Perfect Wave
Dawn on my first morning Molokai Westside and the waves from a storm rolled in just as the early light was catching the wave tops....
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Dawn on my first morning Molokai Westside and the waves from a storm rolled in just as the early light was catching the wave tops.
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Mar, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
My first morning at a beach condo on Kephui beach, Molokai. At 7:00AM I went out on the beach just as dawn was breaking and the first light was just picking up the tops of the huge breakers coming in from a storm further out at sea. There was a headland jutting out to my left with a path out to it, and I realized if I walked out as far as I could with the huge swells breaking on it, I could get some shots of the waves from the side as they broke just in front of our condo. The wind was blowing pretty hard and creating lots of "wind whip" from the wave tops. I was really worried about my camera, but it was too beautiful to pass up. I took about 300 pictures and some video, but this is my favorite, and it has been my computer's desktop picture ever since!Time
Sunrise or 7:00AMLighting
The dawn sunlight picking up just the tips of the white wave crests was magical against the dark sea and sky background.Equipment
I used an Olympus Pen E-Pl 5 with a Panasonic LUMIX 45-200mm zoom. I was shooting 8 frames per second, so I used the image stabilization built into the LUMIX lens, as the Olympus IBIS shuts off in in burst mode on the E-Pl 5.Inspiration
My family and I love the ocean and any sport on it or under it. These were amazing consistent green waves for surfing, and I knew if I didn't have some good pictures and video, my daughters would never believe me!Editing
I used Topaz Denoise to remove most of the background noise, as it was still quite dark when the picture was taken as you can see from the sky and ocean in the background. A very light application of Topaz Glow was used to highlight the wave detail and make the sunlight glow look like it actually did at the time the picture was taken.In my camera bag
Above Water: In my camera bag when traveling, I usually have my E-Pl 5 with Olympus 45mm f1.8 attached, a MCON P02(macro attachment), Sigma 19mm f2.8, LUMIX 45-200mm, and a VF2 (electronic viewfinder for very bright conditions). In my check-in luggage I carry a Manfrotto Tripod, Conklin ND filter kit, and remote camera trigger. Below Water: For snorkeling and diving I use an Olympus Tough TG820.Feedback
It's a lot less stressful if your camera and lens is weather sealed, when you are standing in blowing salt water spray! LOL
