The rocky coast of Maine's Acadia National Park cannot help but leave a lasting impression on all who behold the power of nature. The land and its people are sturdy, hardy and rugged, and in my visit there I was determined to create images that reflected my impressions and feelings about this unique place.

This piece, while fifth in this series, was the first image that really gelled for me with the concept of "permanence." I was searching for the common thread of meaning, and taking images, when this came to my mind. Seeing the rocks and the swirling water, and especially seeing what was coming out of my camera with the 10-stop neutral density filter, I realized that stones and the sea needed a third partner to complete the composition.

 

Three natural elements, three objects in the frame, and three segments of the wooden branch seemed to come together in this piece to provide the balance and stability that I felt permeating the world around me.

After I captured the rocks in the right spirit and configuration, I needed just the right branch. I found this one in the forest, and placed it against several different backgrounds to capture an image I could extract without too much difficulty. Once I pulled the branch from this image, I was able to merge it into the stones and sea above to create the final composite.