Matt_Harrison

Hermosa Beach After Dark

A wide angle after midnight photo of the Hermosa Beach Pier on a wide lens with a starry background. 30 second exposure at f2.8 on my tokina lens at 11mm on a n...
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A wide angle after midnight photo of the Hermosa Beach Pier on a wide lens with a starry background. 30 second exposure at f2.8 on my tokina lens at 11mm on a nicking d7200
Read less

NIKON D7200

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 1000 Shutter 30/1 Focal Length 110/10

location

Hermosa Beach, California, US

upload_date

Sep, 2021

Views

261

Likes

Awards

Curator's Selection

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at the Hermosa Beach Pier in Hermosa Beach, CA shortly after my passion for photography was ignited a few months ago. I love experimenting with longer shutter times to give the waves a more dreamy quality and to capture the stars above the Pacific Ocean.

Time

I wanted to practice showing at nights to capture the stars and this was one of my first attempts. I arrived at the pier around 12:30am and was shooting until about 4am when the fog rolled in and covered the sky and pier. I love the wide angle lens and how it seems the pier goes endlessly into the ocean like an otherworldly runway for spacecraft.

Lighting

I wanted to be able to capture both the stars in the background while keeping the water bright enough to give the sense of depth and motion in the photo. I tried a few different exposures to get the balance I was looking for. Quite happy with the effect!

Equipment

This photo was taken on my Nikon D7200 with a Tokina lens (tax-i 11-16mm 2.8fstop at 11mm with an f stop of 2.8 and a shutter speed of 30 seconds while using a manfrotto tripod. No other equipment was used.

Inspiration

I love the ocean, the stars and hooting underneath piers along the west coast. This gives an otherworldly quality to the photo and captures the pier in a way seldom seen for most people. I love re-framing a place so that it is almost unrecognizable to the people who may have taken its beauty for granted and deepens the appreciation for the world around us.

Editing

I always shoot in RAW so I can control the highlights and shadows while post-processing to draw the viewer's eyes to what I find most intriguing in the photo. For this shot, I pulled the highlights and shadows all the way back and then put a gradient layer on the sky to highlight the stars and then put a sharpening mask on the pier columns to make them pop.

In my camera bag

I always carry my Nikon D7200, Tokina atx-i f/2.8 11-16mm lens along with my Lee 100 ND filters, the Big Stopper and Little Stopper to extend shutter speeds to the 2 to 15 minute range to flatten out water and to give clouds the appearance of movement. I also must have my f/1.8 35mm Nikon prime lens in my bag to get a more pronounced bokeh effect when I want to highlight a certain subject or aspect of my photos. And I will never leave home without my Nikon Compact Outdoor Tripod with its scratch mount and ball head.

Feedback

When capturing night time and astrophotography, it's crucial to have a lens capable of at least f/2.8 or better to let in enough light to pull proper focus, which I do manually as autofocus is near impossible at night. I will also carry a powerful flashlight to shine on the focus point to help me dial in the focus and then put it away after focus is locked. Experimenting and having fun are the most important qualities in photography and capturing the type of photos you most admire is the best way to start doing just that!

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Matt_Harrison

Matt_Harrison

Hermosa Beach After Dark

A wide angle after midnight photo of the Hermosa Beach Pier on a wide lens with a starry background. 30 second exposure at f2.8 on my tokina lens at 11mm on a n... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow Matt_Harrison

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A wide angle after midnight photo of the Hermosa Beach Pier on a wide lens with a starry background. 30 second exposure at f2.8 on my tokina lens at 11mm on a n...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.