I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no Melancholy.
Charles Baudelaire
Black & white photography at the Bay of Fundy
Hopewell Rocks is a little gem on the south coast of New Brunswick. We were staying in Saint John, and it was a two hour drive to the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. There’s plenty of parking, and a well maintained trail to the cliff face. Steps have been built to take you down to the beach.
When we arrived it was overcast and raining hard. The advantage of this was less people visiting. It can get very busy, and the stretch of cliffs with rock stacks isn’t that long. So on nice days this little part of the coastline becomes packed liked sardines.
For photography, the bleak conditions and less people were perfect. The rain and mist created layers, and a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere. Black and white lends itself to these conditions, and I shot on my Leica Q2 Monochrom.
If you decide to visit, here are some tips:
Make sure to check the tide timetable. You want to arrive when the tide is out.
There is a lot of silt and mud, so rubber boots are a good idea if you want to escape the crowds who tend to stick to the narrow stretch of beach near the cliff face.
Buying your entry ticket online ahead of time will save time. it cost us $38 for the two of us. Not a cheap place to visit unfortunately.