Little Island, Pt. 2

©David Sorcher 2013

We awoke the next morning to a mirror still river and the best light of the day. I know i have gone on about this in the past, but there is just nothing like that first hour after sunrise. It's not simply a matter of color temperature because that would be very similar on the other end of the day just before sunset. Somehow the light at this time of day manages to be both soft and contrasty at the same time. Even though that's not quite accurate, it's the best way i can describe it.

©David Sorcher 2013

Of course the other difference shooting these scenes at this time (other than the direction of the light) is the stillness of the hour, the mirror surface of the water before the wind picks up later in the day. And i knew that would be happening all too soon as a weather front was moving in fast and would hit us before noon, bringing rains and considerably cooler temperatures. 

©David Sorcher 2013

The goldenrods create a striking contrast with the deep blues of the water. I spent many years almost solely as a B&W photographer, but once i embraced color it won me over pretty well. I find myself recognizing and noting color relationships constantly, whether i have a camera in hand or not. 

©David Sorcher 2013

Still, sometimes colors can distract from a composition as i felt they did with this shot of the back of the cabin. B&W simplifies our images into line, form and content which can sometimes be undermined by the colors in the scene. Photoshop offers us a variety of filters when we convert our images from color that work much the same way B&W contrast filters would when placed over the camera lens. I don't ever use the default settings which tend to render a rather dull conversion. I try different filters dependent upon what colors are in the frame and then go a step further to tweak the different color channels in custom to bring out the grayscale tones for the best contrast and effect. Now and then i will also add "tint". In my early B&W printing days i was quite fond of an Agfa paper called Portriga Rapid which scaled tones from a brown/black to white for a warmer feel. This "tint" is reminiscent of that for me and i thought the warmer brown tones worked well with the wood on the exterior of the rustic cabin. 

©David Sorcher 2013

Inside the cabin i made another image that just made more sense to me in B&W. With the black cast iron stove and whitewashed walls the only color in this image was a slight warming hue of the rising sun so this treatment simplified the composition for me. Given the actual black-and-whiteness of the scene i added no "tint" and stuck with a true B&W grayscale.   

©David Sorcher 2013

I waked back outside and color screamed at me for my betrayal. Analogous relationships of blue, blue-green and green demanded my attention.

©David Sorcher 2013

Okay, you have to take a break to eat every now and then...this photography stuff is hard work, innit, no matter what some people seem to think. Gots to keep up my strength.  ;-)

©David Sorcher 2013

Wild white roses grow along the water's edge producing an intoxicating scent all around the island that the bees simply can't resist. 

©David Sorcher 2013

Our time on Little Island was growing short. I first noticed the gathering clouds growing in the water's reflection. The winds were picking up and the temperature was beginning to drop. This subject seemed appropriate for a triptych, a presentation form i have been quite fond of lately.

©David Sorcher 2013

Veronica had time for one last swim before we backed up for the row back to "The Point". It seems appropriate to end this segment where it all began, with Veronica, without whom i may never have discovered this beautiful land/sea place of Nova Scotia, a place which has surely become a second home for me. Thanks Babe! :-)