SaltburnSunsetSeaweed(3x2)
Feb, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This Photo was taken in Saltburn-by-Sea on the North East Coast of England. Rough seas had left a lot of seaweed on the beach after the tide had gone out, which I wasn't expecting when I arrived. I had to pick my way through piles of the stuff to get into position but it was worth it when I saw the cloud break and the sun peering through.Time
I had long wanted to capture an image like this, with the sun backlighting the pier. On this occasion everything seemed to fall into place just before Sunset. I was able to use the seaweed as foreground interest, although I did move some of it so that it pointed toward the light for a more interesting composition.Lighting
With the sun shining straight at the lens I had no option to to go for a HDR shot. This is actually 5 exposures from -2 to +2 combined in photoshop. I set a small aperture and this had the added bonus of providing a spectacular sunstar, which I really wanted.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 6D and a cheap TripodInspiration
Saltburn-by-Sea is a special place for me and for many local photographers; there are lots of great angles to be had of the Pier which is the last remaining example of its type in Yorkshire. I always thought to capture with the sun setting behind and after checking the photographers ephemeris I knew that the position of the sun would ideal for the shot on the day. Although the seaweed almost put me off when I arrived because it did look quite ugly and I had intended to capture the image with smooth, soft sands. Glad it didn't though!Editing
Yes, 5 exposures combined in Photomatix initially to create one version of the image which was then exported to photoshop and combined with the other exposures manually to pull it back from brink of insanity. I don't use Photomatix any more though.In my camera bag
I always have my trusty Canon 6D and my 16-35mm f4 lens. This is the combination I used for this shot. I also have the 24-70mm f2.8, but If I'm out on a landscape trek I tend to leave that behind because its a little bit too heavy. I have a remote trigger to fire the 5 bracketed shots and a soft lint free cloth to keep the lens clean. I also have a Lee Big Stopper, although I had no need of it here.Feedback
I always plan shots like this in advance. I check the weather forecast online and if I know exactly where I will be I check out the position of the sun using the photographers ephemeris. The latter was critical in my decision to head out and take this shot when I did. If you are shooting in bright conditions and then always bracket your shots - I usually thus thake 3 exposures, but because the lighting in the situation was so dynamic I upped it to 5.
