Harvey Cedars Sunset
Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Island, NJ
Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Island, NJ
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Nov, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Harvery Cedars Sunset Park on Long Beach Island, NJ. The gazebo is part of the borough's bayside recreation complex that also has tennis and basketball courts, a playground, bay beach, restrooms and a softball field. In the summer, they host weekly free concerts with the gazebo serving as the stage. People bring blankets, chairs, kids and coolers to enjoy the music. A local surf shop give free use and lessons on kayaks, windsurfers and Stand Up Paddleboards (SUPs). Lots of people take in the shows on their boats by anchoring behind the gazebo.Time
Sunset, obviously. I would estimate around 5:30 or 6 EST as this was before the Daylight Savings Time shift. I was on my way home from my full-time job as a real estate and rental agent and usually close the office around 5 p.m.Lighting
I used a curved diffuser mounted in front of the built in flash to light the foreground and to bring out the texture of the gazebo, which was my focal point. But I metered on the sky to the right. The slight haze and wisps of clouds made shooting at this time of day excellent and there weren't the usually problems you encounter shooting directly at the sun.Equipment
A Nikon D-3100 with a 24-55 D-series lens shot at f.5.6 with an ISO of 200 and diffused mounted flash. It was hand heldInspiration
I live on a barrier island that is a vacation and tourism magnet in the summer. We are the crown jewel of the Jersey Shore and any given night you can experience a majestic sunset. I am always looking for different ways to showcase them, especially in the offseason when things calm down. When I pulled into the park this night and saw the thin snow drift leading right up to the center of the gazebo and almost pointing at the island in the center and on to the sun masked by the wisps of cloud, all I could think was "Bulls Eye!" The snow, sand and sea grass elements all just added to capture what LBI is in winter is .. which is quiet, serene and beautiful.Editing
Not much, I shot in hi-res, not RAW. I did crop it a little and bump up the shadows. I never even took it into Photoshop. I am a strong proponent of "shoot what you see, show what you shot." Obviously, the eye of the lens is different than our own, so some adjustments need to be made. But unless I'm purposely trying to create something new and different from an image for artistic reasons, I mostly let my pictures speak for themselves.In my camera bag
Right now, I'm down to the bare minimum thanks to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. By 2014 I was able to afford my current bag, one DSLR body, the Nikon D-3100, and three lens DX lens 24-55, 55-200 and 55-300, a couple of Vivatar flashes that survived and the standard filters. My best find is the most inexpensive, a clip-on mount that goes in the hotshoe and lets me attach white, blue and yellow diffusers out in front of the built in flash. I am a freelance photojournalist and often work in less than perfect conditions. That $10 worth of cheap plastic has saved me and my editors from lots of correction when I use them, especially indoors.Feedback
Know your location, know the best time of day, check it at that best time often. I know that here on LBI, I will get some of the most vivid colors after the sun has already set but the sky still reflects golden on the water. But a sun setting on a semi-overcast or light cloudy day will give some great foreground light without causing flares or exposure headaches and add some great pinks to purples to the sky. Wait for the right moment. Look at the alignment and spacing. Notice once past the snow leading up to the gazebo and it's railing, the perceived distance between it and the island, then the island to the mainland, then to the sun, then back to the roof of the gazebo. Five minutes either way and it would not have been the shot that it is.
