Alnwick Castle, Northumberland

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPH

Alnwick Castle is one of the most photogenic castles in Britain. The best views of the castle are from the footpath on the far side of the River aln, but on this occasion I wanted something a little different. I could see that the last golden sunlight was hitting the castle towers and lighting one of the stone lions standing guard at one side of the bridge across the River Aln. The trouble was that the best vantage point by far was in the very middle of the road, and there was a stream of cars whizzing along the road. I had to preset my camera, wait for a break in traffic, dash into the middle of the road, compose my breathing so the shot would be steady, snap one exposure, then scamper back to the sidewalk before the next car came flying along the road. It took 5 or 6 attempts before I got this shot.