seaspray
Jun, 2016Views
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Top 30 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo just of the Oregon coast on Rt 101. I had taken a road trip down the west coast for my birthday this past April with my best friend, and we pulled over when we saw these sea stacks. It was a secluded beach, so it was a bit of a walk to get to, but the beach was beautiful and lush with greenery on one side, and perfect untouched sand on the other side with the tide just coming in.Time
This photo was taken in the late afternoon, around 4pm. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, but it wasn't sunset just yet, and the tide had just started coming in. The waves crashing on the sea stacks is what originally caught my eye, as well as the mist at the base of them.Lighting
The sun was starting to go down, and my back was to the light so I could highlight the sea stack, the beach and the greenery that I caught in the photo. The low angle of the sun allowed me to capture more of the side features, and the shadowing was perfect. It was a very soft and clear light as opposed to harsh light when the sun is higher in the sky.Equipment
For this photo, I used a Canon Rebel XT with an EFS 18-55mm len with a 58mm circular polarized lens to help cut down on the UV rays, and my eye. No flash or tripod, when on excursions I try to keep the amount I take with me on outdoor excursions as minimal as possible to be able to move freely.Inspiration
I have always loved nature photography. As a matter of fact, I decided at 6 years old I wanted to work for National Geographic just because I love being in nature. Being from Central New York, I never really had the opportunity to photograph the coastline. Once my husband got stationed on the West Coast, I knew I had to get out to the coast. I love everything about the ocean, the beaches, and when I saw the way the sea stacks were set up, I knew I had to get this shot.Editing
For the post processing, I kept it to the bare minimum as I wanted to keep the original colors and effects intact. I white-balanced the photo to even out the exposure, then made minimal tweaks with the contrast, highlights, lowlights, and dehazed just a tad. Other than those minor adjustments, I kept the photo at it's original base photo.In my camera bag
The first thing I always have with me is my Canon EFS 18-55mm lens, 58mm circular polarized lens, as well as my Canon Rebel XT. I also carry my 70-300mm tele-macro lens, as well as extra batteries, extra memory, and my tripod for stabilization when necessary. I try to pack only the necessities so I don't have much hindering me if I need to get a shot quickly.Feedback
The biggest piece of advice I can offer others trying to catch landscape photos is patience. Nature is as unpredictable as humans and animals are, it can change constantly. So having patience and being willing to work with the conditions is key. Also, have an eye for detail. It wasn't just one thing that caught my eye for this piece. It was the angle, lighting, and minuscule details, right down to plant positioning and the mist at the base with the waves. Always have your camera with you, you never know when that perfect shot is going to present itself to you. I have pulled over to capture photos more times than I can count.
