March 2009

For the last few weeks I have been continuing to photograph coastal seascapes that exist on my own doorstep. I kicked this project of in December 08 ( see December 08 “In the field”).
These seascapes are locations that exist on my own doorstep and are locations I have neglected to photograph over the years. For some reason, I’d rather drive across the country to photograph a seascape than photograph seascapes on my doorstep!

Early March saw me at dusk at Mornington where the River Boyne meets the Irish Sea. The river is a busy shipping lane and in my early years, the navigational beacons, were a favourite photographic subject of mine. The results of those past photographic endeavours were usually crap. The location is one of those locations with bags of potential, but is a bitch of a place to get an image that works.

Continuing my rediscovered passion for B&W imagery I was determined to capture an image that worked. To do this I wanted to make use of the strong lines and shapes of the navigational beacons balanced by the softness of the smooth water. To achieve this and to make the most of the low light levels, I set the cameras ISO to 50. In conjunction with an aperture of F13 the resulting shutter speed was 20seconds. Exposing to the right (ETTR) to slightly over expose the image I made my exposure.
river1

Later in Adobe Lightroom, basic adjustments were made before applying one of the toned B&W presets I have developed over the last few months. As an image, it works. The silhouettes of the rocks and beacons contrast against the lighter tones of the sky and sea. While the movement of the Cormorants on the beacon adds life to an otherwise static scene.

If you want a copy of the preset drop me an email.