Calm Waters

New Journal 60 – Waiting in anticipation

As the tide begins to recede, we wait. As the sun slowly rises, we wait. Uncertainty sits at the edge of our awareness. Yet, we’re here at this spot because we know that, no matter how slim the chances, something beautiful may unfold. Often it doesn’t and we’re left cold and empty-handed.

However, all of the failures, of which there are many, are washed away as the camera completes its final click and the viewfinder glows with an image that tingles our senses. That is our drug. That is what drives us.

Patience is the spine of our development, while persistence is fuelled by the need to attain that tingle which so intimately speaks to us. To the non-photographer this is gibberish; after all, it’s just a photo.

Yet, it is more than a photo: it is our artistic creation – something which didn’t exist in this world until we brought it to life and made it uniquely our own. They also serve to remind us of times good and bad; of climbing volcanoes in the dead of night, of exploring canyons in overwhelming heat, of driving long roads, of cold days and colder nights, of good friends on a warm evening, of sitting in solitude waiting for time to play its pieces and present you with a golden chance.

Wind lashed at my car door last night as I tried to open it. Gathering my gear I fought my way down the dark path towards the beach. I could see little. Gusts were battering me while I pulled myself onto nearby rocks. Early Autumn is upon us but winter chills were aplenty too. Steadying my tripod was impossible, even with my bag weighing it down. When the rain began to fall I decided to return to the warmth of my car, without a single photo taken.

This was my first attempt at shooting since my return from Scotland. In a darkened, quiet street, I sat in Betsy with the radio playing loudly, Lana Del Rey filling the sound waves. I wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. I felt relaxed – content, even. Despite my brief absence, I’d missed the chase and all that it held for me.

It’s time to start planning again; to put my new gear into action and look for that tingle of excitement that I’ve missed recently.

Today’s Photo – Near Marsden Rock

This image was taken a few weeks ago when I shot my recent Marsden Rock image. I blended the images using my Rapid Blend If (RBI) technique that I teach in my Cityscape Tutorials and some gradient masking.

Much of the image, including the water, is from the normal exposure. The sky is from the -2 shot and the details in the cliffs to the right were from a +2 exposure. Some colour correction was done in PS to reduce the overly-blue cast and some warmth was added to the sky and some parts of the sea. A gentle vignette was added through Nik’s Darken/Lighten Centre filter in Color Efex and manually in PS.

Before/After Comparison