“Theweathermadetheoriginalplanforthefirst
challenge impossible, so we responded to the
conditions and swapped over to shooting long
exposures, which is a technique that’s familiar
to Chris. The conditions remained challenging,
however, and we found that with the wind
blowing the tide in faster than usual, we had to
work much faster too. The first long exposure
subject was great, but we literally had just a few
minutes to shoot it, and it wasn’t until Chris
showed off his cat-like balancing skills to perch
himself on a narrow groyne that he found more
prolonged photo success.”CHALLENGE 1 Proverdict
MOODY MONO
Opting for a mono conversion has
produced a much more graphic result
that accentuates texture and contrast.
Exposure: One second at f/11 (ISO 400)1 ) Chris quickly composes as the tide gets closer. 2) A Lee Big
Stopper is essential in bright sunshine. 3) Despite an incoming
tide, Chris recomposed several times to get the best possible
shot. 4) Chris's cat-like balancing skills while standing on a
groyne helps achieve a perfectly symmetrical composition.December 2019 Digital SLR Photography 71
The images looked good and showed 4
potential for a minimalist black and white
treatment in post, but with few variations
I suggested that we continue further along
the beach to see if we could find some
more intact groynes that Chris could shoot.
It didn’t take long to find some that were
near-symmetrical, but since these were
higher up the beach we had to wait for the
tide to come in further to surround the
groyne so Chris could capture the moving
water as it ebbed and flowed.
We agreed that composing the shot
centrally was the best approach here, so
Chris climbed up onto the groyne and set
up his tripod the best he could. To compose
his image, he had to stand on the narrow
groyne but by some miracle and amazing
balance he managed to perch up there
for ten minutes or so, capturing a range of
images he could choose from, with and
without a Big Stopper.