Boca Grande Pier
This is another long exposure of an old pier at Gasparilla Island State Park in Boca Grande. There's something about making time stand still that I find appeali...
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This is another long exposure of an old pier at Gasparilla Island State Park in Boca Grande. There's something about making time stand still that I find appealing. In any case, this is one of the last images I took before smashing my camera on the seawall. Don't ask, it was my fault. Lucky for me I had an extended warranty and Sony fixed it good as new. Now that I have my camera back I'm going to look for more of these images, only this time I'll stay off the seawall.
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Jul, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Boca Grande, along Florida's gulf coast. I took this while standing on a sea wall. Right after taking I climbed back up the seawall to my car and slipped and smashed the Sony A7r on the concrete and sand. Fortunately I had an extended warranty and Sony fixed it back to new. In the end I was happy with the shot but I might advise people to not take unnecessary risks. There is always another shot and another day.Time
Taken at 3:30 in the afternoon on June 14thLighting
The day was mixed with overcast from the typical afternoon storms at this time of year.Equipment
Sony A7r with a Really Right Stuff TVC-33 Tripod and BH-55 Ballhead. Used a 24-70 f4 lens at f20 with a 9 stop ND filter,Inspiration
The contrast of the old pier against the flat sea and sky caught my attention. I love shooting old piers and spotted this from the beach several miles north of here.Editing
I use Photoshop, Lightroom, Nik CEF Pro. Added some motion blur to the clouds and water to enhance the smoothness. Used pro contrast filters in Nic, and used Photoshop to clean up the sensor spots that resulted from the long exposure and small aperture.In my camera bag
I typically carry a couple of filters (polarizer and neutral density). I also use a wireless shutter release to reduce camera shake during a long exposure. I always carry extra batteries for the Sony. I also carry a 10-18 for a crazy wide perspective, especially if the clouds are dramatic.Feedback
Since this is a long exposure, keeping the tripod steady is key. If it's windy I may hang my camera bag on my tripod for extra stability. During the daylight, a neutral density filter is necessary to capture the essence of time standing still. You may need to color correct in Lightroom due to the cast of the ND filter as well. Finally, you will likely see every dust spot on your sensor after an exposure like this, however they're easy enough to clean up in Photoshop.
