I don’t do a lot of B&W photography, but have been playing around with it more during my down time from the Covid pandemic. Here is an image from 2017 taken at the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia NP in Maine. In Downeast Maine the tides can be quite extreme. It was approaching low tide and the water was draining out of this bay with a lot of force. What is interesting about the extreme tides is that the character of a location can completely change from high to low tide. At this same bay, I have shot colorful sunsets at high tide, and intimate macro shots of seaweed taken at low tide when you can walk hundreds of feet out into the empty bay. At high tide, the rocks in this image would be completely underwater.
Here, I was interested in the texture of the rocks, and the dark seaweed clinging to them. I also liked the contrast between the textures in the rocks and water, and the softness of the foggy background. I thought the interesting textures might do well in B&W.
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any critique or comments are welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Is this a composite? (focus stacks or exposure blends are not considered composites) No
Canon 5D Mk4, Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens, at 70mm, ISO 100, 1/25 sec at f16
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Great b/w Ed. What I really like are the textures and the perfect catch of the water. The water abutted to the rock at that moment brings a strong dynamic feel to me. Tonal range is pleasing with the McGurick fog effect a bonus.
It’s amazing that these tall rocks are fully underwater at high tide. They look so tall, even compared with the horizon, that I can’t imagine them being submerged!
I love the various textures as well. B&W does these rocks justice!
This is a gorgeous B&W Ed. The rough textures of the Acadia granite contrast beautifully with the fleeting patterns of the wave action. The light fog is a nice touch and works well with this scene. Sometimes I wonder if you carry a fog machine around in that back pocket of yours. You have created some nice diagonals with the placement of the rocks along with the outgoing tide as it swirls around them. Were you able to get any comps zooming in more on the rocks? I ask because I can see some more images there as well as this beauty.
Thank you for you taking the time to leave me some comments, I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
I don’t do a lot of B&W, but it’s goal for this year to get better at it. So i will likely be posting more B&W as I fool around with it more.
The big rock in the center is maybe 5 feet tall, and yes the tides in Downeast Maine can be quite extreme. About 10 miles from Schoodic, there is a “reversing falls” where a freshwater river empties into the sea. At low tide the river flows into the ocean over a small waterfall. At high tide, the sea water pushes in and reverses the flow of the river, so that it flows upstream over the waterfall. It’s not particularly photogenic, but very neat to see in person.
You have created some nice diagonals with the placement of the rocks along with the outgoing tide as it swirls around them. Were you able to get any comps zooming in more on the rocks? I ask because I can see some more images there as well as this beauty.