Bridport - Pastel Simplicity ​in Isolation

For me a trip to the coast is usually accompanied with the ideas of sand, surf, and smoothness. Opening the shutter with an ND or low light creating a beautiful silkiness that provides contrasting clarity to stationary items and a ghostly mask to water. Click an image to show entirety.

To my dislike, I could not settle on a perfect composition. Though I love the first image, it is missing something on the right where the lines are leading the eye. Apart from the family portraiture my sea side images were considerably lacking in number. This required a change in focus. I love simplistic images where a singular subject stands out. With the following two images, I experimented with a pastel based post process. Bridport is a stunning part of the Northern Tasmanian Coastline and has been a Christmas location of mine for close to 35 years. With its vast sandy beaches, granite rocky outcrops and luscious swimming locations such as the iconic mermaids pool it is a must see location for travelers. I know the place fairly well yet had never ventured onto the Brid River walk. If you are reading this as a visitor to Tasmania or a local who has yet to spend much time at Bridport, I implore you to take this walk. Avoiding low tide and the somewhat musky smell that accompanies it, you begin by walking a skinny track. The scenery changes in an instant. Tea tree bush lining the marshy banks of the river opening to grassland, progressing to native vegetation with a scattering of native and introduced flowers that have found a foothold scattered like a wild variety. Whilst I had my concentration focused on a landscape composition, it was two very subtle but interesting subjects that caught my eye. Within the grassland, I spotted this thistle seed shoot standing lonely in waist high grass.

This isolation provided great context for a shot and the colours and light were excellent. After a small while, crossing a bridge and aqueduct I was presented with the weir system put into place decades ago to manage the towns water supply. If this had been at full capacity it would have made a great image through its design and overflowing water. It was near this location where I was lucky enough to capture the second image, a floating Caterpillar. Hanging from high in the trees, it swung with the breeze playing a game of chance on its resting place. ​Setting a relatively high shutter of 1/1250 to freeze it in motion, I was able to keep the ISO relatively low at 400 to snap it clearly. During the post editing stage of the last two images, I utilised more of a pastel approach. With some colour grading and reduction of contrast, the f/1.8 aperture allowed this effect to show relatively easily.