Greg Molyneux Photography

New Jersey landscape and nature photography

  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Shop

Worse for Wear

February 17, 2016 by Greg Molyneux

=Sunset photograph overlooking Barnegat Bay and a decrepit bulkhead

Worse for Wear — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures

Eastern facing sunsets some days sing supreme—and while yesterday’s western exposure was a fast moving fiery red, it was to the pastel east that I focused my gaze. With the tide well up access to Barnegat Bay Beach was out of the question, eliminating any hope I had of working the wave runner jetty into my frame. Scanning for alternatives this derelict bulkhead—seemingly none too old but certainly in disrepair—thrust up its hand, eagerly volunteering as a workable foreground. The missing boards and rusted nails made a suitable fallback, and as I was dialing in the frame the grain pattern on the support poles had me mesmerized. The pole to the right in particular with its almost camouflage pattern array. A smattering of seagrass even found itself snagged upon the remnant nails. There’s just a ton of neat little things going on in there if you stop to take a closer look.

The strength of this photograph is all about balance. Composed of a largely symmetrical foreground squared up perpendicular to the bay and horizon. To the sky there’s a high pastel cloud deck, emblazoned pink that’s largely being blocked out by the fast moving low-level cumulus clouds that came racing overhead from west to east. For about 2 minutes they colored up just enough with a touch of red upon their underbelly. I’m torn as to whether these clouds were a welcome addition to my frame, or if they’re more accurately described as an ill-timed guest. They certainly bring some drama in the form of shape and contrast, but at the same time they blocked out what would have been a potent light show at the higher cloud levels to the east. For a time there were hints we’d replicate the eastern sunset from The Great Gig in the Sky, but in the end the timing wasn’t quite right. Embrace the chaos thusly.

Interested in buying? Purchase

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 14mm barnegat bay barnegat bay beach bulkhead hdr landscape sunset

« Where do we go from here?
Machinations of a Pastel Sky »

Trackbacks

  1. Machinations of a Pastel Sky – Greg Molyneux Photography says:
    March 5, 2016 at 10:58 am

    […] hadn’t been out doing the photo thing since 16 February, when coincidentally another striking east facing sunset took shape. Landscape photography is full of peaks and valleys; hot streaks and dry spells. When […]

  2. Landscape Photography Tips: Building Strong Composition Through Foreground — Greg Molyneux Photography says:
    December 20, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    […] Worse for Wear — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures […]

Looking for something?

Search by Keyword

14mm 35mm 40mm 100mm barnegat bay black and white blue hour bokeh cedar run dock road cross processing echinacea flowers frozen golden hour great bay boulevard greg molyneux hdr high key insects landscape long beach island long exposure low key lyrically inspired macro marina monochrome motion blur new jersey out of focus pinelands power lines purple coneflower reflection salt marsh ship bottom snow soft focus square format stafford forge wildlife management area sunset sunset park sunset point surf city weather

You can find me here

FacebookInstagramTwitter Flickr E-mail

Copyright © Greg Molyneux 2014–2022

Photos from the archives

Sunset photo of pastel sky color and a watery mirror reflection.
A wide angle HDR photograph taken during golden hour overlooking a tidal pool and glowing green salt marsh.
Black-eyed Susan macro photo with bokeh.
Sunset photograph from Surf City Sunset Park gazebo with sunlight casting a strong orange glow.
14mm wide angle photograph of a salt marsh oxbow feature at blue hour. Mirrored reflection captures the still colored pastel clouds stretched thin across the sky.

Copyright © 2022 · Modern Portfolio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in