John Dominick: Shaugh Bridge

I first visited Shaugh Bridge eight years ago and was instantly enchanted. I have since spent many hours in this beautiful wooded Devon valley, the mix of woodland, rocks and converging rivers being too much to resist. As landscape photographers many of us are drawn to water and for good reason. Water enhances the impact of our images whether as a raging sea, a stunning sunset mirrored in the still waters of a lake or, as here, a river tumbling over moss covered rocks. This wonderful location is certainly in my top ten and one of the great delights of the wooded river valley is the potential to create pleasing images even in dull weather that would otherwise have us packing up and heading home.  All the images below were taken along a 200 metre stretch of the River Plym and serve to illustrate how a mix of varying focal lengths, compositions and shutter speeds influence the final appearance of the image.

When I arrive at a location, time permitting of course, I like to spend some time exploring, looking for the best vantage points especially at a location where there seems to be many potential images. I find with rivers you are never really sure what’s around the next bend and which way to best point the camera.  However it is best to stay focused and search out compositions when you find a stretch that has potential and if you’re lucky images can be made looking both up and down river. Because a river flows, seemingly with an energy and spirit of its own, the eye will usually be drawn in which ever direction that flow takes. This generally leads to stronger compositions as in the images below, the water flowing over and around the rocks and through the canopy of branches adds drama and dynamism to what would otherwise be a very serene and static scene.

Although we have no control over the course of the river and must compose our images around it we do have some control over the way the flow and texture of the water appears in the final image. Faster shutter speeds will increase the feeling of drama and movement, recording more detail in the water itself. Slower speeds, sometimes running into many seconds, will reduce the appearance of the water to silk or even mist and evoke a more calming mood. Both have their place and the several variables that can influence the final shutter speed are often determined by the time of day and the amount of light available at the time of exposure.  These days with ever improving sensor technology we are not quite as limited as light levels fall and I have been known to push the ISO quite high to enable the use of faster shutter speeds. The two images below clearly show the difference between a shutter speed of 3 seconds and 1/5 second and how significantly that affects the texture of the flowing water and indeed the whole mood and appeal of the final shot. I have read many positive and negative thoughts towards the “cotton wool” look of water in an image but I feel that it is personal preference and that it can look very effective.

Focal length also has a major affect on the image, especially when using wide-angle zoom lenses. The following pair of images demonstrates the difference between a focal length of 30mm and 16mm which becomes more apparent when you use the trees on the far bank as a reference. The tighter, 30mm composition has slightly less impact and a mellower feel. When composing this image the arrangement of the rocks, especially in the foreground, was foremost in my mind. I wanted to capture the flow of the water around the boulders, giving each element as much space as I could for the sake of simplicity and because I felt it would create a stronger image. Once I am happy with what I see in the viewfinder I always run my eye around the edge of the frame to make sure there are no distracting branches or river flotsam that may ruin the final shot. It is easy to become absorbed in the moment and miss a potential distraction that can ruin an image and I know because it has happened to me more than once. The wider view is all together more dynamic, the water in the foreground more turbulent, adding a stronger sense of movement and energy.  Again this was carefully composed and deliberately shot from a lower angle to accentuate the rushing course of the river and attempt to capture some sense of the place itself. I was slightly concerned about the amount of sky visible through the foliage as I knew it would be a distraction, recording as patches of white, however by exposing further images to account for this I was able to blend in some detail during post-production. I intend to cover image blending in a future article, an invaluable technique when dealing with a wide exposure range.

Once the wider view has been captured it is always worth considering a more detailed look at the river. Running water, especially when blurred, can make a very interesting backdrop to a hanging branch or maybe just a study of rock and water itself. These studies are often very strong images and once you enter the right mindset you will see an almost endless potential in even the shortest stretch of water.   Days with very little wind are best for this approach unless of course you want to adopt a more abstract style and convey movement in the leaves and branches as well as the water.

To capture all of the images a sturdy tripod was used and whenever working with or around water I normally use a Manfrotto 055 or Gitzo aluminium GT 3330 because they are very sturdy. I always extend the bottom sections first to help keep the locks as dry as possible and keep a small towel handy to dry the tripod off at the end of the shoot. The river environment is hostile to expensive electronic equipment and indeed to us so a good dose of common sense is required to keep ourselves and our cherished kit safe.

Written by John Dominick
www.johndominick.com