Fun with Rocks

Here is my last selection of shots from my riverside walk last weekend. 

The first two images are different views of the stack I shared yesterday and the final two are of the largest and most challenging stack which including the base rock is made from 17 stones and I was really pleased that it stayed upright. I was tempted to put another pebble on top but decided to play it safe.

I really like this one, in colour you can see the stones lit up by a chance ray of sunlight that snuck through the clouds and I think the final image has a really moody quality to it. 

I like the fact that these look part of the landscape but they have a fragile quality too which is at odds with the solidity of the rocks themselves. 

As well as working on the three stacks that you have seen over the last few days we (my son and I) attempted a stone arch. We failed but I think that if we had selected smaller stones and gave ourselves a little more time we would have succeeded.

Fun By The River

So it might not be everybody's idea of fun but I think that creating stacks of river pebbles like these can be challenging and fun.

Frozen in these images they look sturdy and secure but they are in fact precariously balanced and the smallest slip of the hand or a gust of wind can turn this artistic creation into a pile of rubble.

Once they are built the fun doesn't stop as you try to find the best angle to photograph them.  For these which were built right on the rivers edge it was necessary to stand or rather squat in the river. On the slippery stones on the river bed it was quite trick to keep my balance but I think it was worth it.

The first of today's images is a different view of the stack I shared yesterday and the others are two slightly different views of my second stack of the day. It was a little more adventurous than the first one although I used the same number of stones. I have some more views of this one that I will share tomorrow and then I will post some pictures of my third and tallest stack of the day so come back tomorrow to see more.

Everything is Stacking Up

I am taking a short break from the shots from Venice and over the next couple of days I will be sharing a selection of pictures of a stone stacking adventure on the river Wyre in Lancashire.

I had gone out for a landscape photo session with my son but the light wasn't very good so we headed down to the river near Scorton in Lancashire, a spot I had found a little over a year ago on a camping trip, to build some stone stacks.

Here are two slightly different views of my first effort of the day. I have chosen one black and white and one colour shot. I think the poor light and the absence of any strong colour in the scene means the black and white image is actually the stronger of the two showcasing the form of the stack and the contrast of textures, light and shadow.

Wolf River Falls

I've not managed to post every day recently but I have been getting some good shots.

Today I was at Wolf River Falls innorthern Ontario. I got some fabulous pictures of the falls and I even went behind the falls for some.

This was shot using my phone, I built the stack and tried to capture the falls I softer focus in the background.

Slippery Stack

Here are three shots of the second stack I built on the banks of the River Llugwy from slightly different angles. This was quite a tricky balance to be honest because the stones were slippery and I was shivering because it was so cold. But I managed to do it without it collapsing and that was important to me because I didn't want to spoil the snow around it.

I really like the effect of the out of focus background and the way the wet stones glisten.

As with the first stack that I showed you yesterday I dismantled it afterwards to leave no trace...

More Than A Pile Of Rocks

The last of my stacking photos, two different views of one and a third which is a combined stack and balance.

I recently read an article complaining about stone stacking and arguing that photographers should leave no trace and while I agree that in some locations it may have got out of hand and in sensitive locations it may be irresponsible and damaging to the ecology however on a rocky beach I don't see that it does any harm and they won't stand for long before returning to the natural chaos of the beach.

I really like the form of the first stack, it has a birdlike quality and it looks good looking right or left.

The final stack/balance was the most challenging even though it is not very tall, the challenge being to get the two uprights to remain upright and balance the top two stones. It was a relief to have it remain standing.

On The Rocks

I missed blogging yesterday, I was enjoying the musical magic of Spoon (the band) and so was unable to post anything as a result today I am posting two pictures.

These are also from my fun on the beach stacking stones from earlier in the week and as you can see these are a little more adventurous than the stacks I posted on Monday. Practice certainly pays off and I am really pleased with the second shot today alternating dark and light layers matching the layers of sand, sea, land and sky in the background.

All Stacked Up

I should have had hundreds of photos from the past five days but sadly I had to cancel my holiday and all of the photo opportunities with it. So today I popped out for an hour and went down to the beach at Caldy looking out onto the Dee Estuary.

My youngest son joined me and together we built a number of stacks using pebbles from the beach. We started off quite simple and gradually got a little more adventurous. The first image is my first stack which I have lined up against the rotting stumps in the background, the second is my son's first which I think is really cool; sadly it was knocked down (twice) by inquisitive dogs