, Bailey's Hill and Went Hill, although not all of them are obvious in my picture.  Birling Gap is the low point in the cliffs towards the right and the structure on the hill beyond is Belle Tout lighthouse, the forerunner to Beachy Head lighthouse.  The cottages were built in the early 19th century to house coastguards.

A local resident:


4 comments:

Sarah said...

That is a truly stunning photo of the Seven Sisters!

(not necessarily your) Uncle Skip said...

Was that a rhetorical question?

Buck said...

...but I have finally managed to take a photo of the Seven Sisters, one of England's white walls.

Nice pic... but... where are the bluebirds? ;-)

Brighton Pensioner said...

Thank you, Sarah and Buck.

(Skip's just showing off that he can spell dificciful - hard words!

And Buck, the bluebirds were over the white cliffs of Dover, 50 or 60 miles along the coast.