Break the Cycle — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
I’ll try to keep the whining to a minimum lest we call the wambulance. But man! It feels like forever since I’ve managed to catch up with some potent light come sundown. Between life, cloud-outs, a protracted winter and just a whole bunch of bad timing this has to be the longest photo drought in my three plus years of shooting. The last six weeks have been rough, man.
Fighting the temptation to nap it out I opted to roll the dice on the still cloudy skies and head south toward Great Bay Boulevard. This decision paid off in spades. I had parting clouds, low tide with dead calm water and plenty of pretty pastels. Everything was ideal. I was back in my element. Me, my camera and the sky.
A little before 4:00 p.m. Manahawkin was facing its first real snow shower of the day. The confluence of a clipper system from the north; an arctic front complete with a serious squall line to the west that will parlay to a coastal transfer, with all signs pointing to an inverted trough (that’s that Norlun thing) setting up somewhere over coastal New Jersey. As a weenietastic snow fan teased and tested by a tedious winter this leaves me twitching but cautiously optimistic.
I figured as I was homebound waiting for snow all day, that chasing light and making photographs was not in the cards. We had been entrenched in a total cloud deck all day with little reason to think there’d be any kind of break. But sure enough 4:30 p.m. showed up and brought the sun with it. Pumped, I scrambled about the house cartoon style where your legs move for 5 seconds before you actually go anywhere. I packed my things, didn’t break anything and made for Dock Road.
When I pulled up to my usual spot it was clear my standard sunset thing wasn’t going to play. To the southwest the clouds were returning so that kind of shot was a no go. Fortunately pink clouds were rolling on the northeast side. Here I crouched and made the winter marsh scene above.
Great Expectations — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
I am a snow lover.
It is a tough day for snow lovers.
When words like HECS start getting tossed around, and all area mets—up to and including the National Weather Service—go all in on what seems to be a sure fire Miller B transfer event, snow fiends like myself start going into overdrive. Visions of 2–3 inch an hour snow rates, powdery drifts and canyon banks lining neighborhood streets dance in our head. If you love weather—intense weather—few things get the blood pumping quite like Mother Nature standing at the doorstep.
And yet weather is going to weather. As inevitable as this storm once seemed, a late capture by an upper level low allowed this beast of a coastal to slip just far enough east to spare New Jersey from real substantial impact. In its wake? A running spectrum of emotion across the residents of New Jersey, and many disappointed forecasters taking a beating in the court of public opinion. Predicting the weather is hard—very hard, and these folks are doing the best they can trying to predetermine outcomes in absence of a full dataset and in the presence of variability. By its very nature it is a thankless task, and I hope they just keep doing what they’re doing and continue to roll in favor of calling the next sure thing—even if it might not be.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep waiting patiently for my first chance to finally photograph a big snow storm. Oh, and how about that sunset tonight? Check out how just how deep the color was in this straight out of camera, cellphone shot I uploaded to Instagram sans filter.
Sunset didn’t work out but golden hour sure did. By the time twenty five more minutes had elapsed, the abundant cirrus clouds you see above had raced off to the north and east, leaving a near endless expanse of open sky. And while the whole of it was quite relaxing to witness, it wasn’t much to photograph. Fortunately I was early enough to get this shot, and I just can’t get over that golden glow. Light sure does some pretty amazing things in Fall (thanks sun angle).
Also, if you’ll notice to the right of the sun there’s a lens flare in this picture—appearing as a red smudge. Unscientifically I’d say that 80% of the time this annoys and distracts me, but here I think it works. Just one of those things that sometimes pans out. Happy accidents and such.
Feels like the first time — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
I haven’t been out shooting once since October 26th. October 26th! I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that’s my longest photo-less stretch since I began this whole picture taking fiasco New Year’s Day 2012. This camera cessation was not planned, and suffice it to say I’ve been jonesing.
All day the clouds were spectacular. Low, dark, puffy and fast moving they hinted at the threat of sun-showers all day. Since I was already down in the Great Bay Boulevard area picking up four of my reclaimed wood framed prints from my good buddy Ben Wurst, I knew that’s where I’d head for sunset. Tonight did not disappoint. I’m hard pressed to recall a Fall sky more fierce. The shadow play on the clouds dripping in red scarlet color was really something else. Tonight there were several other revelers out there with me, and that’s always good to see.
By myself but not alone — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/20
I’m always shooting Dock Road. Always. Unscientifically I’d say it’s where near half of my landscape shooting goes down. The reasons are plenty: it’s close, it’s lightly travelled, and it’s marsh vistas are as sprawling as they are perfect. As a sunset guy it’s pretty much all I can ask for in a go-to photo spot.
The picture posted above is usually at my back. It’s from my regular roadside spot only this time I’m shooting northward. I’ve always enjoyed the bending estuary on that side of the road coupled with the serenity of the marsh. Especially so during low tide on a windless day where the water turns mirror to the world. Last night all of this came together, and before I locked into my tripod for last night’s sunset shot, I took a quick handheld photograph of the north marsh. Now that I can compare the two shots together this is easily the one I prefer.
Just another marsh shot — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
Here’s my other shot from Monday. The shot I had all set up and dialed in before plans changed. It worked out for the best since I walked away with two keepers. And while I’m hardly a math magician even I can surmise two is greater than one.
While compositionally sound, what I like most about this shot is the essence it captures. This is the Jersey Shore I know and love. The backwater coastal ways, the estuaries, the salt marsh. It’s where I find my peace.
Long before I was into picture taking, I would take drives to the marsh—often with friends—to just take in the scene. Away from the angst and bustle of the real world, the busy world. We all need place where we can take a step back and decompress. That’s what the marsh is for me.
Milestone alert: While yesterday was my 100th post on this website, this here shot is the 100th image I’ve shared. Thanks to all those who have visited, and thanks to all of those who someday will. Cheers.
I took fifteen shots tonight. This was the first. Taken blind from an outstretched arm dangling inches from the ground. Sometimes it works out that way.
Other than purposefully taking this shot wide open it was a crap shoot; a hopeful aim in a general direction—in this case at marsh grass backed-up by the setting sun. I’d say this was a nice change of piece to my usual sunset routine.
This is how you sunset — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
Thank you, Mother Nature. I am one shimmying fool.
It’s been a long time, man (and women and boys and girls). Sunsets have been alluding me for the better part of Summer. That certainly changed with a flourish today. As I was down on Dock Road shooting I honestly didn’t know what direction to fix my tripod. With three hundred and sixty degrees of awesomesauce happening it was damn hard to choose.
In the end I went a few I my favorite things: I was able to get the octagon house in the shot and the Moon. Excellent. Seriously though, this one is all on happenstance. The sky produced with unreal cloud patterns and color this day. All I had to do was show up.
