The story of August

Seaglass multies that looked like colorfully dressed people here, flocking towards a majestic castle in the distance! This picture of 'seaglass pilgrimage' was in my mind for weeks before it was finally put into reality. In crowded Hong Kong, it was never easy to find a deserted beach in the middle of summer - unless early in the morning. So I was there before sunrise. When I've finished making the sand castle setting up the seaglass, people just started arriving.

I sprayed the seaglass to make their colors more vivid. Then I lied flat on my stomach, assumed the crab's eye view, which I think is the best angle for capturing seaglass's beauty.

 

But things never went that smoothly! Though it was just morning, the sun was already fiery hot. The seaglass quickly dried up, their colors dulled. I got up, sprayed, went back to my spot on the ground just to discover some seaglass 'people' has been knocked down. I got up, helped the seaglass on their feet, sprayed and back to shooting. My routine for the next half hour was - get up, replace seaglass, spray, lie down, shoot. Finally there were so many people around, amused and wondered what this frentic woman was doing, taking up precious sun-tanning ground. I just had to leave. So I calmly gathered up my seaglass treasures and spray bottle, leaving the sand castle to the delighted kids.

On my way back, I met a crab. It was stunned by my huge presence, and played dead in its track. In slow motion, I knelt down, offered it my best piece of red and clicked away. A few moments later, it gathered up courage and scurried off. It was so sweet of him to pose especially for me!

The story for May

One sunny August Saturday in 2012, I brought some of my best blue-green seaglass and some seashells to a nearby beach for a photo shot. I had this picture in my mind of a cupped hand with seaglass and seashells in it, the golden beach and turquoise sea in the background.

I held the camera in my left hand, and tried to shoot my gracefully cupped right hand with the seaglass and seashells in it. I twisted and turned my arm around, my back and neck craned to extreme angles, while sweating profusely in the sun. However hard I tried, I just couldn't get it right. My hand looked cramped and unnatural, the sea looked more turbid than turquoise, and garbage on the shore looked more conspicuous than ever.  I realized it's an impossible feat unless I have a tripod for my camera, or a model to pose for me.

Then my stomach rumbled and my thirst has become unbearable. It's time for home, or at least, a lunch break.

So I headed back, and on my way, passed a rocky part of that beach.  There was a small stretch of sand surrounded by large rocks. I thought, no harm trying again, this time, without my hand? I placed my best gems on the sand, and lying flat in front of it, assumed the 'crab's eye perspective'. The picture turned out so nice that it became the cover photo for the calendar!

 

The story of April

This is one of my favorite. Everytime I see this photo I laugh silently at myself, remembering how clumsy and funny I must have looked during the shooting.
The ballerina's leg is not from a plastic doll, it's the tip of an ancient, eroded conch shell! I found it on a beach right behind a famous local seafood spot. This tiny beach is literally covered with tons of shells from oysters, clams and conch.
The graceful ballerina is tip-toeing through a maze of pastel gems, floating on quicksilver...actually it's a mirror with seaglass scattered all over, me steadying the 'ballerina' with one hand, clicking the camera with the other. And I'll tell you, that's no easy job!
Most of the time, and this time as well, my 'photo studio' happened to be the extra-wide 2.5 feet window pane in my living room. I started off with a small mirror, but quickly realized that I need something much bigger to cover the whole background. I ended up taking the wall mirror off my dressing room. This mirror is 2x5 feet. In order to catch the sunlight at the right angle, it has to be placed across the window pane, so half of it just hanged off the edge!
I set up everything, precariously balancing the overhanging half of the mirror on my knee, scattered seaglass all over the mirror, held the conch tip in place, while squatting with my camera to take in everything at the best angle. Alas, the mirror surface is so smooth that the 'ballerina' kept slipping, the mirror kept tipping over, throwing seaglass all over the place! Patiently I picked up everything, set them up again and repeat.
I don't know how many times that slipping, tipping and scattering happened, but I knew I was sweating like mad from the crazy balancing act! All the while I kept telling myself to get better props and try again some other day. Yet the optimmist in me cooed, 'give it one more try, it'll be perfect this time'. I don't know why I hadn't thought of using a camera stand in the first place!
Gradually, the sunlight changed its angle and no longer worked, so I just have to stop. I uploaded the 50 plus shots on my computer and looked through them closely. Gladly, at least a few looked close to what I have in mind. I smiled with satisfaction and lied on the floor, massaging my sore back.

Coke Bottle Seaglass

It's so exciting to find well weathered seaglass that still has the characteristics to be identified as what it used to be! For that, I love coke bottles. Though the colors of coke bottle changed over decades from clear to seafoam with blue or greenish tinge, their ribbed surface are unmistakable. I've found a couple of ribbed pieces that I could put my finger on immediately, other well weathered pieces blew their cover as well because of that unique color!

Have a look through your stash again and watch out for it - anything looks familiar?