The photograph is enchanting by its sheer simplicity:
After visiting this beach on Long Boat Key in Manatee County, Florida, many years ago, I was inspired to start pointing my lens Westward and capture these wonderful moments in nature; not just what I was seeing, but more important, what I was feeling. As a photographer, you strive to crop and capture a scene that captures your emotional state at the time you originally viewed it. In much the same way, a painter strokes the canvas using color and a variety of brush strokes, hopefully, revealing to the viewer the emotional interpretation as they envisioned.
Here’s the tech on this photograph: Data for final version
ISO 100
White Balance = Cloudy - cuts down on the blue cast that would normally result from using a 5500K color temp at this time of night.
50mm lens @f/22 (aperture Priority mode) - Using very small aperture creates a very deep and wide depth of field.
Manual fill-in Flash @+2 exposure compensation - Needed to highlight the driftwood in the foreground.
Hand held electronic infrared shutter release device - Remotely trigging the camera to help eliminate shaking.
Camera mounted on a sturdy, spiked-feet, tripod - A steady base-mount for camera is vital for long exposures.
After I composed the scene through the viewfinder I instructed my wife, Anne, to walk around the large, sculpture-like, driftwood, and fire the Flash at different points in continuous succession until I yelled, (being windy, it was hard to hear clearly; so I screamed my instructions), to stop!
The frame pictured above was the result of four bracketed attempts using different fill-in Flash combinations; the +2 Flash compensation setting and a series of five flash bursts was the keeper.
To enhance a sense of space, I have the final version cropped as a 40x16 print size.
Please, contact me with your questions: lewin.author@gmail.com or 678.294.0502, or leave a comment below.
Best regards,
Lance
