356 - Second Beach
*Note: This adventure also features an in-field vlog.
I'm not gonna lie, this isn't my favorite photo of all time. I almost didn't even include this as an official "adventure" because it wasn't quote on quote "amazing." But I decided to anyway.
And here's why. The whole POINT of documenting these shoots five days a week is to show my BEST photo of the day. Not my favorite photo of all time. It's about transparency as a photographer, and showing people what the process is *really* like, day in and day out.
Alright, enough rambling about bullshit. Here's the shot:
I spent probably 3 hours editing that shot to look remotely decent. The hardest part for me was figuring out that the rocks needed to be darker, to provide more of a black/white/green contrast palate. Once I nailed that, it because easier to process.
I mean, it's not a horrible shot. Just not amazing. My main thought process was to get an abstract take on the seastack in the distance. I thought that throwing it in the corner would look a little different, and the white/green algae would provide an interesting foreground. At first glace, it sounds like an easy setup. But a few things went wrong.
For one, I think I spent too much time on this composition. I didn't focus on anything else, or even give myself a chance to get something different. Normally I flip around if I'm not making progress, but I was particularly stubborn this day for some reason. I just NEEDED this shot to work. I also feel like once you spend enough time invested in something, you wanna see if follow through.
For two, I didn't even want to be here. We initally showed up to First Beach, but it was right outside of a run down trailer park, and the "beautiful" vibe wasn't exactly there. So we skipped over to Third Beach, but the parking lot was so crowded you couldn't get in. Long story short, I was a bit grumpy showing up to Second Beach because it was our only option and I'd already been there.
HOWEVER, I realize this blog post has been negative as fuck. I'm going to do a quick 180 here. This beach is insane, and I have no right to be complaining right now. On the adventure, we walked all the way down the beach to the end, and found a SECRET seastack, which is what is pictured in the photo. 99% of people don't come to this part of the beach, so it felt super secluded and outback. It's also a completely original composition at a spot that usually has the same photo taken, so that's cool. Plus I'd also never seen white algae before, so that was an eye-bending experience.
There. There's some positivity. Feels good.
Overall, I'd say I had a great time shooting it, even if I wasn't too happy with the result. But hey, a day on the beach isn't a day wasted, eh?
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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