Re-visiting a location means an opportunity to improve

One of the most rewarding ways of improving my photography has been visiting a location multiple times and looking to come away with a picture that I feel has improved on my previous visit.  One of the best places for me to do this is out at Muriwai beach on the west coast and there are a number of reasons I like returning to this spot.

Firstly it is an excuse to get to the beach and who needs a second invitation to head out there right?  It is only a 45 minute drive from the centre of Auckland but you really get the feeling that you are right out of town and in the real outdoors.

Second being a west coast beach there is always the allure of capturing that killer sunset that will stop you in your tracks and just make you marvel at the world.  I have still not been able to get that sunset shot I am talking about but that is not a bad thing as I get to keep re-visiting the area.

I've always been drawn to seascape shots, I really enjoy the fact that you have the option to manipulate your shutter speed and introduce dreamy effects on the sea or freeze the action and get really dramatic, crashing surf.  Personally I am drawn to the silky sea effects and this is what I wanted to get the first time I headed out to Muriwai.

Sunset at Muriwai  -  ISO 100, 25mm, f/22, 1.3sec

When I got this shot I was rapt.  I really felt I had nailed it and this was a top notch seascape shot at sunset.  However I looked at photos of similar scenes from more accomplished photographers and on websites like 500px and soon realised that this photo was the first step along the path of landscape photography.

When I look at the photo now I can see clear problems with it.  The main issue for me is that there is no real sense of depth in this picture.  The rocks are there and the sky behind them is dramatic and all but there is no concrete feel of depth and i think that really lets the shot down.

Armed with such insight and having looked at many better shots when I was next out I knew there were other steps to be taken to try and get a better looking and feeling picture.

Birds at sunset  -  ISO 100, 18mm, f22, 1/100 sec

The next time at Muriwai I was mainly there to concentrate on photographing the Gannets and the colony they live in but I had one eye on capturing a sunset as well while I was there.  It was a gloriously sunny day but unfortunately the lack of clouds meant the sunset was always going to be a fairly plain affair.

Still one should not waste an opportunity and I managed to get the picture shown above.  I stopped down to f/22 to try and get the star burst effect on the sun but I think it may have still been too high in the sky to get the desired effect.

I think this picture is a bit better than the first in that there is more of an effort to include foreground interest with the rocks on the beach and it helps add depth out to the island at the back.  The birds flying through the scene add a point of interest but on the whole this picture does not live up to the vision I have in my head.  It was difficult with no interest in the sky but it didn't turn out too badly.

Golden Hour and a step closer  -  ISO 100, 18mm, f/22, 1/6sec

This final shot I took a couple of weeks back and this is the closest I have got to achieving the shot I have in my minds-eye.  I think I used the rock really well as a source of foreground interest.  The picture does have a great sense of depth to it and the effect of a slower shutter speed has smoothed out the sea quite pleasingly.

The sky is also quite interesting, I'll be honest I'd like it to be more so, and that also really helps the picture. On this particular evening the tide had gone out quite substantially by the time the sky got really red/pink in colour (see below) and I think the lack of water and movement detracts from the picture.

Reflections in the sand  -  ISO 100, 18mm, f/22, 0.8sec 

The reflections are a cool point of difference to the picture above, but in my opinion the picture with the moving water is better.

By revisiting this one beach I have slowly been able to improve my shots by working around a central idea and desired picture I have in my mind.  You can never underestimate the value of returning to an area and re-shooting it.  Each time you will have different feelings, see different things and this will be represented in the pictures you make.

The bonus about doing this with landscapes is that no two days are the same and every time you head out you give yourself the opportunity to capture that 'definitive' shot.  I love it, that feeling, that excitement that comes with visiting a beautiful area again and again and knowing each time you will leave with different memories and sights documented.

I will be back on the beaches of Maori Bay at Muriwai looking for my shot, and when I get it I will still keep returning.

Thanks for dropping by.

Night Photography Lesson

I headed out on the 23rd for a night photography lesson conducted by the good people at Three Little Wishes Photography.  I have already been on a couple of courses with them previously and their friendly and relaxed style of tutoring aspiring photogs like myself suited me down to a tee so it was a no brainer to get involved in a night class when the opportunity came about.

The initial idea was to set-up in Westhaven Marina's car park and get some shots of the city.  Auckland is often referred to as "The City of Sails" so incorporating the boats in the marina with the iconic Sky tower really gives a strong image of what Auckland is all about and why it has that nickname.

City of Sails  -  ISO 100, 44mm, f/16, 2.5sec

Now of course night photography is not complete without shooting some light trails.  I referred to this in my last post, this is how I first began to dabble in manipulating shutter speeds and Auckland has a few bridges over the main motor way routes around the city.  In this case it is the motorway that come off the harbour bridge that was the target.

Traffic goes by  -  ISO 400, 24mm, f/22, 30sec

Rolling you zoom while the shutter is open can introduce some cool effects to a picture.  Here we  have two Sky towers in one picture achieved by simply rolling the zoom during the exposure.  Heaps of fun to be had with this technique and not only when the light has faded, you can get equally cool results during the day time!

A Sky tower Double-up  -  ISO 200, 33mm, f/18, 30sec

The final part of the evening was spent learning some light painting.  This was the part of the evening I had been looking forward to as I had an idea in my mind as to how this works in theory but that is all it was, theory so I was looking forward to getting some proper insight and instruction.

Here is one of the class "lifting weights". This was the key bit I needed to learn, freezing your subject with flash and then drawing, in this case a set of weights, whatever catches your fancy.  It is a lot of fun and there was some stuff going on between the groups.  I definitely need to get my hands on a flash unit now - added to the list of needs!

Weight lifting  -  ISO 200, 28mm, f/8.0, 20sec

This was a really enjoyable class with lots of great information.  It helped me really solidify what I knew about night shooting and really opened up my eyes to an array of possibilities that flash can introduce to this style of photography.  Three Little Wishes really know how to conduct a workshop, it is always fun and delivered in a friendly environment that helps you get the best out of your gear.  If you are in Auckland I recommend checking out their classes, I will be back for more.

Thanks for stopping by.