Under the Pier

The second day of our shore trip greeted me with rain and overcast skies, just like I had last year. Realizing this I headed down to the Ocean City Inlet where a pier extends into the Atlantic. The dark clouds assured me there would be no sunrise this morning, so I would need another subject to photograph. I used some long exposure techniques to photograph the waves as they crashed on the beach. With the shutter of the camera open for a long time the fast moving waves even out their placement in the picture and fast moving crests disappear. The water appears calm because the camera compresses time. To get a better idea of how this works, here’s a picture (with a fast shutter) to capture the waves as they crashed through the pier’s supports.

Faster shutter speed of 1/60 of a second

Nikon D4 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm f/5.6 ISO 6400 1/60sec

With the camera recording information over the course of half a minute the fast moving waves only occupy specific areas for short periods of time, so they are virtually removed from a 30 second picture.  The Pier’s wooden legs don’t move and therefore are filmed for the full exposure and are firmly etched onto the camera’s sensor, yielding these pictures.  

 

Long Exposure

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/18 ISO 100 30 seconds

Long Exposure

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 40mm f/9 ISO 100 30 seconds

#TravelTuesday Ocean City, Maryland

Thomas Fenwick obtained the land which is now Ocean City (along with much of the surrounding area) from the native Indians who lived there and in 1869 the first hotel opened in the town then known as “The Ladies’ Resort to the Ocean”. Quickly, the narrow strip of land running along the easternmost part of Maryland, became a vacation hot spot. People would frequent the resort town from Philadelphia, New York and the surrounding areas, and with the construction of bridges and tunnels southwards, seasonal tourists poured in from Washington D.C. Today the city is just over 36 square miles, but only a little more than 4 miles are dry land. The year round population is approximately eight thousand, but eight million people visit annually. If you’re looking to have the “Atlantic Shore Experience” Ocean City, MD has all the attractions from its well maintained beaches, night clubs, boardwalk, miniature golf courses, and first class food. Grab the kids and head off to the beach!

A Picturesque Weekend at the Beach

Since I just returned from a weekend down the shore, (Ocean City Maryland) I thought I would spend this week on the pictures I took while I was there. The first morning yielded a fabulous sunrise. There was a couple in their wedding attire, who appeared on the beach with a photographer, who was just as thrilled as I was that the heavens were lit with a rich rainbow of colors. To me a sunrise isn’t just that instant when the Sun peaks above the horizon; it’s a process, an ecosystem where the presentation changes from moment to moment. Facets of the scene change each second, especially when there is an ocean and wildlife involved. Sunrise at the beach is a special thing.
It amuses me to watch people who come out to see the sunrise. It probably gives them a giggle to watch me trying this lens, changing that setting, moving the tripod 3 inches, etc. to get the picture I want. A handful of people make their way to watch the sunrise each day that I have been there, except when the weather is uncooperative. I have always been the first, because the blues and greens that shimmer across the sky are only there briefly, and it’s long before the sun reveals itself. People come out to see the event, some hung-over, some grudgingly drug along by their significant others, some ready for a dawn workout, and some (read most everyone) with their camera. Capturing a sunrise is hard, and later this week I’ll go into my thought process for photographing one, but even a camera phone can take a picture that jogs the memory. “Oh yeah, we went out on the beach while we were on vacation and saw the sunrise. It looked a lot cooler than this picture on the phone. I can’t describe it, but it was much better than this. It was bigger, brighter, darker, redder, neater, awesome, more colorful...” The artwork painted in the sky each day is intricate and breathtaking. If you’re watching it as it happens, soak up the experience while it unfolds before you. Live the moment.

Ocean City Sunrise 8-16-13

Nikon D800, Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 @ 22mm f/16 ISO 100 6 image HDR

Mirror Mirror

Perceptions of ourselves are complicated. How much of what we see in the mirror does our mind fabricate? What do you see when you look in the mirror? A hero, a secretary, a “good person”, a sinner, a father, a lover, someone tall, or overweight, forgotten, scared, or sexy,....? I think the idea of who we are distracts from our true nature. I doubt the Heron is thinking about how handsome he looks in the picture. Maybe he’s thinking about being very still to lure a meal. Living in the present is difficult for us as human beings. Our reflections can become windows to the past, that weigh us down with regrets, or encourage us with fond memories. Or they can be pathways to the future, imagining how attractive and enticing we will become. Foolish is the man who looks in a mirror expecting to see his true self. Narcissus’s lesson is as true today as it ever was. Turn away from the figment staring back at you, for that is but a murky reflection. We are much more than the conjuring from a piece of glass.

Nikon D4 Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 with 1.4 tele @ 280mm f/5.6 ISO 900 1/1000 sec

Everybody Needs a Holiday

This weekend I'm taking a short vacation down the shore to rejuvenate myself. Of course rejuvenating would include sleeping in, but how can anyone sleep in and miss pictures like this one? I was up early last year, and probably will be this year too. I'm hoping for some dramatic sunrise weather.

Nikon D5100 Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55mm f/4.8 ISO 100 1/250 sec