Boardwalk to Butler Beach
Morning walk to Butler Beach Boardwalk with the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean
Morning walk to Butler Beach Boardwalk with the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean
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iPhone 6
Aperture f/2.2 ISO 32 Shutter 1/2639 Focal Length 83/20 
Saint Augustine, Florida, US
Nov, 2020Views
932
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Behind The Lens
Location
Each morning, while camped on Anastasia Island, I walked to the beach for exercise. On this particular morning, the sky and the morning sun was simply too gorgeous to ignore. I only had my cell phone with me so I carefully composed my shot and captured this.Time
I rose at 6 am so I could luxuriate in my first cup of coffee before starting my day. I headed out shortly after 7 am to cross the main north-south highway on Anastasia Island in order to get to the Atlantic side of the island. As I made my way between the beach houses and bungalows I saw the sun starting to climb so I hurried to the boardwalk. At just about 7:20 am, the sun, the sky and the shadows were perfectly aligned for this mid-January shot.Lighting
I walked this route every morning in January so I knew where the sun would be when I got to the beach. I knew the composition I wanted. The icing on the cake for this shot was the sky. It decided to play the starring role in my picture.Equipment
Since my objective was a morning walk, I only had my iPhone 6 with me. This was shot on an iPhone, no special lens attachment, hand held, with natural lighting. Post processing was done on Google Snapseed.Inspiration
I look for beauty everywhere and find it through the lens of my camera. The best camera is the one you have with you, and in this case, it was my cellphone. I look for lighting and compositional elements wherever I go. We may not be willing the best environment to our children and grandchildren so I find it, may times, up to me, to present what this earth looks like in the best possible way. I want my pictures to say, this is “this is our planet - care for it.”Editing
I know the purists will tell you that a good image should be good without post processing but let’s face it, even Ansel Adams relied on post processing techniques with his selective burning and dodging. There are the pictures we see through the lens and the pictures we see in our imagination. It’s up to us as interpreters of our art to bring the viewer a combination of the art before us with the enhancements our imagination provides. I don’t compromise the integrity of my pictures (this is what I saw), I only created a more exciting view of it. All the edits on this picture were global, no specialized spot treatments. I adjusted white balance, balanced the histogram and deepened contrast.In my camera bag
I’m a Nikon fan. My main camera body is a D7000 and have two Nikon zoom lenses, 24-200mm, and 85-300mm. I have a 50mm prime lens and a first edition Lens Baby. I also have an Arsenal attachment for focus stacking and motion stacking. My tripod, 3LeggedThing, is small enough to carry with me yet sturdy enough to hold the weight of the camera with its heaviest lens. I'm saving up to be able to buy a Nikon D850.Feedback
Scout your spot. Be there at the time you envision taking your picture and then have the patience to wait for all the right elements to come together. Understand depth of field and know your lens’ sweet spot. Continue your photography education. There’s always something to learn, and styles come in and out of vogue. Be willing to make mistakes - there's no other way to learn what you want and what you don't.
