Learning and Doing and Freezing
‘Tis the season for wind in Provincetown. Although it can be and often is windy throughout the year, mid-October through mid-May can be especially windy. We’ve been in that pattern recently, which is something to consider when you’re out taking photographs.
The wind was a friend and a foe of mine last week, when I had blocked off an afternoon to go shoot some wave photos. My intention was to practice some of the things I’m working on through my year-long program with the Expressions Community, through Expressions Gallery in Chatham, Massachusetts. My plan is to create photos that show some element of motion, movement, or blurry, in an attempt to communicate something about the feeling of memory, impermanence, and maybe just plain beauty.
When I blocked that particular afternoon off, the weather looked promising. A little windy, perhaps, but nothing too drastic or cold.
Like the best-laid plans, things went awry (thank you Robert Burns!). The winds at the beach were actually ferocious, to the point where I literally got blown over at one point, as did my tripod once or twice before I could mount it firmly in some wet sand.
But I endured the elements because I was having an absolute blast experimenting with using my camera in new ways, in terms of settings and movement. Plus the sky and the water–all thanks to that wind–were both alive with color and textures. The water was a bright green at times and the clouds threw down columns of rain and snow squalls over the water (and occasionally on this little sliver of land known as Provincetown). It was, in a word, magnificent.
I spent about three hours that day at Herring Cove, Hatches Harbor, and Race Point, and took nearly 1,000 photos (and kept about 100). Most of this work was indeed images of moving water and clouds, and I really liked what I created–especially since it was my first time doing this kind of work and in those conditions. I also took a few regular photos around Race Point, away from the water, after my teeth were crunching on gritty sand that was whipping through the air.
As always, here are a few of my favorites from those three hours. More to come on Instagram!
Be well, and Happy Thanksgiving if that’s something you celebrate!
