My favorite beach picture doesn’t have a beach in it but, not only is it my favorite beach picture ,it is also one of my all time favorites. We were away for the weekend visiting Ocean City, Maryland ,and I had taken some wonderful sunrise pictures on Saturday morning. Early Sunday I arose to the sound of rain. Crestfallen, but determined, I ventured out. I drove to the Southernmost point of the city where the Atlantic flows into the Ocean City Inlet, where there is a giant parking lot. I sat in my car gazing out at the black sky knowing that a sunrise was out of the question today. Workers were out inspecting the amusement rides and collecting trash from the night before, sweeping the wet sand and puddles from the blacktop. I thought about how chilly the wind was, how biting the drizzling drops would feel against my face, and how violent the surf was. I wished the clouds would part and resurrect this pre-dawn disaster. I waited...
Then I had an idea. I had read about, and seen examples of, long exposure photography. I thought now might be the time to give it a try. Standing on the beach looking out into the pitch black was intimidating. I thought the pier would give a nice focal point for the picture, since it was the only thing I could see, and the lights would give the camera something to focus on. I never imagined the image below would appear in the viewfinder. Because the shutter was open for more than twenty seconds, the moving waves disappeared into a calm pool of water. The lights on the pier shone like stars and the blue in the sky and on the ocean glowed richly on the display. The camera’s sensor, being exposed to the faint light for so long, captured the rich azure blue my eyes were incapable of perceiving. I gaped in awe at the camera. It was a fabulous morning.
Nikon D5100 Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 17mm f/13 ISO 100 20 sec