Shipwreck
Abandoned boat on a messy beach
Abandoned boat on a messy beach
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Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the Atlantic Ocean shore of Inogbe Island in Lagos, Nigeria. The scene of the beautiful sunset and the waves crashing against the shore was completely upset by the sight of plastic waste strewn along the beach, an old abandoned barge in the distance and an abandoned fisherman's boat. Inogbe borders the Atlantic Ocean and the lagoon on which Lagos State lies. The lagoon has a distinctive brown colour as a result of solid and chemical waste and the Atlantic Ocean shore line is littered with all sorts of waste and abandoned vehicles.Time
I took this photo as the sun was setting, within a couple of minutes the sun was well below the horizon and what, moments before, was a beautifully lit beach was little more than a desolate stretch that has seen the worst of unmanaged waste. Dusk in the best time to photograph Lagos; the brilliant sky combined with the bustle of Lagos' streets show this West-African metropolis at its prime.Lighting
When I took this photograph, I wanted the rich colour of the setting sun to come through and have the reflection of the sun in the distant waters glisten in the background. The dark shadow on the boat and the shadow cast by the boat on the foreground was intended to depict the darker side of human development; the impact on the environment. All said, I wanted to capture the beauty of nature where land meets the sea and then the sun touches the horizon.Equipment
I used a Nikon D3300 camera with a 18-55mm kit lens. This was one of the first photos I took with this machine and I really wanted to test the lens under low-light conditions and really take the machine to its physical and image processing limits. The result was pretty impressive even while using the camera without a tripod and despite the haze.Inspiration
I love water and I love the sunset. For a few days I had been coming to the shore and had been captivated by the sound of the crashing waves. The rubbish along the shore caught my attention almost instantly the first day I visited. I was inspired to take a photograph that would show the beauty of nature and contrast that with how ugly human innovation can be. My idea of a day on the beach is the sound of waves, endless lanes of coconut trees, and great company. This photograph is a sobering awakening to the reality that, if unchecked, could become the reality all across the world. This photograph inspired me into environmental photography and at present I have a keen interest in photographing veld fires, dry river beds and other man-made environmental catastrophes.Editing
This photograph is straight out of the camera. When I took this photo I wanted the world to see reality the way I saw it. My fear was that if I edited the photograph I would not have done justice to each of the elements; which are an integral part of the story the photograph tells.In my camera bag
I keep my Nikon D3300 on hand and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. I don't go anywhere without my 50mm 1.8 Nikkor lens, this is my signature lens. A set of ND lenses is totally essential when you use this lens and I keep mine very close. I also keep my Nikkor 70 - 300mm lens with me wherever I go. The two things every photographer can never have too much of are spare batteries and memory cards, I keep at least three of each in my bag. My D3300 doesn’t allow auto focusing with my 50mm and 70 - 300mm lenses so my choice of gear would definitely not work for many photographers.Feedback
I would recommend a fast lens with an aperture that can swing wide open to be able to capture this scene in all its glory. A wider aperture would have certainly allowed me to get in more light and bring out the extent of the littering on the shore while keeping most parts of the photograph sharp. I would also recommend a great speedlite with a diffuser, allowing better lighting of the foreground, bringing out the contours of the boat and the footprints in the sand.
