Puget Sound Sunset
Joemma Beach State Park, Washington, this evening. This picture has virtually no editing and I was super happy with it except for the darn lens flare covering t...
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Joemma Beach State Park, Washington, this evening. This picture has virtually no editing and I was super happy with it except for the darn lens flare covering the sailboat. Decided to upload it anyways. Having fun toying with long exposure.
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Sep, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Joemma Beach State Park on the beautiful Puget Sound in western Washington. It is a lovely beach, albeit rocky. The few times I’ve been, it has always been practically empty, which makes it a great photography spot.Time
This was taken at sunset on a September evening.Lighting
I chose the sunset for this long exposure shot of the pier. I felt that the mix of warm and cool tones would add to the peacefulness of the image.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D810. I am a self-taught amateur and fell in love with all of the long exposure shots of piers on ViewBug... The water looks all smooth and misty... SO cool! So I read and watched videos all about how to do it and purchased the necessary ND filters and remote shutter and downloaded the ND timer app on my phone. I grabbed my tripod and my gear and set out on an hour long drive with my 9 year old photography buff to Joemma Beach. I wanted to catch the sunset when there were a few clouds in the sky for interest. When I got there, I realized that I had taken my remote shutter out of my bag. I was super disappointed because I thought the images wouldn’t turn out, but decided to give it a try anyways... as a learning experience. I took shots from both sides of the pier, playing with the length of exposure and trying REALLY hard not to move the camera while I held the shutter release. I set the aperture small for a large depth of field. I added ND filters (can’t honestly remember which but I purchased 2-stop, 3-stop, 4-stop, and 10-stop filters. My guess here is 4-stop.) I closed the viewfinder; checked the ND timer app and switched to shutter priority mode. All The little steps. Even without my remote shutter, I was pretty pleased with he outcome of this shot.Inspiration
I REALLY wanted to create a cool long-exposure image of the water, the pier, and the sunset with a few clouds for color.Editing
I did virtually no post-processing on this. I was happy as it was, other than the flare that happened to block out the sailboat.In my camera bag
I have a huge, I mean HUGE camera bag that is really nice and carries EVERYTHING I own for photography, BUT, it’s REALLY heavy, even empty. So I usually grab my smaller sling bag instead and pack the essentials for what I think I might be shooting. This always includes the Nikon D810 with my ‘utility lens’, which is a Nikkor 24-85 mm 1:2.8-4, 3 extra batteries (I’m paranoid), extra SD cards, lens cleaning supplies, remote shutter, 4-stop and 10-stop ND filters, and my Panasonic video camera. In addition, I will grab my Nikkor 50 mm and/or 85 mm prime lens (both 1:1.8), and perhaps the 14-24 mm lens (big and HEAVY, so only if I really think I’ll want it), or my cheap 70-300 zoom lens if I’ll need more zoom. I keep a good tripod in my car but don’t always carry it.Feedback
Pick a spot that is quiet (not many people), where you have a body of water and can look to the sunset. Having a pier or some similar interesting focal point is really helpful. The app The Photographers Ephemeris will tell you when and where the sun and moon will rise and set absolutely anywhere... and you can see what might block your view from any particular vantage point. So it’s really helpful. Wait for a day when the sun will set at the angle you want and the sky is pretty (some clouds will add color and interest.) Set your camera on a tripod. Use aperture priority mode to set the aperture you want for the shot (probably a high f-stop) and check the shutter speed. Apply one or more ND filters and switch to shutter priority mode. Use the ND timer app to tell you how long to set the shutter speed for. Attach your remote shutter (if not blue tooth). Close the viewfinder (lest you get a pink streak down your photo), and hit the remote shutter release. That’s it. Play with the duration the shutter is open. Move your tripod to different vantage points. Experiment and have fun!!
