Tucked away off the coast on Western Port Bay is a little groyne that took me ages to find. It’s not visible on Google Earth, so I took a punt, relying on my memory of places I had explored before. I love the thrill of discovering new locations. There's a certain romanticism in imagining that I might be the first person to photograph a landscape, even though that's rarely, if ever, true. The challenge and joy lie in capturing something unique, making it my own through my lens.
In this case, I envisioned this weathered groyne standing firm against the elements through the years. I wanted to capture the water washing over the groyne, symbolizing the persistent flow of nature against the enduring man-made structure. To achieve this, I ventured out very early on a winter’s morning. The perfect shot required a high tide under a moody sky, so I waited patiently for the right weather conditions. The high tide was essential for the water to engulf the groyne just the way I imagined.
Upon arriving at the beach, I firmly planted my tripod in the soft sand. The wind blew fiercely from the south, and the waves crashed with a raw, untamed energy. The cold wind, typical for this time of year on the Peninsula, bit through my layers, but I remained undeterred.
To achieve the effect I wanted, I used a dark piece of glass known as a neutral density filter. This filter restricted the amount of light entering the camera lens, allowing for a very slow shutter speed. This slow shutter speed was crucial to blur the motion of the water, creating a dreamy, ethereal effect around the steadfast groyne.
When it came time to process the files, I opted for a black and white treatment. This choice was deliberate, as it heightened the contrast between the groyne and the surrounding landscape. The monochrome palette stripped the image down to its essential elements, emphasizing the texture of the weathered wood against the smooth, flowing water and the dramatic sky above.
In the end, my journey to find and capture this groyne was more than just a photographic expedition; it was an exploration of persistence and vision, translating a fleeting moment into a timeless image.
