Printing the Image - The “Ann doesn’t listen to me!” edition.

As the last post explained, we’ve had a period where I’d go upstairs and see an image or two on Ann’s monitor and, after some discussion, I’d say, “You should print that this weekend.”  Well, as we were printing that Saturday, I suddenly realized that there were images missing from her queue that I’d suggested she print.  When I asked her about them, her response was, “Uh . . . you did?”  When I described at least two of the images I could vividly remember, she responded, “Oh yeah, I didn’t keep track of them.  I don’t know where they are.”  

Well, I can accept being rejected (face it, who says I’m the best person to say what images should be printed, I’m no H. . . nope, I am not going there), but ignored!  Forgotten about!  It’s one thing for Ann to say she doesn’t agree that a particular image doesn’t merit being printed, but that’s not what this was.  She just forgot about the images I had really liked.  What am I?  Chopped liver?  (Ok, I’m playing it up a bit because we did print some of the images I loved on Saturday so she didn’t ignore me . . . not totally.)

That’s the long way of saying that we printed some of Ann’s images not only on Saturday, but on Sunday as well.

It didn’t take us long to find the images.  Based on the description I had of the image from Bandon and the year period she was working on during the week (generally 2017 and 2018), we could quickly hop through the Bandon photography dates until we hit the right lighting conditions.  And from there it was easy.  

What attracted me so much about this image was the fact that, as spectacular as the sea stacks are, they are actually not the focal point of the image and are, for once, comparatively subdued.  They really are the stage set for everything else, with their masses framing the image, and Ann’s ever so attentive composition to take advantage of either spacing between the stacks or the misty sea air to add a sense of depth to the image.  

And is so often the case with Ann’s images, there’s this simple but beautiful foreground capturing the eye to explore, and then lead you onward through the image.  Ann said she was shocked that the print had so much foreground detail in the sand, and how brilliantly colorful the reflected red light is near the foreground.  Both are so lovely on the print.  As is also, for me, the textures and colors of the ocean. 

While there are a few things I’m sure Ann (or I) would have changed about the image (in particular the height of the cloud bank) if we could have, the print is simply wonderful, with none of those “flaws” detracting from one’s enjoyment of it.  Even the seagull is right where it’s supposed to be.

The second image I’d recalled that Ann forgot to print was from Brice Creek.  That one was a bit tougher to figure out because we didn’t go to Brice Creek at all in 2017 (as amazing as that sounds).  Then Ann remembered that she had done some work on her Evernote want to/printed notes and we hopped back all the way to one of our early trips in 2014.  When she pulled up that year’s catalog, it was the image sitting there on the screen!

What had really caught my eye was how the image managed to effectively capture water flowing at different rates (a very difficult thing to get right with your shutter speed), and to do that with Ann’s usual lovely compositional flow through the image.  When I said, “Yeah, that’s the one!”  Ann replied, “Really?  Are you sure.”  “Yes, absolutely, it will be beautiful.” 

All I have to say is that looking at the print, it’s even more beautiful than on a large monitor.  And as much as she’d reluctantly admit it, Ann agrees it was worth printing (that’s just my polite way of saying I was right).

Do you agree?