Scaleber Force
On finding the language of balance in a Yorkshire gem
This image at Scaleber Force was memorable for several reasons. It was made shortly after the workshop in the Yorkshire Dales so I was buzzing with ideas for how to construct images and represent the local landscape around me. My trusty Series 3 Gitzo tripod sadly bit the dust – shortly after the second image, as I was setting up for one more image, a leg broke off.
More importantly, it was also the first time I actively used movements to shape the perspective and composition. I was having real difficulty getting the composition I wanted to balance – the top would be too open and the bottom section of the falls was way too dominant. I remember iterating for ages trying to get the abstracted upside-down image on the ground glass to present satisfactorily. This abstracted nature of the composition process was something that really played to my strengths – I could look at the image in the dark using a dark cloth almost detached from what it really was and find ways to make it work.
I finally stumbled on a setup where I reversed the traditional perspective – it is common to loom or magnify the foreground in 5×4 compositions. To get the image to balance I reversed the approach and widened the foreground instead. I was never really happy with the image however until I got a drum scan done by Tim Parkin – he was able to dig out a little more detail from the shadows that made all the difference compared to my Epson V700 scan. I had to meter off the water and let the shadows fall where the film – Provia 100 – allowed them to fall.
The second image was made with a short telephoto lens – my favourite 240mm Fujinon – fully abstracting the waterfall. It shows the challenges I had with my scan – it has not been drum scanned and the shadow detail is non-existent in places. This is one aspect of transparency film for this kind of subject that I do not miss! It is atmospheric though.
I revisited the falls many times afterwards but never got such amazing conditions – there would always be a fallen tree or other obstructions in the way or too little water to show how remarkable the falls are. A true gem of the Yorkshire Dales.
