Yesterday was a wet and gloomy morning in Galway, which meant there was limited options for photography. If photography is all about light, then contrast is one of the most important factors. Irish weather has many aspects, but the worst (if you are a landscape photographer) is one of those days when every ounce of colour and contrast seems to be drained away by dull, grey light. It doesn’t matter whether you plan to take a colour or black and white picture – the lack of anything in the light means that nothing is delineated and every object seems to merge with the next in an overwhelmingly grey mush. There is one upside, however – the lack of light means it is easier to shoot long-exposure images. I haven’t taken a picture of any sort in a few weeks now, so I was itching to do some photography, even if the chances of getting anything nice were remote. I decided to go down to one of my favourite spots – the diving board at the end of Salthill Prom. Now, there is probably a million pictures taken of that spot, but it is as good a place as any to shoot long exposures since there is an opportunity to juxtapose the symmetry of the diving board with the fluid shape of the sea. The onshore wind and rain meant that, every few seconds, specks of water splattered onto the lens, so I didn’t plan to stay there long.
No sooner had I set up the camera and tripod, and composed the first image, than I had a model. It wasn’t a model that I requested, nor one that was too interested in taking instruction (either from me or its owner). In almost every one of the 20 or so pictures that I took, a spaniel stood right in the middle of the composition, stared directly at the camera with its tongue out and tail wagging, and refused to move out of the way. Since some of the pictures required exposures of up to 20 seconds, the dog is blurred in many of them. But in the image above, he stood more or less stationary for the 6 seconds it took to capture the picture. In the end, his owner had to put him on a leash to get him away from the camera. I can be a bit like that myself sometimes.
Gorgeous pic – it could be my neighbours dog, except that he lives in Oldcastle, Co. Meath and as far as I know, wasn’t out for a walk in Salthill!
And as for ‘no colour’ – what about fabulous shades of cream and brown and slate grey in those sea-washed rocks on the beach. There’s always a bit of colour in Ireland, no matter what the weather!!
Mr. Smyth,
As a watercolor artist, I find your photo to be a great subject for a painting. The soft hues are lovely, and the presence of the dog is a wonderful touch. He draws the eye of the observer into the frame! Great shot, cool dog! The pebbles are pretty as well!
Thanks for sharing.
Mags