Wave Action

Some of the most fun I had during our recent trip to Maine was taking long-exposure (multiple seconds) pictures of waves.

While Annette was participating in the Photography Workshop, I went out near Thunder Hole with the wife of another workshop participant.  No sense in sitting in the room!!!

I went out on the rocks to the left of the Thunder Hole observation area and searched for a composition that I liked.  It wasn't hard!

I had envisioned swirling waves on the rocks.  I was not looking to freeze the sprays of water that happen when the waves crash into the rocks.  Therefore, I had to get the length of the shutter opening up to several seconds so that the waves were not frozen in place.

Unfortunately, it was still in the afternoon and, although it was foggy, the sun was still above the horizon.

So I started with ISO and turned it down to the lowest ISO possible in my camera (100 ISO).  Then I chose the smallest aperture available (F22).  Being on Aperture priority mode, the camera chose the shutter speed.  But at that time of day, it was still less than a second.  Too short for my purposes!

So I put on a 4-stop neutral density filter.  Now we were getting close, but I still wanted a longer shutter speed.  So, I put on the circular polarizer and adjusted it until the scene looked the darkest.

Finally, I had a shutter opening of several seconds!

I took a couple of pictures and checked the back of the camera.  Oh, wow!  I think I might get something here!

I shot a lot of pictures because you can never predict how the waves will look in the image.  Every one is different.

I would probably stayed there until dark, but my companion was not a photographer and after a short time, wanted to move on.

See what you think of these images.  I would love to see your comments!

Annette was intrigued by these images and had to have some of her own.  So after the workshop, she and I went out to the same place and took some more pictures.  However, the tide was much further out when we arrived there.  So the rocks that were catching the waves when I was there earlier, were completely exposed and nearly dry!

So...Take the picture when you see it.  You never know if it will be there when you get back!

Washington at Night

Annette and I have not been very active with our photography since the big trip to Death Valley at the beginning of December.  But in January we took two trips to Washington, DC.

The first trip we were showing some of the mall to some friends.  We went to the National Air and Space Museum on the mall.  We didn't think that we would have and opportunity to go anywhere else, so we didn't bring our big cameras.  The only cameras that we had were our cell phone cameras.  What were we thinking!!!

After the Air and Space museum, we stopped to see Albert Einstein and then walked over to the Lincoln Memorial.  It was dark out and we saw some great shots, but cell phones cannot do the shots justice.  We decided to come back the next  weekend better prepared.

When we arrived we found parking on Constitution Avenue near the Lincoln Memorial.  The plan was to go over to the Jefferson Memorial and then make our way back past the Lincoln Memorial.  It didn't quite work out that way.

By the time we got to the Jefferson Memorial, the sun was down and the light was almost gone.  We didn't get many shots with color in the sky.  So we went to work on night time shots.

For this first shot, I was over on the side of the building and included some of the front entrance columns.  I din't know how much trouble I would be in if I moved the little sign.  There were a couple of Park Rangers patrolling the memorial.  But in retrospect, I should have moved it.

Can you see the silhouette of the couple?

For these next two pictures, I was shooting for symmetry.  

I had to wait a few minutes for people to get out of the first shot.  You can still see a partial person beside the column.  Hey, they have just a much of a right to be there as we did!  This is another one where the sign needs moved.  Next time I'll send Annette up to put the sign behind the column and then put it back when we are done.

It's amazing how the architects also like symmetry.  I moved to the center and found that the seam in the concrete was right in the center.  I didn't have enough time to wait for all the people to leave, so I had to accept them in the picture.  See the flash going off?  Was that guy taking a picture of me?  I wonder if I cluttering up his shot.

At our camera club, the next competition has the theme of "Reflections".  So Annette and I were conscious of the reflections in the Tidal Pool.  Annette has a very similar image that I think she is going to use for the competition.  Notice how clear the air is and how still the water is.

From the time that we took the picture above and walked around the Tidal Pool to the Washington Monument, the air went from seemingly clear to very foggy.  See the image below.

You don't get much opportunity to take foggy pictures, especially at a location two hours from home.  So we decided to experiment with the fog.  We got a couple of pictures of the Washington Monument and then moved to the World War II Memorial.

By the time we were done with these shots it was 9:00 p.m. and we still had a two hour drive to get home.  So we decided to leave the Lincoln Memorial for another day.  

Harrisburg from City Island

Back on November 11, 2012, the Harrisburg Camera Club had a group photo shoot on City Island.  Over 20 members showed up to take pictures.  One of those members was me.

The Harrisburg Marathon was on the same day and the place was packed.  Hurricane Sandy had put a serious damper on the New York marathon so there were plenty of runners looking for an outlet for all of the training and preparation they had made.  So, instead of the New York Marathon, they ran the Harrisburg Marathon.  We photographers found room to shoot once we got away from the race route.

My best pictures from the outing were of the Harrisburg skyline and the Susquehanna River.

One of the upcoming competitions has "Reflections" as the theme, so I was looking for reflections.

All in all, it was a beautiful day with time spent shooting and conversing with other photographers!

Shem Creek

Shem Creek is a great little area near Charleston.  Annette and I went there for dinner and spent the rest of the evening taking images.

Shem Creek used to be a very active port for fishermen in the area.  However, as of late, the fishing industry is having its challenges and the fleet is shrinking.

There was a great pier/walkway that was built quite a ways out along Shem Creek.

The end of the pier.

Pier Light from below.

 I can't take credit for the concept for the Pier Light photo above.  I saw Annette taking the picture and had to have a picture of my own.

Two Fishing Boats in Daylight

Fishing Boats along Shem Creek

Fishing Boats on Shem Creek at Dusk

Fishing Boats on Shem Creek at Night

 

Fishing Boat on Shem Creek at Night