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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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.
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