Two years ago we were in the second year of drought. Thankfully that broke last summer, and so far this year we are receiving a normal amount of rainfall. It's a cycle here - not quite predictable but certainly familiar.

I ran a half-day macro photography workshop for a couple of friends that year. We didn't get off to a particularly early start - their choice - and so the light wasn't especially good. By the end of June, most of the flowers were fading fast. Finding good subjects for macro work would not be easy. And those are often ideal conditions for teaching!

To illustrate what potential was there on our little hike into the hills, I made the three shots you see above: a Goatsbeard flower head in seed, rock textures, and a shadow on sand. Photography teachers have differing opinions on whether the instructor should bring a camera into the field; my take on that is that it's a good way to illustrate basic set ups for different kinds of photography. Sometimes seeing clearly how it's done can demystify the process. I think my students always understood that I was available all the time we were together, and that my own work was secondary during field trips. Seeing what I was able to do under the same conditions they had encountered could be instructive, or might boost their confidence if they came away with better shots (which happened frequently).

So here's a prairie drought triptych from Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   prairie drought triptych macro workshop field trip three 3 Goat's-beard Tragopogon dubius flower seed head rock stone eroded ancient lines fissures weathered sand shadow dry wild Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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A reworking of three shots I made a few years ago. Waves at French Beach on Vancouver Island, coming in, going out, coming in again. Unremarkable. Wavelets, really. Pebbles being sucked back by the draw, rolling and clattering. Then the next white foam burst on the pebbly sand.

I shot these with "triptych" in mind, but it took nearly nine years to figure out how to present them. I tried a vertical column with the three in full colour and full frame horizontal; didn't really work. I let it sit for years. Finally, last week, I opted for square crops of all three, removing most of the colour, increasing contrast, and generally monkeying around with the images until I liked what I saw. And here it is.

Photographed at French Beach Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   triptych three square monochrome black and white sea ocean shore wave waves breaking sand sandy pebbles tide intertidal beach transition land water coast coastal wild nature subtle beauty French Beach Provincial Park Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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