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Since
I first dived the Ghiannis D ten years ago, there have been
many changed on this wreck and probably just as many changes
in my photographic equipment. The rich encrustation of corals
and the quantity of sea life has, sadly, dimished significantly.
The ship istelf is becoming more acutely tilted and the mast
has completely collapsed. Nevertheless, it is still a splendid
Red Sea wreck for photographers., with ample opportunities
to take dramatic photographs using the strong outlines, intricate
shapes and portholes.
When
our distinguished newsletter editor asked me to write an explanation
about the slides I was horrified. I thought my task was over
and, not being technically minded, there was absolutely no
hope that I could remember exactly how I had taken each photograph.
My philosophy is take take lots of shots using different settings
and hope that one or two of then might suceed. So, instead
of trying to give you the full technical details, here are
a few of my thoughts when assembling the portfolio.
After
finally deciding on Ghiannis D as my theme (decisions are
not my strong point), I went through my collection of slides,
taken last October, and selected the ones which 'stood out'
from the rest. I then rejected any that were not crisp and
in focus. I find it helpful to treat all slides as if they
are a single picture within a frame. The choice and positioning
of vertical and horizontal slides within this frame have to
be a balanced configuration.
At
this stage I suddenly realised that the portfolio had a rather
dulll blue, monochromatic look and lacked interest even though
I was reasonably satisfied with each individual slide. So
I went back to rummage through earlier slides taken during
previous visits to the site to find a bit more colour, contrast,
variety and impact.
The
next step was to balance the tonal values, light, shape, texture
and direction of each slide to make a complete picture. Should
I have the mast at the top or bottom? Or should it be in the
middle? Should the mast point inwards or outwards? This was
the most frustrating stage and, even after hours of contemplation,
I still had not finally decided on the ultimate selection
of images.
Time
disappeared as I arranged and re-arranged the slides, turning
them over to see if they looked better reversed, shuffling
them from one row to the other. At last the decision was made
and my last task was to view the whole portfolio upside-down
and from a slight distance to judge if the whole picture was
balanced and pleasing.
Simplicity
and impact are two words which I kept repeating to myself
whilst struggling to assemble my portfolio. These two things
were hard to achieve, but I always find it amazing when assembling
a portfolio how easy it is to find five suitable slides, but
that sixth is always the elusive nightmare.
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