Beachcomber - Photography with Rules
My own Photographic Disciplline
I've mentioned in my wedding reportage blog posts that I notice and capture the little details. This really grew from one early morning on a beach in Scotland. I'd been making images of the sun rising at dawn, casting its light over the Isle of Arran and the Kilbrannan Sound. I finished as the sun rose higher, about seven in the morning, and then happened to glance down at the sand beneath me and the patterns of seaweed that had been left behind as the tide went out. Within seconds I was working again. The details right under my feet spoke to me about the dynamic nature of the seaside environment, and the simple beauty that the natural world creates and that we so often walk right past.
Since then I've often worked on beaches at low tide, spotting the individual natural designs that are so abundant they become ignored. I feel that the little details create the little emotions that inform our moods. I've kept this philosophy and incorporated it into my other work at weddings and even commercial commissions.
Beachcomber is important to me as these images are unique. The rising tide will wash them away and they will not be repeated. They are true moments in time, combinations of shape and texture. Moments anchor us. We need to keep some of them.
There are rules to my beachcomber photography. I have to find the image myself, either by chance or by searching for it. It must be undisturbed, I work with what has been placed in front of me and cannot move anything to improve a composition. It must be natural and honest, even if that means it is flawed. It has to be as if the viewer is on that beach and glanced down for a moment.
See if my beachcomber gallery inspires the same in you as it does in me.