Sunrise at Driftwood Beach
A cloudy morning sunrise at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia.
A cloudy morning sunrise at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia.
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Oct, 2015Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Top Shot Award 22
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Absolute Masterpiece
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hjames07
October 31, 2015
Driftwood Beach is precisely that in the middle of the night. It is one of the many reasons I choose to go there before the sun cames up. Thanks for the kind words...they are much appreciated.
shuttertime
December 28, 2015
Definitely Mystical and beautiful at the same time. The reflections in the water are superb! Stunning photo!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This particular photograph was taken on Jekyll Island at Driftwood Beach. Jekyll Island is a sizeable barrier Island right off the coast of Georgia.Time
This photo was taken in late July at about 6am in the morning. It was the later stages of twilight just prior to the sun rising on a cloudy morning.Lighting
The light was a bit subdued because of the cloud cover. A perfect morning to catch a sunrise.Equipment
I use an older model Canon EOS 1D Mark II. The lens is a 17-40mm Canon L glass lens. I almost always use this lens for landscapes. While giving an ultra wide angle view it also has a moderate amount of zoom as an option. It is my go to lens especially for landscapes and architecture. My tripod is a Manfroto carbon fiber tripod. It is sturdy and gives plenty of support to my unusually heavy Canon 1D. I never use a flash no matter what I am doing. I prefer making camera adjustments in manual mode in order to capture the natural lighting available.Inspiration
I do a lot of night photography and I always find myself in a position to capture a good sunrise when the sun starts to rise. It is just a natural occurrence of events when doing night photography.Editing
This is an HDR image created from 7 exposure levels. The HDR image was created with Photomatix Pro software and then finishing touches were done in Photoshop Elements. I always enjoy the post processing as much as actually shooting the photograph. I find it a challenge to see how much I can "squeeze" out of my session.In my camera bag
While doing night photography I pretty much always use a photographers vest with plenty of pockets. My list of equipment in my vest include spare camera batteries and lenses, flashlights, wireless remote, microfiber cloths for cleaning my lenses, spare memory cards and plenty of spare batteries for accessories.Feedback
Probably the most important advice I can give is learn to use all of the modes of your DSLR camera. I know it is easy to get stuck in Program Mode (I was there exclusively for many years). I now always shoot in Manual Mode (ALWAYS). So, if you haven't already done so, learn the ins and outs of this camera Mode. There is a world of flexibility while using Manual Mode. Experiment with the options at home before going to location and don't be afraid to use this knowledge while out in the early morning hours. It is always a great idea to be familiar enough with your camera to be on "auto pilot" when you get in low light situations. Low light situations present extreme challenges while trying to learn the technical ins and outs of any camera. While doing any night photography I always like to scout any potential landscape in the day light hours. I am much more confident with the landscape if I have seen it in good light. So, my first suggestion is, choose your locations ahead of time and scout them out during daylight hours. It is very important to know what you are up against while on location at night. I have already mentioned this earlier but make certain that you have a very sturdy tripod that will support your equipment without any movement. I can't tell you how many times I have come home empty handed because of slight movement on long exposure photographs. Along that same line is, have a remote control (wireless or manual) with you and use it. It eliminates any possibility of camera shake from shutter actuations. It is a great idea to get familiar with your remote at home before trying to use it. The learning curve becomes much steeper in the dark :-) Since night photography requires special techniques experiment with ISO settings and also White Balance settings. This can be done at home and at night where you have plenty of familiar resources to work with. You can learn how much of an ISO window you can use with acceptable noise ahead of time. Low light photography becomes a tame animal with proper preparation in a favorable environment.
