it was a beautiful summer day, a little windy but otherwise ideal for a walk out on the rocky Norwegian coast. for those who enjoy rugged wild terrain the coastline is ideal. though parts of it are built out with cabins and summer cottages there are still plenty of opportunities to seek contact with the elements. especially so on the many points extending out and exposed to the sea. as i was walking on one such point on the eastern side of Naverfjord i came upon a large driftwood but not particularly long log that had washed up on the rocks. it must have been during a storm because the log was well away from the normal level of the water's edge. driftwood can have a surprisingly variety of details and textures so whenever i come across some i take a closer look
the elegant gray patina of the wood derives from the aging process combined with the bleaching from both the salt water and the sun. with the cracks, knots, insect markings etc there is lots to focus on. in addition one end of this log has been subject to brown rot. a number of wood decaying fungi cause this. the fungus breaks down the cellulose but not the lignin in the wood. the wood turns dark or reddish brown, shrinks and cracks into brittle blocks
i'll close with this color shot of the scene. it is the original photo that i edited to black and white in the first photo of the series.
