In the Herald - Greenock in springtime

Date Published 
Wed 11 May 2022

Irvine Camera Club went on a bit of road trip up to the waterfront at Greenock last Wednesday evening.  Club member Fiona Wallace knows the area well and she kindly volunteered to be our guide for the evening.  With a large group of us assembled at the Customs House, our friend and Greenock Camera Club member, Campbell Skinner also joined the party.

The neoclassical architecture of the Custom House was bathed in evening light and its Grecian Doric portico looking out over the quay was immediately a popular choice of subject for our keen photographers.  The 19th century architecture also provided an interesting contrast with the modern Beacon Arts Centre.

Walking around to the harbour the splendid warm early evening light and the flat calm conditions were perfect for capturing the boats returning to port.  Reflections in the water could be rendered almost like paintings and small details in the water provided the perfect subject for abstraction and simplicity in our images.

As the sun began to get low in the sky we decided to drive the short distance to the James Watt dock.  Here the refurbished sugar warehouses and the yachts moored in the marina provided an impressive foreground for the sun setting behind the giant cantilever dock crane.  With the light fading fast our intrepid photographers needed to work fast to capture the scene. 

As most of us packed up and headed for home, Fiona decided to capture the new sculpture of shipbuilders at Port Glasgow, affectionally known as “the Skelpies” as well as the controversial Glen Sannox ferry under construction at Ferguson Marine.  Meanwhile, Kenny joined Campbell at the top of Lyle Hill to catch some gorgeous twilight over the bay.

Irvine Camera Club have an exciting and varied programme of photo walks planned throughout the summer months.  If you would like to join us on any of our trips you would be more than welcome.  Please see our website www.irvinecc.co.uk for details.  Until next week, enjoy the light!