Power. Beauty. Grace. September 15, 2020. Right place. Right time.
Sep, 2020Views
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Awards
Ignition Award
Contender in the Photography Awards
Summer Views Award
Flawless Summer Award
Spring 23 Award
Achievement in Originality
Zenith Award
Top Pick Award
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Halfway22 Award
Creative Winter Award
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Spring 21 Award
Fall Award 2020
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from the Oregon Coast in the town of Lincoln City, on the beach at the northern end of town. (Directly out from the Chinook Winds Casino.) There was this place along the beach here where there were 3 rock formations - the one seen in the image, another about 80 feet to the south and one in between them that was just off camera to the left, but closer in to the beach.Time
This shot was taken about mid-afternoon. My younger son had finished up with his online school session and wanted to go out in the surf. So I went with him and took my camera along.Lighting
Being that it was mid-day the lighting wasn't great. But I was fortunate in that it was mostly overcast - so flat, even lighting - but the sun was making weak, random appearances thru the clouds. The nice feature was - as is seen plainly in the image - that the background sky was a dark gray from storm clouds a little further off the coast.Equipment
Canon EOS APS-C 80D with a Canon EOS EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (1st generation, or Mk I). I was handholding the camera for fluidity and rapid movement. (remember, my son was in the surf so I was capturing shots of him too, as well as keeping an eye on him and the waves)Inspiration
I noted once on the beach that the waves were slightly larger than normal and there was one particular area where a wave would come in and the beach must have had a steeper slope there. As a slightly larger wave would come in and then break and that water would flow back out to sea, if the timing of a second wave of similar size behind it was just right, the two would crash together and this eruption of water would explode upward. That is what I captured in this image - that smashing together of two separate sizeable waves, one in-coming, the other out-going. I managed to capture 4 or 5 images where this was occurring but this one was by far the best. The combination of the timing of the "eruption" and the stiff breeze that was blowing really came together extraordinarily well. Often times a great image is the result of being in the right place at the right time! And second to this is of course knowing your equipment well and having it set right according to what you are shooting.Editing
Yes, I actually post-processed this image on my phone using PS-Lite - hence the 'watermark' in the upper left-hand corner of the image. Mainly increased Contrast, and increased clarity, sharpness (minimally in both cases), and Dehaze. Then enhanced vibrance and saturation sliders - again, minimally.In my camera bag
I have a 7D, the 80D, both Canon's. Canon lenses I carry: EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM; EF 24-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM; EF-S 10-18mm f/4.0-5.6 IS STM; EF-S 18-55mm (kit lens); EF-S 55-250mm (kit lens). Various extra memory cards: CF & SD. And I have a tripod but do not always carry it. The 7D has a battery grip on it.Feedback
Be present - if you are out shooting a particular thing, waves in particular, watch the ebb & flow for a while, look for interesting things to have in the image besides just the ocean - like a rock formation, or some Pelicans or other birds flying or in the water, or people - Kite Surfers are really cool to capture, especially if you get them coming off the top of a wave. If no other objects/subject-matter is available to include, then look for dramatic lighting combined with the surf - like sunlight at just the right moment backlighting a wave as it crests and breaks.
