Frame

One of the wonders of photography is framing - what you choose to include in the image, and, in some cases more to the point, what you leave out. I spend a lot of time thinking about framing, about what the key element in the image is, what supports it and what detracts from it.

Walking along the shore of Plymouth Bay, we came upon these remnants of some unknown structure. It had a certain mysterious air - what are these vertical wooden pilings? Why were they abandoned? We spent some time guessing but they were a bit too far-gone for us to figure out their history or purpose. 

Between these pilings and the water, there is a narrow sandy beach. I stood in a place where that beach wasn’t visible. I tried a few shots that included it but when I did, it seemed to make the entire scene more commonplace, less mysterious. I suppose there’s plenty of mystery in our world already without inventing more. But this shot, with no hint of sand or beach appealed to me. I like mystery!