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jamesjohnston_3471

The Strength Of The Sea

Off shore at Garrapata State Park.

Off shore at Garrapata State Park.
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Nov, 2016

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Garrapata State Park just south of Carmel, California on a bright, clear, day in November.

Time

I arrived at the park around 11AM and began photographing the local birds. During my stay in Monterey I went to this area almost daily to shoot in different light. This visit was really timed for birds, as mid-day light is usually not optimal for landscape images.

Lighting

Typically photographers prefer the light to be morning or evening for more drama or color. Because I was above the rocks and wanted a strong, high speed capture, I was quite happy with the mid-day lighting. Sometimes these things things work out so don't limit yourself when an opportunity occurs.

Equipment

The image was shot handheld on my old Nikon D810 with a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 150mm, f/8, 1/2000th sec. and iso 280. I had been photographing birds at the time and didn't want to take off my backpack.

Inspiration

Everywhere you look along the California coast there are amazing images to be had. Looking down on these rocks and seeing the power of the waves crashing against the rocks was really inspirational. How could I not take the shot.

Editing

Nothing really special needed to be done with this image. I had a series of images and I picked out one for color and one for B&W. The key was sharpness, focus, drama and action. I simply used a bit of contrast and peaked the whites with some clarity in Lightroom to bring out the details and made some very minor adjustments in Photoshop. This is one of those images that is mostly "Out of Camera".

In my camera bag

I shoot wildlife and landscape so I carry two camera bodies. At the time they were Nikon D810 and D750 bodies. I have since gone over to Sony mirrorless, so now they are a7R II and a7R III bodies. The lens sizes remain pretty much the same however with 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 100-400mm with Sony's x2 converter. I also use Sony's 90mm macro and Venus Optics 12mm. My tripods are all RRS as they are the best money can buy.

Feedback

Wave photography preferences are very subjective. Whether you want crisp moment in time images or to show movement, you need to be aware of how your shutter speed effects the image. In this case high speed was desired and I spent some time working out the best angles for the light and timing of the waves. Every few waves you will get a biggie and you need to be able to time that out.

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jamesjohnston_3471

jamesjohnston_3471

The Strength Of The Sea

Off shore at Garrapata State Park.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jamesjohnston_3471

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