Umhlanga pier
Nov, 2014Views
6025
Likes
Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in Rule of Thirds Photo Contest vol6
Featured
Contest Finalist in Image of the Year Photo Contest by Snapfish
Contest Finalist in The Outdoors Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in ViewBug HQ Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Digital Photographer Photo Contest Vol 1
Runner Up in Water and Sand Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Photographer Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 5
Contest Finalist in Water and Sand Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rank
Categories
HaliSowle
December 04, 2014
Nice light, love the golden color. The water swirling around the rocks really pulls me in. Congratulations on being a finalist.
PRO+
Platinum
JudyAnn
December 05, 2014
Stunning capture, light, color and clarity, Alan! I sure would like to see more of that lighthouse in the distance! lol Merry Christmas! *:))
Platinum
debcoimages
December 15, 2014
congrats Alan! Gorgeous image. Love the gold tones and the smoothness of the water contrasting with the texture of the rock. :)
Platinum
PRO+
KarlWilliamsPhotography
February 04, 2015
You have a particular skill with surf, Alan - very impressive.
Premium
IsabellaD
March 05, 2015
Wow, perfect in all the ways, composition, light, detail, amazing long exposure, no wonder it won so many awards !!
erinbonen
December 01, 2015
I love how you captured the water! How do you do that? I haven't quite figured out how to get that soft look of moving water.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Umhlanga Rocks, a well known beach destination in the KZN province of South Africa.Time
This was taken at 4:50 am just as the sun was risingLighting
The earlier you get out there, the softer your light will be. I'm usually on the beach 20 min before twilight. And the softer your light the more range you have when editing to control exposure and the less often you need to blend your pictures. This was taken as one shot.Equipment
Canon 5D mk111, EF 16-35mm 2.8, UV filter, Manfrotto tripod, remote cable. if you are often in a shore wash while shooting, the sturdier your tripod the better.Inspiration
I love seascapes and the challenge of bringing all the elements of light, composition, exposure, shutter speed and timing together in one shot. Creating movement in the water brings the photo to life.Editing
I always balance the light and tone of the photo in Lightroom and then use photo effects 9, a plug-in in Photoshop to work on the clarity and contrast. And when shooting any structures with the wide angle lens you might also need to adjust the distortion of the verticals in Photoshop.In my camera bag
When I go out early before twilight it's still dark, so a head lamp to see where I'm going and a torch with a strong beam to highlight my foreground when I do a manual focus. My trusted 5D mkIII, EF16-35 2.8, EF 70-200 2.8,2 X Extender III in case something interesting pops up!, remote cable, polarizer filter, two spare camera batteries, 2 spare memory card, dry cloth for any unwanted splashes and Duct tape (because you never know!)Feedback
To capture movement in the waves you need to be pretty close to them, which has it's hazards. So I set my manual settings (focus mode on lens, apt, ISO, shooting mode, white balance, etc) on my camera before I go out so when I'm on rocks in the dark with waves splashing about I can keep one eye on the waves to avoid myself and importantly my equipment getting drenched and know my settings are already in the the right areas. All I then adjust is my exposure and shutter speed depending on what effect I am looking for. The last place you want to find out after the perfect light that morning that you have forgotten to adjust something on your equipment when you're busy editing your shots! Importantly I then spend some time on my composition with camera in hand and eye on the viewfinder, finding the best angle for foreground and horizon and then matching my tripod height and position accordingly before locking onto my tripod. Try all angle before deciding. Lastly, don't try to shoot on single mode and hope you get the timing right, waves happen with a speed and are unpredictable, so put your shooting mode onto high speed and when the wave comes in start shooting before the wave reaches it's optimal point that you're looking for and through it. Not only will you get your shot but sometimes some amazing things can happen with water and waves that you can't plan for.
