Category Archives: Beach

Photo of the Week – Nicole Robinson

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The Wind, Sand and Surf are Relentless

Nicole Robinson - Wrightsville Beach NC

Nicole Robinson - Wrightsville Beach NC

There were two photographers on the beach this clear, cold and windy late February morning. One faced the sea to capture the sunrise and the pier, probably returning home with the same view captured a thousand times before. Nicole turned inland, taking advantage of the crystal air and painting sun to concentrate on a weathered sand fence, held together with rusted, twisted wire, losing the battle with the elements. The combination of the fanning slats, waving golden grass and artistic eye, with a slow shutter and narrow depth of field,  all resulted in a unique image well worth an early morning foray into the cold.
Her camera was a Canon Rebel XTi fitted with an EF28/135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens zoomed in to 80mm. The shutter speed was 1/60 second and the aperture setting f/5.0. The ISO was a low 100 and the mode used was aperture priority.

Photo of the Week – Priscilla Popper

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The Exquisite Elegance of Nature

Priscilla Popper - Sea Shell on Red

Priscilla Popper - Sea Shell on Red


Question: What prompts nature to create such a perfect design of shape, symmetry, curves and texture merely to house and protect a sea mollusk? With all the intelligence that human architects, engineers and designers supposedly have and all the tools available to realize their dreams of beauty and perfection, they cannot improve or even emulate what is native to the world in which we live. One of the challenges of the artist photographer is to capture this remarkable world in a setting that offers a new opportunity to display and share this perfection. In this simple still life of a sea shell placed on a red, reflective background with natural sunlight streaming through a window, Priscilla has done exactly that.
Her camera was a Nikon D80 fitted with a 60mm macro lens. For maximum depth of field, the aperture was closed all the way to f/32 resulting in the necessity for a slow shutter speed of 2.5 seconds and the use of a tripod. She didn’t compromise on the quality or risk adding noise by staying with a low ISO of 100. The image above reflects all this careful planning.