Emerald Isle
Gone to the beach. Early mornings and after dinner walks resulting in perfect lighting.
It is hard to be motivated to wake up early while on vacation. However, when its been several years since I’ve visited a beach, it’s a necessity. Enjoying the serene hum of the waves and warm salty air is enough to distract me from my camera. This was taken on my way to the beach just as the sun peaked over the horizon.
Warm colors, warm air, warm feelings. These plants were all over the sand dunes and to this day I don’t know what they are called. The back lighting on them made for an interesting close-up on a common beach setting. Finding one stalk to isolate was the hardest part.
Playing with the natural light is one of my favorite things to do as a photographer. It is a fairly simple technique but can yield some cool results. Squatting awkwardly long enough for my legs to burn finally allowed me to capture a sun star through the unnamed vegetation.
I love Sand Pipers. The way they run across the beach avoiding the water with every step is one of my favorite sights to see while on the beach. Not to mention they are clearly adorable. Seeing three of them enjoying the afternoon sun, while one nestled himself in a sandy footprint was enough to make me pull out a camera.
My first day at the rental on Emerald Isle I was determined to go down to the water within minutes of arriving. Long drive? Who cares, I need to see ocean. The first thing I saw was a cute little path through the sand dunes leading to the beach. I told myself, in that moment, I’ll be back with a camera.
That same sandy path through the dunes had a wooden fence lining the right hand side. Visually, I fell in love. Waiting for a warm sunset, I came down with a wider lens to capture the sun setting behind the dunes with the fence as a piece of interest.
Being on a beach near a military base allows for some great sight-seeing of unique planes. This Osprey (not the bird) had flown by a couple times. Fortunately, one of the times it flew by I happened to be equipped with a longer lens. I was able to capture it as it passed by the moon at dusk.
Sunsets are my nemesis. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing them. Taking photos of them is not within my comfort zone. Equipped with tripod and shorts I decided to get wet and attempt the beach sunset with a longer exposure. Personally, I love the leading lines of the light hitting the rolling waves.
Another attempt. Frankly, it is hard for me not to enjoy these photos because of how simply beautiful it was on this island. It took me 3 months of playing around with the pictures, however, I think I’m finally happy with how it turned out. I need to go back.