Seaweed Triptych [Canon 5D]
California coast, near Pescadero; June 11, 2008
(click in the image to see a larger version)
On the second day we went to Bean Hollow State Beach, my daughter and I took a walk out to a low-lying rocky point in search of cool tide pools. We were the first ones on the sand that morning and as we crossed an unmarked stretch of beach, we found scores of seaweed plants that had been washed up by the earlier high tide. Since the coast here is nearly always buffeted by a strong offshore wind, the beach had been swept clean and smooth, leaving the seaweed embedded in the sand in a way that made them look as if they were engraved or etched into sandstone.
Visually I found them to be quite irresistible. They were so stark and simple and perfect, cast ashore and drawn in the sand by the wind and the waves. On the walk over to the tide pools and on the walk back I carefully sought out the most intriguing and elegant forms. Since we were the first ones to walk the beach that day, each plant was surrounded by pristine, untrampled sand. And while many are very pleasing as single images, they also work well as pairs or as triptychs. In fact, as I was photographing them, I already was envisioning them presented in this multi-image format.
The original color images were actually very close to monochromatic, possessing the hue of the sand and a faint muted green from the seaweed. My processing was all done in Lightroom and involved minor contrast adjustments, as well as grayscale conversion and a slight touch of split-toning. Other than that these are pretty much straight documentary shots of the artwork that nature offered up on the beach that day.
On the right is a color version that has only had a slight contrast adjustment
applied. I like the color interpretation, too, especially since it is
so subtle and muted, but at the moment I am leaning towards the sepia
split toned version. That could change, however, as this is just an initial
exploration of the possibilities.
I like photographing along the coast since there are always interesting shapes, textures and seascapes to be seen.Visually, I have always found the place where land and ocean meet to be a very creatively stimulating place. My next workshop is taking place near the seashore, but on the Atlantic side along the rocky coastline of central Maine.
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