For this month, May 2024, the theme challenge is “Rocks“. This month’s challenge is almost an open category except the subject of your image needs to be a rock(s) or your subject needs to be supported by rock(s). This is another challenge that requires you to get outdoors and search for a location that supports this broad theme. This challenge is intended for you to concentrate on presenting a clear subject in your photographs. Similar to last month, continue to learn to reduce your composition to make your subject stand out mainly by excluding elements that you do not want within the frame. You can choose to present your images in either Colour or Monochrome. The above image of the stacked rocks at sunset is typically referred to as an Inuksuk taken at Bayswater, Beach Nova Scotia. Bayswater Provincial Park is nearby one of the Swiss Air flight 111 Memorial Sites which many family members have built Inuksuk’s in memory of their loved ones.

Imagine a Title for Your Image: Think about a title for your image while you are creating your composition, it forces you to think about what is your subject. With this image I titled “The Lonely Rock”, I wanted to make the story of the image about the shale rock that stood out from all the other granite rocks. This larger shale rock is like the lonely odd person out in a crowd who sometimes feels out of place. That being said this rock shows its beauty in the light, no matter how quirky or out of place one feels each of us is beautiful in our own way. Be careful when out on rocks when they are wet and/or covered by moss or seaweed, it can be extremely slippery.

Observation: Notice what stands out in the image and why you are drawn to it. My first trip to the American Southwest was an amazing adventure, there was so much to see in such a short period of time. The first image is a panorama of Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, showing the different colour of the rock in the mountains. While on the trail walk to Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, California, you can observe in the distance rock climbers on the face of El Capitan. Using a 400mm lens I was able to capture two climbers scaling the face of the mountain. The rock formation in the last image was taken in The Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, on an extremely hot day, which looks like a person on their knees praying hoping for cooler days to come.

Supported by Rocks: Lighthouses make a great subject and are typically located on rocky rugged coastlines and the Lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove Nova Scotia is no exception. Whether its’ a sunset or stormy day with the ocean waves crashing on the rocks it is always possible to walk a way with an image you’ll be happy with. Other possibilities of subjects supported by rocks are shown in the example image of the small tree growing through the cracks in the rocks, which showcases a very resilient tree, then there is the image captured of a lone sea shell along a shoreline found while while out looking for sea glass.

Travel: While on our visit to The Gaspé peninsula, Quebec Canada, we visited the town of Percé. This is the location of an amazing rock formation called Percé Rock which is also located close to Bonaventure Island National Park the home of a large Northern Gannet bird colony. The enormous rock is an amazing sight to see and the boat trip to Bonaventure Island takes you around the rock and also around the back of the island as well. This is a location that has been photographed by many so if you happen to be there or a similar location take some time to try to come up with some different images.

By The Ocean: There are so many possibilities to capture images with the ocean swirling or crashing around the rocks on the shoreline or sandy beach during stormy, sunrise, or sunset conditions. Just get out there and experience what nature has to offer you will be glad you did.

Textures: There are so many rock faces that can provide interesting textures which you could use to create your own texture to include in other images, just let your imagination lead you to something interesting. The best time to shoot these types of images is with soft light provided by some cloud or on an overcast day.

Share with us the images you create this month.

We try with our monthly theme challenges to seek out additional instructional resources, below are a number of YouTube video links to help with some hints and ideas. Landscape Photography instructional aids:
■ 7 Easy Tips that will Improve your Landscape Photography: by Nigel Danson (19min 37sec)
■ 5 Simple tips to improve Your seascape photography: by Nigel Danson (20min 55sec)
■ Seascape Photography – A Real World Tutorial: by First Man Photography (10min 6sec)
■ Focal Length Tips to help your Landscape Photography: by Ian Worth (6min 31sec)

Students are encouraged to develop their ability to tell a story or invoke an emotion, as well as how to plan and troubleshoot while creating their images. As such it’s important to not only create the image but to also include a “title”, and write a short paragraph about; how they came up with the idea, any interesting back ground that compelled them to make the image, and describe any techniques on how they overcame any obstacles. Also do some research and include the story behind your iconic location.

An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge, in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips.