Sea Wall waves
Jun, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image of the sea wall was taken at Fort Fisher historic site. The site is the location of the fort that protected the last seaport and the last supply route for Robert E Lee's army of Northern Virgina. On January 15, 1865 the fort fell into union hands, thus ensuring the end of the Civil War in the United States. After many years as a historical site, the fort was being eroded by the forces of the ocean. In an effort to protect the remaining fort, the sea wall was erected to stop the advance of the ocean. This image captures the force of the ocean water that is held back by the sea wall.Time
This image was taken after in the evening around sunset. It had been raining off and on all day. I remember thinking that there would be no chance for any image that day. I took a chance during what was a clouded golden hour. As the sun was setting, the sky and clouds lit up with color. I jumped on the opportunity to capture this moment in time.Lighting
The lighting was natural lighting with an overcast sky. The colors popped in the sky for a few minutes. I was thankful that the lighting was sufficient to capture some of the wave action. This wave action has taken down parts of a fort that the Union army needed 2 battles and a few years to accomplish.Equipment
For this image, I used my Canon t6i camera, with an EFS 18-135 mm lens. The camera was mounted on my tripod and a remote shutter release was used to take the image. Additionally, a .6 soft Grad ND filter was used to even out the exposure of the sky.Inspiration
Upon arriving at the location, with little hope of capturing anything, I immediately heard the crashing of the waves on the sea wall. As I walked up from the parking area, I could see the spray of water erupting upward off the wall. I really wanted to capture these powerful ocean waves. I knew that I would need a longer exposure due to the lighting. The sun was completely covered by clouds most of the time there. The perfect moment came when a small part of the sun peaked out over a cloud putting color in the sky. The increased light allowed me to increase my shutter speed just enough to capture the hint of the wave action.Editing
My post processing is done mostly in lightroom. I am no expert on post processing and usually limit what I do to small adjustments. The adjustments I typically do are reducing highlights some, increasing shadows some, moving contrast and exposure up a small amount, and setting the lens profile adjustment and chromatic aberration. I have recently started to work with photoshop and lightroom together. It is a learning process and I really want to keep my images true to the scene shot.In my camera bag
My bag is usually packed and ready to go all the time. I always carry my Canon t6i, my Canon 50 mm 1.8 prime, my EF-S 18-135mm lens, and my Canon EF 70-300 mm telephoto. In the bag is my remote release with 10 ft of additional cord, my set of Tiffen ND filters with a .6 soft Grad ND added to it. I also carry a circular polarizing filter for each lens. After equipment, I always have lens cleaning wipes, a lens pen, plastic bags in case of rain. I usually carry my tripod when I go out, but sometimes I use the straps on the bag to hold it.Feedback
I would say that never let the weather conditions keep you inside. Take a chance, you never will get the image sitting at home. Getting out on site is the key. Weather changes quickly and you need to be prepared, on site, and ready for every opportunity. Sometimes nature only gives you a few brief moments and if you aren't there you never had a chance.
