Photo Walkthrough: Whiterocks’ Black Rocks

Photo Walkthrough: Whiterocks’ Black Rocks

By Stephen Dickey

Upon arriving at a location, the first thing I will normally do is scan the whole area for interesting & accessible objects to use as a foreground in my shots. Try to look for interesting shapes, textures and colours. As a general rule, if something is interesting enough to capture your attention in the field, then it is going to grab the viewers attention when they look at the final print.

These black rocks immediately caught my eye. They stand out (literally!) from the sand, both in terms of colour and texture. The next step was to try and build a strong composition around them. I had the option to shoot along the waterline, out to sea, or back towards the cliffs at the top of the beach. At this stage you need to consider your mid-ground and 'background.' If I had chosen to shoot along the waterline I would have had a photograph full of surfers. Whilst that may sound like an interesting shot, light levels were very low so it wouldn't have been possible to 'freeze' the surfers. If I was shooting back up the beach towards the cliffs, the composition would have been weak as the cliffs tower over the beach and would have made the rocks look insignificant in the frame. Although this could perhaps be avoided by using an ultra-wide angle lens, and positioning the camera very low to the ground, and close to the black rocks. In any case, the light that evening didn't illuminate the cliffs sufficiently.




I decided therefore, to compose the image looking out to sea. The red lines in Image 1 show how the texture and lines of the water move the eye through the image and further into the scene. On an overcast evening it is very important to use strong lines and textures running through the image, rather than relying on dramatic light to help your composition. There were also small rocky islands on the horizon which would add some interest and depth.

Next you must take your chosen view, and shoot many compositional variations. Experiment by adjusting the camera position, not forgetting to shoot from both low to the ground and from your tripods maximum height! Image 2 shows just some of the variations I tried.