Passing time

Passing time — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 50 | EXP 241 sec

I did a bit of impromptu exploring today. Initially I went east to Sunset Park in Surf City but as soon as I arrived I just wasn’t feeling it. The tide was up and I couldn’t make a good angle. I got back in my car and moved on. In doing so I was daydreaming, you know, thinking up a spot. In daydreaming I nearly ran a red light. Nearly.

After that shock to my system I decided I head to a familiar place from long ago: the Ship Bottom bay beach. A place where I used to paint the restrooms, dump the trash, and sweep the walks. A memory from my time with Public Works. Once the 10 second nostalgia wore off and I arrived, I immediately noticed the little sunset park tucked away to the north end of the bay beach, hiding in plain sight. Smiling, I knew I had a new spot and couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before.

A quick walkthrough revealed many possibilities for tonight and for future nights. It even has its own little beach with a little run of jetty rock, and a gazebo too. So much potential.

Tonight I wanted to address a few early misses with my ND filter. I wanted to play around with the white balance to see if I could counteract the blue color cast that is the byproduct of my filter, and I’m pleased with the result. Also, I wanted to capture some good clouds for once. With ample cloud cover cruising in from the west I was able to capture some real movement with this 240 second exposure. During that window, the sky really lit up orange and red and cast a pleasing glow on the final exposure.

Enjoy.