Sunrise storm Terrigal 10th September 2014
A morning storm with big seas at Terrigal
A morning storm with big seas at Terrigal
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Sep, 2014Views
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PestMaster
September 25, 2014
Stunning composition. Zigzag from the bottom left to the top right. The rocks and white water leading me through your image. Top shot !
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Behind The Lens
Location
I have a passion for shooting seascapes and one of the best places on the NSW Central Coast is Terrigal. This spot can work in any weather, tide or time. This is the Skillion, a sandstone cliff and popular tourist spot.Time
I love the mood of a stormy overcast sky. I also shoot Sunrise every day. This particular Moring it had rained most of the night with the occasion rumble of thunder in the distance. I had hoped to catch the Sunrise with colour and lightning but by the time the shot was taken that activity had stopped. This image was taken about 5 minutes after the Sun cleared the horizon.Lighting
I had to take shelter from the elements during this shot. Not only was it raining but the occasional wave was sending water splashing up where I was. The heavy overcast sky had some amazing detail with a little trace of colour flecked through. I wanted to try and capture the Mood of the sceneEquipment
The image was shot with a Nikon D3s and the 24-70mm f2.8 lens. No grad filters were necessary for this image as the light was subdued.Inspiration
I shoot Sunrise every day as I mentioned earlier. I try and capture a real representation of the scene both in mood and colour. The previous evenings storm and the sound of rain on the roof let me know it was going to be a Sunrise with little colour. I had hoped to catch the storm in action and knew I needed a seascape facing to the east. Terrigal is the perfect location. I hadn't seen any lighting on the drive to the shoot and so I hopes for some good wave action. I was not disappointed. I waited for the right moments to shoot, being from the old film school I try and limit the number of shots I take. I wanted the water action in front to be on the retreat and the cascade flowing on the rocks for the shot.Editing
I shoot only in RAW and 95% of my post processing happens in ACR. for me the end image should emulate the scene as I saw it. I will adjust the WB first, using the custom sliders not the pre-set auto settings. I will then usually hit the Auto control to start the process of the brightness and contrast. I make what adjustments I find from the Auto function till I get the look that best represents my recollection of the scene. I may add about a +15 in vibrance on the colour but no saturation. If the sky requires some adjustment I make some extra changes with the graduated filter and the I open the image in Photoshop. I sharpen and noise reduce in PS only.In my camera bag
My Landscape bag usually has the D3s and the 24-70mm f2.8 lens, depending on conditions I may include my 14mm f2.8 and my 50mm f1.4. I have a complete set of Lee hard and soft grad filters as well as a .6 and .9 ND and the Big Stopper. I have the Manfrotto 190 CF tripod with the Big Ball head, my timer remote. My Sb900 flash lives in the bag as I my occasionally use it to illuminate the interior of caves and the Lightning Strike detector for storm shots.Feedback
Keep an eye on the weather some of my best shots have been taken during bad weather. Storms and heavy clouds can lend an ominous feel to a shot. Try and find something for the foreground that adds drama to your shot. A shot of the sky just a shot of the sky but by adding an interesting foreground you can give that sky context. Also try and shoot everyday, you will find your skills and confidence increase the more you shoot.
