The Creation of a Photograph: A Short Story

It is a cold, winter day with beautiful, clear skies.  Knowing the sun sets early at this time of year, my husband and I head south towards the coast.  On the way, we discuss which beach we should go to - one of our favorites?  One we haven't visited in a while?  We choose the URI Bay Campus, which he has never been to, and arrive as the "golden hour" begins.  The setting sun tinges the sea and the sky with pink.  It draws out the silken textures of the waves coming gently ashore.  The lights on the Newport Bridge across the bay come on, twinkling in the fading light.  My husband wanders, ready with the tripod should I need it, staying warm under many layers.  I, in my rubber boots, wade in to the icy sea and explore one particular cove with it's particular patterns of ebb and flow.

Many photographs are taken.

We return home and I eagerly explore the shots from the day.  It's one of my favorite moments - seeing what comes out of the camera.  The anticipation of seeing my photographs appear on my monitor thrills me.  I sort through them and start to edit the images, layering them with light and color, bringing out the natural contrast and tones of the scene.  Some photographs are discarded after working on them for a while, some are set aside to revisit.  Some blossom into the image I imagined, and are kept.



So you see, the birth of a photograph begins with planning, continues with the camera, and finds completion in the digital darkroom.  This is the journey that this picture took.