Ella Bay-270
Nov, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at Ella Bay, which is just north of Innisfail, Far North Queensland, Australia. This area is part of Queensland's Wet Tropics world heritage area and is about an hour's drive south of Cairns international airport.Time
This shot was taken just after 5 in the morning on the 24th of November 2014. As this is the warmer time of year the days are longer and it is just starting to get light around this time. Although we are in the southern hemisphere, we are approximately 1000 kms into the tropics so the sun is to the south of us at this time of the year.Lighting
Although this photo looks like it was taken in bright light, it was actually quite dark. I have camera locked on ISO 100 most of the time which allowed the longer 25 second exposure to smooth out the water and enhanced the reflections of the clouds on the ocean. I also like the contrast it produces between the blurred clouds and the sharp rocks and sand.Equipment
I used a Nikon D600 with Nikkor 16-35mm lens, a circular polarising filter and tripod. I use a smartphone app for my camera remote, as my camera and Samsug phone both have infra-red.Inspiration
This particular section of the beach is only accessible at low tide and even at these times one needs to be aware of the presence of saltwater crocodiles- this is particularly the case when you are walking there on your own in the dark. However the location is superb and worth the effort as long as you pay attention to your surroundings. The combination of the sun's position at this time of year and the orientation of the coastline made this the choice of location once I had checked the tide times on the internet the night before.Editing
I do post-processing in Lightroom, I apply a preset I have created for each lens I have when I import RAW files from my camera, which saves a lot of repetitive work. I then usually only have to adjust highlights and shadows and perhaps exposure before going through the old D600 dust spot removal process.In my camera bag
I have my Nikon D600, usually with the Nikkor 16-35mm attached. I also have a Tamron 70-200mm and a Tamron 150-600mm lens, and a Nikon SB910 speedlight. There is a variable ND filter and 2 CPL's, plus various items of cleaning equipment. I also have a waterproof cover for those times when I get caught in a sudden tropical downpour. My tripod fits onto the outside of my bag which is great on long walks. All up this setup weighs about 14 kgs, so if I am going walking in the jungle I often strip it back to essentials to save weight.Feedback
Access to this location is dependant on tide heights so a check on the internet helps avoid disappointment. As I live in an area where saltwater crocodiles are present, it is always a good idea to check locations beforehand in daylight hours to assess any dangers, as mistakes can be fatal. After taking that into account, I find a good torch essential for two reasons; it picks up the red crocodile eyeshine reflections which helps alert you to their presence, and gives you the opportunity to focus your camera in the dark. There are few things more disappointing then going through a mission to get what look like great long exposure shots on the back of the camera, only to get home and find they are slightly out of focus... I find my free smartphone remote to be an invaluable tool, especially when combined with a sturdy tripod as camera shake is eliminated, and my smartphone also has a passable torch. I like to keep things simple when I am taking these types of shots so I am usually in aperture priority mode set to f10 when I have the 16-35mm lens attached, with ISO locked onto 100. As the camera can only take shots up to 30 seconds in this mode, if it is too dark I just flick it over to manual and type in an exposure duration on my smartphone app, which takes care of business from there.
