Tag Archives: beach

Photo of the Week – May Weller

Sunset at Venice FL – and More

May Weller - Florida Sunset

May Weller - Florida Sunset

Every photographer at one time or another will attempt to capture a spectacular sunset. It may be the most photographed of all of nature’s glorious natural paintings. But therein lies a problem-how to stand out from the crowd.  Perhaps this capture provides a good example.  May was at the scene and noticed a couple of surfers trying to ride the apparently calm waves.  With her camera ready, she waited until one walked into the scene and snapped the shutter.  An otherwise empty space now had a focal point in the lower left to balance the sun and pier on the right.  Here also is a perfect example of proper and effective use of the Rule of Thirds.  The rose/orange reflection in the wet sand provides an additional resting area for the eye in the lower right and the pale color dancing on the waves rounds out the completed scene.  One other point to consider.  Think about how much less effective the shot would have been had the surfer been walking out of rather than into the frame.  Click here to view a quickly Photoshopped version showing exactly that.  Does this reversal lessen the impact?

 

Photo of the Week – Nancy Bowers

Nancy Bowers is a member who has appeared here on a couple of previous occasions (remember the cardinal in the snow and the young girl on the beach?) and is back with another great shot. These two young ladies had just left a nearby wedding, probably after a couple glasses of the bubbly, to frolic in the late afternoon sun at a beach near Charleston. Unknown to them, Nancy was nearby with her camera ready to record a small moment in history. It’s always a pleasure to come away with a scene that is totally spontaneous and could probably never be duplicated by a professional photographer with lovely models being told what to do. The late afternoon sun was ideal and both women faced the light perfectly. Even the ocean in the background brought a wave to the scene at the high point of their jump. The arms of both girls are stretched out in an ideal position and direction. And Nancy timed the shutter when their leap was at its peak.

Nancy Bowers - Frolicking at the Beach

Nancy Bowers - Frolicking at the Beach

The camera was a Nikon D80 with a 70-300mm lens. The aperture was f/5.6 and the shutter speed a fast 1/500 sec to ensure there would be no motion blur. The lens was zoomed to 220mm and the ISO was a low 200 to minimize noise. Nancy selected all the best settings for the scene. Click the image for a higher resolution version.