A subtle loss of clarity

A black and white photograph taken by Manahawkin, NJ, photographer Greg Molyneux of the south facing marshes of Great Bay Boulevard in Little Egg Harbor Township.
A subtle loss of clarity — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/15

Yesterday—this being posted a day late—was shaping up as one of those sunsets that look good on paper. A quick look out the window 90 minutes prior to the sun’s scheduled egress looked promising; bountiful clouds with dramatic bottom-side shadows littered the sky. I was pleased. Yet as it has done so many times before, the fickle clouds made their final escape no less than a half hour prior to sundown, leaving a blank canvas of deepening blue sky.

Disappointed? Maybe a little. But I still liked what I saw. I had a suspicion my location and the clear sky color gradient would make for a more than serviceable black and white. After a few test shots trying to make something out of nothing I abandoned the tripod and took the camera in my hands. Occasionally I do this thing in the fading light where I move my hands across the horizon from left to right as a lazy shutter—1/15 of a second in this case—makes its exposure. This creates a softened blur that if you’re lucky enough evokes its own kind of whimsy.


Posted

in

by

Comments

2 responses to “A subtle loss of clarity”

  1. James Wright Jr Avatar
    James Wright Jr

    Outstanding Greg! I really love this; it’s simple yet profound, a beautiful balance of tones and shapes…nice!! Subtle stuff like this many times has the most impact!

  2. […] A subtle loss of clarity | Taken: February 18, 2014 | Location: Great Bay Boulevard, Little Egg Harbor, NJ […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.