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About this photograph
A group of dolphins passes Isaac Rock as they head north.
Dolphins work this bay constantly, following bait north and south along the shoreline, and they pass Isaac Rock the way traffic passes a roundabout. Catching them level with the rock, in the same frame, in reasonable light, is largely a matter of being on the beach often enough.
The frame is composed wide and shallow, which puts the animals and the rock on the same line and keeps the horizon doing the work. It is the least dramatic Isaac Rock picture in the collection and, for that reason, the one that most resembles an ordinary morning at Calgardup Bay.
About Isaac Rock
Isaac Rock stands off the Calgardup Bay shoreline within sight of where the SS Georgette came ashore. At the time of the wreck in 1876 it was known as Black Rock; today it carries the name Isaac.
That name is the reason this rock recurs through the exhibition. Sam Isaacs, the Aboriginal stockman who rode to the beach with Grace Bussell on the morning of the wreck, was awarded a bronze medal for his part in the rescue while Bussell received silver, a gold watch and a town named after her. The rock is one of the few things on this coast that carries his name at all. Photographing it repeatedly, in every condition the coast offers, is the exhibition's way of keeping him in the frame.
The full account of the wreck — the failed pumps, the lifeboat, Grace Bussell and Sam Isaacs, and the inquiry that followed — is set out in the story of the SS Georgette. The research behind it is described in the author's preface.
About the print
Printed to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, a 100% cotton archival paper, and supplied with an edition number. Free shipping within Australia.
