T H E J U R A S S I C CO A S T S T E V E B E L A S CO A B I P P
The Jurassic Coast from the Sea Steve Belasco is a photographer who has dedicated 12 years to capturing the beauty of the natural world through his lens. His stunning photo book ‘The Jurassic Coast from the Sea’ showcases the rugged and awe-inspiring landscape of the coastline in southern England. Belasco’s passion for photography is evident in every image, and his dedication to his craft has resulted in a collection of breathtaking photographs that are sure to inspire and delight readers.
I
’m in no position to teach my grandparents (fellow BIPP members) to suck eggs. So I’m afraid most readers will find this article anecdotal rather than educational. I’ve recently had my third photobook, ‘The Jurassic Coast from the sea’ published, which is selling nicely. It consists of some 180 photographs of the eponymous Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site, which is 95 miles long, all shot from my motorboat. Over the last 12 years I estimate I’ve cruised more than 2,000 miles up and down the coast, all year round and at most times of the day and night. The only real restriction is the weather; a small motor boat offshore is no place to be when the wind pipes up. There are a few specific challenges when working from a boat… the most important, of course, being to stay in it. Nearly always working alone, apart from the odd occasion when Zelda my sea hound accompanies me, means if I go over the side, there’s no-one aboard to rescue me. So safety is always the number one priority. And I often wish I had two pairs of hands and eyes… it’s more than once that I’ve been squinting through a lens only to eventually look round and realise I’ve drifted closer to the rocks than intended. But I’m no hero and try not to take risks and the one time I fell in was stepping from the boat into a dinghy which decided to move away at the worst moment. Fortunately, although fully clothed, I didn’t have my camera backpack on! But it still took 20 minutes of hard work, involving stripping off, in March waters, to haul myself back aboard. Lost the mobile and car key but no camera gear. The biggest technical challenge is camera movement. Unfortunately, VR doesn’t seem to be able to cope with a 58 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2023 / Issue One
Images © Steve Belasco
