“Captivating” – The Story Behind the Image
Hi there
Every now and then I would like to include some background information behind some of the images we have captured for our photographic art. To start with I am going to tell you a little about the day I took a photograph of Henderson Bay. You will find this image in the photographic art link in the Portfolio menu. It bears the caption:
“Captivating” – The closer you get the harder it is to leave
A good friend of mine and I went to Henderson Bay for a surf. When we arrived the conditions were near perfect. Good swell, light offshore wind and incoming tide. My friend had only recently purchased a new 4WD so he was keen to try it out on the beach, and being excited to get closer to the surf it sounded like a great idea to me.
However, given that it is an isolated beach (no one around for miles) and we had surfed there many times over the years (in hindsight I recall often seeing the first time visitor stuck in the sand), we should have known better. But with the “she’ll be right dude” attitude, down we went and what do you know, we got stuck in an area of real deep soft sand! D’oh!!
We struggled for some time to get unstuck, but nothing seemed to be working. We got back onto the harder sand, but despite a decent ‘run up’ we couldn’t seem to get past the soft stuff! It was getting late in the afternoon by now and the surf was too good to ignore. So we decided to leave the car there “captive” and get out in the surf, hoping that we might come up with a plan to get the car out. My friend was a bit stressed, as anyone would be, but we caught our fair share of waves (with only the two of us out I might add) and it seemed to do the trick.
After our surf we decided to let some air out of the tyres (we had heard somewhere that that is supposed to give you more traction in soft sand). With a little bit more effort we finally gained momentum and managed to get through the soft sand and climb up the steep and rough track back to a safe parking place.
While we were getting out of our wetsuits we had a good laugh about what had happened. We reflected on the eventful day and although we were feeling rather embarrassed that we had got stuck in a 4WD, we were glad we came.
As I looked out at the beach below I couldn’t help but feel impressed with the pristine beauty of the area. The sun was low in the sky and the shadows were getting longer. There was a warm glow of light painting the surface of everything it reached, including the native flax bushes in front of the scene gently rustling in the offshore breeze. A swell line that had travelled miles across the ocean had reached its final destination and was just forming a perfect wave as it hit the shore.
That was the moment I took the photograph and to this day it has remained a strong memory of an exciting and yet enjoyable trip. Telling this story explains the twofold meaning behind the caption: “Captivating” – The closer you get the harder it is to leave. Somehow it just seems appropriate.
"Captivating" - Henderson Bay (original photograph)
This story highlights for us the value of capturing those special moments on camera. The images captured become part of a permanent record that stimulates us to recall not only an event, but a period of time in our lives that holds special meaning.
We hope that we can help you to capture a lasting memory in your life, one that you can recall with fondness for years to come.
Until my next posting, take care.
Greg
