Nap time was interrupted by the threat of sunset. With the last line of storm clouds racing east it was a run against the clock to see if the back edge of clearing would make it over the horizon. It did. Only the cloud deck was too low and the post sundown coloration that makes a sunset so great never materialized. Instead I have this one—not a bad shot per se but littered with lens flares and water droplets on my lens. Regardless, I’m just going to work with what I’ve got and move onto next time.
Work with what you got — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
You’re always rolling the dice when the time comes to pick your sunset photo spot; balancing time, travel distance, cloud cover/formation and the look you’re trying to achieve. Some days the decision is clear. Others? Not so much.
This day I decided on Sunset Park in Surf City with no hesitation. I opted to head to LBI’s bayside to enjoy both the views and the warming weather. Freshly full of chicken parmesan I was as sated as I was ready. Or so I thought.
From the get-go I had an uneasy time finding a composition would inspire. This coupled with paranoia that this sky, like so many skies before it, was not going to color up had me ready to throw in the towel. But since I seem to have a thing for foreground rocks from this location, I locked in my tripod and began to wait (re: hope).
With an about face I took a look eastward; out over the houses and toward the ocean. What I watched unfold over the next 10 minutes was equal parts excitement and misery. The evening sky to the east, running against even the most sound intuition, exploded in array of pastel color that sets light chasers like me into a tizzy. And there was nothing I could do about it. Here I was locked in, laying in the bed I made. And while the sky still colored up nicely in its more traditional westward direction, it didn’t come close to drama that happened right behind by back.
The Child King’s Throne of Wonder — 14mm | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/100
Swing, child
Go.
Pump.
Fly.
Picture taking has been sparse lately, and while I was hoping to catch a sunset last night it was obvious upon arrival at Surf City Sunset Park the sky was a bust. Jonesing to shoot for the first time in weeks, I first fixed my 50mm and made a few exposures of objects about the park, playing with shallow depth of field. I soon switched over to my 14mm and used the lens in a way I rarely have. I switched it to auto focus for the first time in at least a year, set my aperture to a wide open f/2.8 and got as close to the front swing as I could—in the handheld shot above my lens glass was no more than three inches from the front right corner of the swing itself.
At the end of the day the question is simple: who doesn’t remember the swings of their youth and smile?
Sit for a moment? — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
After an afternoon palling around with Jon and cousin Dan—a jaunt that included a surprise bridal shower drop-off, some tasty burgers, cigars and some bayside Weiβe bier Quelle style—we made our way to Sunset Park in Surf City, New Jersey, for sunset. The place was happening (always nice to see); young and old, Long Beach Island revelers were out in force to pay homage as we spin from the sun.
Looking back it wasn’t the most spectacular of sunsets, however there was such a subtle late summer calm to the whole scene. Using the park bench in the foreground speaks the perfect narrative for a shore community and a landscape that has brought such great memories to so many. As we prepare to say goodbye to another summer we can’t forget to stop, breathe, take it all in and sit for a moment.
Barnegat Bay dockside — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
Part of me thinks the stone in the foreground needs to be swapped out for a Corona bottle, no? I’m down for changing my whole latitude.
Last night almost didn’t happen. After a Mother’s Day dinner of steak and ribs I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d muster up the energy to head out for sunset. Game of Thrones was fast approaching and the cloud setup wasn’t screaming drop everything and grab your camera. But once my buddy Jeff swung by and mentioned he wanted to head to the M.T. Burton Gallery to measure out our spot for an upcoming gallery event I figured I might as well grab my camera and be prepared.
We stopped off at Sunset Park in Surf City and the first thing that jumped out at me was how glassy the bay was. Outside of lazy one inch rollers, Barnegat Bay was just about as calm as you’ll ever see it at sunset. There was still a problem, though: the tide was in and I wasn’t seeing much for a foreground.
As I was grabbing my gear and walking under the gazebo I noticed a rock resting gently on the bayside bulkead and thought to myself, this just might work. And it did! And to top it off I was bestowed with great color in the evening sky. Last night was one of those nights the color really lingered, too. This exposure—which is the composite of seven bracketed exposures—was taken a good 10–15 minutes after sunset. As such, the sub horizon sun angle was still painting the sky in soothing pastels of orange and pink. What a great welcome to the inevitable coming of Summer.
It feels like forever since I’ve gotten out for a sunset. Fortunately, conditions worked out tonight providing a solid setup for shooting. To change things up I made for Sunset Park in Surf City. I figured I’d give Barnegat Bay some love. I’ve always liked the vantage point here, especially in Spring and Summer months, but sometimes struggle framing up an interesting foreground. Tonight I went with the bulkhead to fairly pleasing results. Except I made one key mistake. I made these seven bracketed exposures at an aperture of f/3.2—almost wide open and hardly conducive for sharp images. I adjusted my post processing approach accordingly.
