Prior to my solo Balranald photo trip for the Mallee Routes project the morning poodlewalks with Kayla had started to shift from exclusively walking amongst the seaweed and granite rocks the foreshore below the Heritage Trail to walking along the back country roads.
One reason for the change in emphasis is that sun is too bright early in the morning for photography, so the coastal walks with now take place with Maleko in the later afternoon. This is when the coastal rocks are in open shadow and the contrast is softer:
However, it is hit and miss with finding the seaweed, bird wings, dead birds or fish for the open air studio. For a while it has only been the odd bit of ephemeral seaweed lying amongst the granite rocks that I can use to construct a still life.
When there is no ephemeral material lying around for me to set up an open air studio to construct a still life, I start to think in terms of abstractions:
These kind of abstractions downplay the ephemerality of the littoral zone. They are small details close to the ground and usually accessible in low tide so they are difficult to photograph with a film camera on a tripod.
The downside of walking along the back country roads in the early morning is the presence of kangaroos. Kayla gives chase to them and as she is very determined, she gets through the fences and into the fields where there are cattle or sheep.