Mersea Island is tidal, car-dependent at high water, and unlike anywhere else in Essex — which makes it an unusual but distinctive base for a photographic society. Mersea Island Photographic Society is affiliated to the East Anglian Federation and can be found at merseaphotographicsociety.weebly.com. The island's oyster beds, big skies, and estuarine light give members something genuinely different to work with on their own patch.