Bandon 2019 in Black and White
Although we don’t know exactly what our workshop session will be about tomorrow, Charlie mentioned he was thinking about discussing the thought process behind whether a subject is better for a black and white or a color photographic image. Given I was starting to look at some of the images from early in 2019, I decided to put on my black and white glasses to see what I could do . . . before the workshop instead of after it.
One of the reasons we went to Bandon that weekend despite the overcast forecast was because it was supposed to be a period of exceptionally low tides right at sunrise. What we’ve learned is, if you catch the transitions just right, you get these very long run-up waves that are very shallow (which is why we wear wading boots when on the coast). We wanted to work with that.
Despite the overcast skies, the clouds were billowy so there was some texture in the sky. And with the ocean, you always have the breaking waves to create a tonal contrast in the ocean itself. Add to that the varying degrees of reflection you can get with a polarizer, and you’re able to crate a variety of textures to work with in the water if you’re observant of your shutter speeds.
With those tools at hand, it becomes a question of finding the right prominent elements in the frame, and having a bit of patience, a sense of experimentation and a lot of luck. Plus, one of the best things about working in these conditions is, if you move, or some idiot decides to walk through your scene, all you have to do is wait a minute or two and a wave will wash the footsteps away!
Going through the images I can tell that I was being very careful to not stay on one subject too long, and after several efforts, I’d try a different composition with the same idea in mind, and then I’d move onto something fundamentally different. It really becomes mentally exhausting looking at 20 images of the same thing looking for the most “interesting” water patterns, so I’ve learned to push myself to not stay in one place for too long.
The fact is that you can’t precisely know what you’re achieving at the time. You have an idea, but much of the discovery comes from studying the images afterwards, working them, and then taking what you’ve learned and applying it the next time you’re in a similar situation. So, you think of a concept, try to apply it, look at your camera LCD, make any tweaks if necessary, take a few different shots to see what the patterns and the rhythm of the ocean is doing, and then draw a line to say it’s time for something else.
But that doesn’t mean you don’t work an image when you’re out there once you’ve found a subject. Of course you do. You take the same subject and recompose it, varying the exposure times, trying different image formats. Never assume that you found the perfect location the first place you put your tripod down.
But I find that if I’m feeling like I’ve run out of things to explore with a subject, it’s best to move on to something altogether different, or to introduce an additional strong element into the mix. Like including a rock and photographing when the wave has not run up the shore instead of exposing when the wave has washed over the foreground..
Eventually though, you become mentally exhausted and you have to look for something totally different. There have been days where when I’ve reached that point, and then nothing else would move my mind (or eye) enough to photograph it. That’s what happened the first morning. Fortunately, inspiration hadn’t totally abandoned me the second morning after working on the beach for a couple of hours. While I was ready to turn away from the ocean, I still found interest in what the rocks had to offer. So I spend a while making images of this interesting crack along the Bandon cliffs.
One of the interesting things with focusing on these images in black in white is that they’ve also helped me to see them differently in color. So don’t be surprised if you see some of those in the near future.
And now that I’ve worked a bit in black and white this week, I sure hope Charlie decides to go with that topic tomorrow!