Beach Fence
NIKON Z 7
Aperture f/10 ISO 100 Shutter 1/125 Focal Length 285/10 
Nags Head, North Carolina, US
Nov, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in November of 2020 at the north side of Jennette's Fishing Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. The fencing was put up along the beach in an attempt to control the wind and water erosion.Time
This was taken in the late afternoon. I had been farther down the beach taking photographs of a shipwreck near Oregon Inlet. I stopped at Jennette's Pier to see if there were any good photos of people surf fishing nearby.Lighting
This particular day was cloudless with a crystal clear blue sky (I added the clouds in post processing). The oblique sunlight made the great shadows across the smooth sand.Equipment
I have a Nikon Z7 with the 24-70/4 S lens and a polarizing filter. This shot was done by hand while standing on the beach.Inspiration
I have been going to the Outer Banks for over fifty years. My daughter lives there now so I go three or four times a year. There are so many great locations to photograph - lighthouses, old life saving stations, harbors, fishing piers, ocean waves, sand dunes. It's just a matter of selecting your subject matter, time of day (or night) and then wait for just the right weather. And sometimes the weather is awful - which makes for even better photos.Editing
I changed the color photo to B&W in Lightroom. I made some adjustments to enhance the details and texture of the sand. There were a few people on the beach so in Photoshop I removed them. As I said the day was cloudless so in Photoshop I added the clouds from another photo. I then added a motion blur effect to give the clouds some movement which makes your eye follow the fence line and sky to the horizon. The movement of the clouds also works well with the stillness of the sand dune, fence and shadow.In my camera bag
I recently purchased the Nikon Z7 and a 24-70/4 S full frame lens. I also have the lens adapter so I can still use my old Nikon lenses. The Z7 is extremely versatile and the 40+ megapixel images have incredible detail. It's like a computer in the palm of your hand. I use a polarizing filter most of the time for my exterior images. I have a Lowpro black backpack that I take everywhere. When I need a tripod I have a Manfrotto befree tripod for light work and a Manfrotto 055MF4 for heavy work. I also have a Manfrotto 3265 pistol grip that mounts on the tripod. I have a couple of different ND filters, a remote cable release, flash and a 60mm macro lens for close-ups.Feedback
In many ways a photographer is like a painter. But my canvass is in my head with the image already in my imagination. My brushes and palette are the box and lens I use to capture time. I just need to be in the right place, at the right time, and master my skills with the camera to record the scene in front of me as I envisioned it in my imagination. I use photography as a means of self-expression – I make pictures for myself, to identify and record the feeling I had at that moment. Which makes the photograph not only the record of the scene but also the record of my feelings and emotions. The photograph makes the ethereal tangible. My goal is to use my camera like a painter would use their artistic tools to tell a story in a single image. I’m not so intent on the viewer noting the technical expertise of the image. I want the viewer to have an emotional response, a feeling, an awakening. I want the image to invoke something inside the viewer they may not have been aware of until that moment. The best photographers are not so consumed with the technical aspects of their image. They make images that invoke emotion. Always remember the photograph must tell a story.
