Sail Boats at Dusk
Jan, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the beach, atop a narrow wave break in Salcombe, Devon, whilst on holiday. The water here (typically) is actually very violent, with splashes a few metres high sometimes. For that reason, I had not dared to go up there with my camera before.Time
I had decided to walk down to the beach with my camera to see if I could catch the sunset at around 7PM, only to find that it was actually too bright to shoot some long exposures (bearing in mind I had no ND filter at the time). So instead I decided to try and silhouette the rocks and the three boats that happened to be lined up in the background.Lighting
The sunsets here are amazing; they create very distinct bands of warm, bright, orange light which contrast the very underexposed foreground in this picture in a way that I liked. I love how the water has been captured with such rich detail, while the rocks are more feathered in outline.Equipment
I was travelling light, so the extent of my equipment was a Panasonic Lumix G3 (my first camera) and a 14-42mm kit lens. I initially used the concrete as a stabilizer, as I had no time to get my tripod. Frankly, other than a set of Polaroid diopters/macro lenses and a Velbon tripod, I had no other equipment at the time. I think in a way this limitation worked to my advantage giving me the composition I ended up with, rather than the concept I had intended to photograph.Inspiration
A few nights before this, I had been trying to make a time lapse of the clouds before sunset, but I decided out of this and instead took a long exposure of the clouds. I knew that I wanted to include the sea in my next picture, and for once it was a relatively unclouded night. I had also been shown a picture taken by a local photographer of the light reflecting off the sea in this very cove, which was a definite inspiration for me.Editing
Yes, aside from minor corrections, I love the effect that a slightly boosted saturation and contrast gives. I also enjoy experimenting with monochrome or selective colour in some cases. For landscape pieces, I have often used HDR, and have begun experimenting with panoramas. In a recent photograph I combined the two for a nice result but a very nasty file size! I generally leave the framing and exposure alone; though I do tend to underexpose the image very little and bring out the foreground. Generally however, I find that my better images have been left more natural and have made use of less post-processing.In my camera bag
I try to fit the majority of my equipment into my Lowerpro Bag, and often precariously strap my relatively new Manfrotto 390 series tripod to the back. Inside the bag, I have my trusty d7000 with the 35mm prime attached, then usually my 55-200mm lens in a pouch to the side. I use the 35mm lens pretty much all the time - it's extremely versatile in my opinion. I also have a remote shutter release/intervalometer which I use a lot in long exposures, though occasionally for a time lapse. Finally, I have a Hoya UV filter and Variable ND filter, as well as a set of Polaroid diopters. In the future, I hope to buy a new lens (probably a prime).Feedback
I had not initially planned to photograph the boats: I only noticed them when I climbed onto the sea barrier. Try to get something interesting in the picture if possible - e.g a bird on a rock or a lighthouse. Conversely, the rocks are also an essential part of the picture, giving a sense of scale to an otherwise seemingly endless sea. I think the water has been captured with such great detail - perhaps slightly different to the cliché of long exposure to create a calm, very blurred surface. Here it is very faintly blurred, which is perhaps an interesting thing to try. I would also recommend trying to get a low angle on the water - I knelt down and got as close to the edge as possible (thankfully without falling in) and used the concrete as a balance. Luckily this camera had a vari-angle screen. I didn't think to frame it using rule of thirds - although this is important, I think it made a nice effect to have a blue sky, followed by the red sunset, then blue sea. Finally, try to wait until the sun is just below the horizon - the last part of the sunset - so that you get more feathered and less harsh bands of colour. This may take a few attempts, you have to be ready or you'll miss it.
