May 02, 2004

Gordon Falls / Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick

Given the time of my move to New Brunswick last year (mid-August) and the rush to get the renovations and darkroom finished before the cool weather set in, there was little time to explore our new surroundings. I had hoped to be able to do this over the winter and spring, but May finds the weather getting warm enough for working outdoors, and very little time free for exploratory trips.
8"x10" film
This weekend was a welcome chance to stomp about, so when some friends proposed going to a couple of the better local "scenes" for photography, I took them up on their offer.
Digital original
The morning was spent in the south-east of the province, looking for possible sites along the Bay of Fundy - as it turned out however, the area was socked in with fog, so after a bit, we headed back inland, to look at one of the better known waterfalls - Gordon Falls. I arrived to a sight that was stunning - the road arches over the river on a concrete bridge, and the view from the centre of the river is awe-inspiring. Not a space I could work with models in (far too swift a river for one thing), but certainly something worth photographing.
Digital original
The afternoon was spent exploring one of the most identifiable sites in New Brunswick; Hopewell Cape. Situated near the head of the Bay of Fundy, the flowerpots at Hopewell Cape are soft red sandstone cliffs which are slowly being eroded by the 12+ metre tides that wash over them twice daily - much to a photographer's delight. As it turned out though, the space was a little more challenging then I'd anticipated - all my images ended up under-exposed, due to the dark red hue of the rocks - black and white film is particularly insensitive to reds, so all my images were somewhat under exposed. Something to think about next time...speaking of which, knowing Hopewell Rocks Park officially opens to the public in under a month makes me particularly keen to see if I can arrange for a time when a model, low tide, and daylight all coincide to permit me to work in the space before the tourists arrive in bus-loads.

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