VictoriaBeach-3
Oct, 2014Views
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shoubert
November 03, 2014
Thanks Scott. This was at Victoria Beach. It's a small, hidden beach in Laguna Beach area.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this shot at Victoria beach in Laguna Beach. Great little spot which is usually very busy with other photographers but on the day I took this shot, there was a storm that had been coming to our coast from Mexico and the beach wasn't as busy.Time
It was around 6pm I believe. I want to say it was a Wednesday night during winter season.Lighting
This structure is the Victorian La Tour Tower (this stair tower is commonly referred to as a lighthouse structure) that was built back in the 1920’s. Here is a good article on the history of the tower http://www.ocweekly.com/news/mysteries-of-laguna-the-pirate-tower-of-victoria-beach-6468760.Equipment
I shot this with my Nikon D300s and 17-55mm f2.8. No flash. handheld and with natural light.Inspiration
I had heard of this beach from other local photographer and always wanted to check it out. The week I took this shot, we were getting hit with the tail end of a storm from Mexico so we had some clouds in the sky, which is a rarity here in SoCal, and so I thought it would make for a great sunset shot.Editing
I did all the post processing in Lightroom. I had shot this in raw for better dynamic range. I usually start with the basic steps of white balance, highlights and shadows, saturations, contrast and so on. Once I have the natural look for the shot, I then decide on the style I want to finish the shot with. I often tend to develop towards a film look and feel. But in this case, I wanted the final shot to pop with high contrast and clarity with a subtle HDR look and feel. I probably would've developed it differently if the ocean wasn't as choppy and if I had shot with long exposure. In fact, my plan was to shoot long exposure but had to change my direction due to the rough waters.In my camera bag
I switched to Sony last year so currently I have 2 bodies. Sony A7ii and a6300. 24-70mm f4, 70-200mm f4, 50mm f1.8 and 35mm f2.8. I still have my nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 that I put on my sony cameras with the metabones adaptor at times. Mostly for filming interviews thou.Feedback
I'm not expert in landscape photography but I've found that, like any other styles of photography, lighting is key and for landscape photography that means the perfect time of the day. Early in the morning or late in the evening. With landscape you need to be patient to capture the perfect moment. And also not to be afraid of getting wet or dirty. The ocean was fairly rough at the night I shot this photo and to get the angle I was looking for, I had to get in the water and get wet a little. More challenging was trying the capture the shot before getting hit by a big wave and getting my gear all soaked.
