Cumberland Island Black and White Photographs
Cumberland Island Oak on the Riverbank of the St. Mary's River
Unless you camp over night on Cumberland Island, which I certainly plan to do sometime in the non buggy winter months, your trip is restricted to arriving around 9:45 and having to depart by 4:45 which means arriving at the dock by 4:15. The best light occurs before and the time spent on island. However, the light is conducive for black and whites as is some of the subject matter. Besides the stately oaks near Plum Orchard Mansion and in other inland areas, there are also oaks along the riverbank. More frequent storms are leading to erosion on the St. Mary's, although sand is being built up on the other side of the island.
Cumberland Island Fallen Oak
This oak was one of the fallen ones where the riverbank was undercut. These trees live for around 400 years. A few on the island are estimated to be 600 years old. To see them fallen from the deleterious effects of rising water or any cause is truly mind boggling. Their large size becomes even more apparent when their limbs are splayed out.
Wild Horses Cumberland Island
The wild horses lined up in front of the white road against the darker trees also caught my attention and my mind immediately saw them in black and white because of the tonal range. In color, their arrangement was still nice but the image came to life in black and white.
Dungeness Ruins, Cumberland Island
The Dungeness Ruins on Cumberland Island were quite interesting. What really spoke to me were all the textures and patterns and all the shades of gray accentuated by touches of black and white. It felt fitting to envision these decrepit ruins in monochrome. The color was too distracting even looking at the scene.
The Road Through Cumberland Island
One more image I preferred in black and white was the road that runs through Cumberland Island. the oaks have been blown by the breeze and many lean and touch each other to create mysterious tunnels of light and dark. I enjoyed my day there so much that I can't wait to go back and explore more. The next post will contain images I preferred in color from my visit to the island.