Wooden Pier 1
We went to Hel Peninsula in the afternoon, enjoying beautiful weather and a couple of hours to kill. I decided to go back just before the sunset. Here's wh...
Read more
We went to Hel Peninsula in the afternoon, enjoying beautiful weather and a couple of hours to kill. I decided to go back just before the sunset. Here's what I caught....
Light was very beautiful and even, so I haven't used any filters.
Read less
Light was very beautiful and even, so I haven't used any filters.
Read less
Dec, 2016Views
4389
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in artFix Exhibition Project
Contest Finalist in Promenades And Boardwalks Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 2
Member Selection Award
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Categories
peteberkery
February 11, 2017
I like the way you composed it, the boat on the left, the walk out and that smooth look on the water .You also have all of the boat in there ! Hope you do well in the contest.
Platinum
Ultimate
Platinum
Orphy
March 28, 2018
Dear All. Thank you very much for your warm words. It means a lot to me. I will do my best to progress further, have more interesting photos in my portfolio. Cheers!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I found this little pier on Hel Peninsula, Poland completely by accident. Me and my wife had a couple of hours to kill one lovely afternoon, so we decided to drive to Hel Peninsula and find a nice place to seat and enjoy a coffee in the sun, by the sea. It was a lovely afternoon. I had my camera in the boot, so I took a few shots. I could see the potential of the place right away. An old, nicely restored boat was moored at the end of a wooden pier. The weather was very calm and warm. As the pier lays in Southerly direction, I could foresee some nice light at the sunset. I decided to go back to the pier the same evening, while the impressions were still fresh.Time
I took the shot, or rather a series of shots, early evening. I was on location before the sunset, taking some shots of anchored near by fishing boats, simply waiting for the sun to go down. I noticed from the initial shorts that the boats were moving around a little, pushed by a gentle breeze. I knew the exposures could not be too long, so I had to experiment a little with the exposure. I wanted to achieve a smooth water effect and freeze the boat steady.Lighting
The sun was already under the horizon and clear sky was changing colours from blue, through purple, pink, orange and red. The colours were changing fast, so each photo was slightly different and I had to adjust the settings. I was lucky, as the lighting was so even and silky I didn't have to use any filters. Reflections on the water were not much darker than the sky, thanks to almost flat calm weather. There was a hint of wind, so I set up ISO on 400 and extended exposure to 2 seconds, to smooth out the water. I didn't want to expose for longer, as I wanted to avoid registering any movement of the boat. f/16 ensured the depth of field.Equipment
I used my old NIKON D7000, with kit NIKKOR lens 18-105mm. Obviously, I used my Manfrotto tripod and a remote. I always use "Mirror Up" function, to avoid any vibration created by the shutter itself. As you can see, the equipment is not of the top sort. However, this very decent crop sensor camera was good enough to let me learn a lot. It's gone now, replaced by a full frame camera but this was the beginning of my photographic adventure, so very important. D7000 allowed me to build up some experience, skill and understanding. It was a good amateur camera, with its limitations but still allowing to take very good shots. Is the equipment important then? Yes, it is. But those without a big budget also have a good change for nice photos.Inspiration
I have always enjoyed looking at beautiful work of professionals and amateurs alike, reading a lot of magazines, scrolling through the net. However, I think that everyone needs to find his/her own style, something that suits the mindset as much as physical individualism. I simply try to take shots, looking for my own style, gaining experience and one day achieving the goal of being recognized. I realize how much work is ahead of me and, considering the fact that I still work professionally elsewhere, far away from photography, it will take some time. Most of the time, I try to register the world the way it is. I personally do not like to enhance images too much, cranking up the saturation and contrast beyond a natural look of things, which seems to be a fashion nowadays. The light that evening was so beautiful, it didn't need any enhancement, so I wanted to show it natural, silky smooth, delicate, yet beautifully colorful. We do not need to correct the nature to be more beautiful.Editing
It wasn't much, I have to say. I applied a little of dodging and burning to the pier itself but saturation and colours are natural. My goal was to show the landscape in its natural colours, without manipulating with saturation and colour balance. I also had to remove some noise, as ISO 400 was used and the light was delicate and weakening. The rest will remain my secret... ;0)In my camera bag
Well, I have progressed since this shot a lot. Now I am a proud owner of full crop D750, with NIKKOR AF-S 14-24mm f2.8 and NIKKOR 70-300mm Zoom. I also have a set of Lee filters, a Manfrotto tripod and SB-700 NIKON speelight. I had to upgrade my bag as well and now everything fitts nicely in the Manfrotto big one. What's next? Definitely NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8 street zoom, which I miss a bit... It will have to wait until I get other shopping lists out of the way...Feedback
Location is very important. Time is very important. Light is very important. Preparations are very important. Equipment is very important. Patience is very important. You can read about all those and more factors in wise books and magazines and, you should read them very carefully, perhaps taking even notes for a future reference. I would only like to say that apart from all those factors, the most important is our own perception, sensitivity to beauty and our own will. We need tools and knowledge to achieve our goals. However, there would be no goals without passion and willingness to create something beautiful that will give other people a pleasure of admiring it. It is that drive to register the beauty of our world and express ourselves that is the most important. This photo was featured in Digital Photographer magazine, Issue 196 in the UK. I am kind of proud of it, I consider it a great honour.
