Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge boasts the only undeveloped salt pond on the Rhode Island Coast. A “salt pond” is the local folks term for a coastal lagoon, a small inclosed body of saline water. In addition to the salt pond, there is a diminuitive freshwater pond rimmed by small maples and filled with lily pads on the refuge. In autumn, the lily pads are joined in their bath by the shed maple leaves, leaving only small areas of open water to reflect on the state of their surroundings.
A focal length of 202mm from a short platform overlooking the pond gave me the narrowed angle-of-view I wanted, as well as some compression and magnification. An aperture of f/16 provided depth-of-field and allowed for a shutter speed of 0.3 second at ISO 100 to create an overall medium exposure. A higher ISO number would have allowed for a faster shutter, however since there was very little breeze and motion with which to contend, I chose a smaller ISO producing less digital noise. What was significant was my sense that a bit of “negative clarity during post-processing would mute the scene, blending together the rainbow of fall color.
National wildlife refuges are wonderful public lands offering every imaginable sort of photographic creativity. They are just another example of our common wealth, which we keep only because we are willing to do the work of preservation and protection required.
Good morning, Don. Nice to read your comments about National Wildlife Refuges, the lesser-known among our public lands estate. And what a terrific image. It invites study with its multiple layers. Interesting technique on the negative clarity to soften the parts. I like it! I’ve never visited such ‘salt ponds’ before, but have added to my growing list — a list made far longer by a year of captivity. Thanks for the beautiful image, the introduction to a new geographic feature, and your notes that can benefit all of us who press the shutter release.
Hi Ray. It’s great to have you with me for this conversation. Indeed, NWRs seem to get short shrift when it comes to talking about public lands. They’re usually tucked away in lesser traveled, out of the way places. However Rhode Island, for its small size, has quite a few of these wonderful locations. You won’t find lots of iconic places, but the intimate beauty will more than compensate. I hope you will give “negative clarity” a try. It won’t work for everything, but when it fits the image at hand, you’ll know it right away. Salt ponds are wonderful places for migratory bird watching/photographing. Have an excellent week!
Your image brings back fond memories of a workshop with you in Rhode Island. My impression being there was that it was like walking in the midst of a painterly image. Your image captures the feeling beautifully.
Donald, it’s great to hear from you! I hope you are safe and well wherever you are holed up. Yes, we did not do that many Rhode Island adventures; but you were with us on one of them, and it was an excellent adventure at that. Your description of it is exactly my idea of intimate beauty Hope to catch up with you soon. Walk in Beauty.
Howdy Don, how timely, my fiancée Noreen and I were just there at Trustom Pond a week ago and we were standing on the very same platform, but our scene was of ice patterns of the frozen water. Love the ethereal glow of your image and the colors resonate without being over saturated, which is a temptation that I consciously have to watch in my own post processing. Hope that you may again travel to our little state of RI that has some much variety in photography possibilities.
Ah, Michael, and howdy are you? You and Noreen were on my mind as I created this post. You are very blessed to have such Beauty so accessible year-round. One of these days I’m going to take you up on the offer and return to Rhode Island for one more adventure. Meanwhile, enjoy your blessings and the creative opportunities they afford. I would also encourage you to play with the idea of negative clarity whenever you have a chance. It’s a lot of creative fun.
I just love the “movement ” in the photo. Blends of color, water, sky, trees. Lovely.
Hi Robin. It’s always good to hear from you. Using negative clarity to soften the edges of elements has the visual effect of increasing the sense of movement throughout an image. Sharp edges create a greater feeling of stasis. Our eyes just seem to work that way. Thanks for pointing it out for us to consider. Walk in Beauty.
I can remember standing on that platform as we all enjoyed the beauty of that place and that moment. Thanks for the memory. Love and hugs.
Hello My Dear One. It’s great to have you with us. Indeed, I very well remember that moment. We had quite an adventure in the Ocean State, and we can away from it with a wonderful sense of having gotten to know you so much better and having found a wonderful new friend. And it turned out to be exactly so. Take good care and be safe.
Thank you, Everyone, for joining me for this conversation and for your thoughtful observations and comments. Hopefully, you will all be encouraged to give negative clarity a try as you go about your creative efforts. This is one of the portals of beginning of photo impressionism, which removes us from the realm of documentation and points us more in the direction of pure photo art. This is where the skills of photographic seeing and the existence of modern technology come together in the service of creativity. Have an excellent week. Walk in Beauty and stay well and safe.