I have taken many photographs that I am proud of, but there are some that I finish developing, set aside for a day or so, and then come back to with a sense of wonder that I actually took the shot. This is one such picture.
Compositionally it is exactly what I was going for. I am a disciple of the “rule of thirds,” which you can see in many of my photographs. It is why you rarely, if ever, see my subject in the middle of the frame. I think it distinguishes amateur photography from more advanced photography, and it was one of the first rules I ever followed. It’s a simple trick to make the photos look more professional, and it works beautifully in this photograph.
Like the post yesterday, this one employs a long exposure to soften the movement of the water around the rocks. It was a bit more overcast on this day, and so I was able to take an eight second exposure, which completely blurred out the individual waves. Because I was able to manipulate the light with the neutral density filter, the sky and sunlight appear much more golden and clearer than the actual atmosphere of the day would have permitted.
Most of the other shots that I took without using a long exposure from that day were gloomy, almost gothic captures of the rocky coastline. This one is anything but gloomy, and that in and of itself is an accomplishment. Because I had to take my time framing the shot, focusing, putting the filter on, manually adjusting the exposure settings, and only then firing the shutter, the photograph is not accidentally great like many of mine turn out to be. It was one of the rare shots where I saw the composition in my mind and then captured it exactly how I wanted it. Overall, it is one of my favorite photographs from the trip.
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ST. AMAND PHOTOGRAPHY 