358 - Ruby Beach
*Note: This adventure also features an in-field vlog.
PHEW guys, these past two days I've gotten some ABSOLUTE BANGERS. Today's shoot was at Ruby Beach in Washington, a sector of Olympic National Park.
I'm not sure why, but whenever I have a bad shoot day like the other day at Second Beach, I immediately think it's the end of my good photography. Like I'm never going to get a good photo again. It's some weird self-esteem thing I need to work on.
EITHER WAY... Today's shoot was awesome. The vibe was almost exactly the same as the vibe the other day on Rialto Beach. A massive amount of fog, and barely visible sea stacks. Which was interesting to me, because I learned from that scenario about what works and what doesn't in that environment, and I was able to apply it here.
The key elements of this kind of shoot are... Minimalism, black/white, and softness. If you embrace those three elements, you're gonna have a good time. I'm not sure why so many photographers hate this type of environment on the beach, it makes for some insane shots.
To get warmed up, I shot a minimalist tree. It was jutting straight out of the forest and stood out like a sore thumb to me, so I knocked it out. Easy enough.
The important editing notes here are that I had to pull contrast hard and luminosity mask the colors to bring out those greens. And then paint in some dodge/burn to the bushes to give them a bit of depth. I really enjoy these types of shots, especially since this one had those trees in the back to give it some layers.
ALRIGHT... next up. Now this time I needed to get a solid shots of some sea stacks silhouettes. I didn't exactly get what I wanted in the Rialto Beach shot, so I made sure to get one here. The key element I included here was the (low) shuttered waves. MATCHING the water with the sky was a key moment of realization for me. Choppy water + smooth/soft skies don't pair well together. The long exposure helped balance the water and sky:
That shot actually took me a long time to crop right. I wanted the water in it obviously, but I couldn't figure out how to pull it off right. I settled on the long format so I can have those waves in full glory. I also decided to leave the person in for scale. Without it, the shot just didn't have as much character.
OK. Next up babbbbbby. Uh... Let's see. Oh yeah! The ULTRA minimalist shot. I know I keep using that word like a buzzword here, but this one takes the cake. Check this baby out, then I'll explain it.
“Rock Drip”
Sony a7rIII + Zeiss 24-70mm f/4
ISO 100 ~ 24mm ~ f/14 ~ 1/20s
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
Honestly, this shot was another major breakthrough moment for me in terms of photography. I realized that I can take solid shots without something interesting. I mean, this shot is literally two rocks, sand, and sky. I also learned frequency separation in the editing process. AKA, where one separates the color/texture in order to fix things specifically.
In that shot, I removed hundreds of footprints in the sand and kept one trail that led to me. Traditionally I would do this shot with clone/healing, but that would take WAY too long. Using the TK7 Panel, I was able to do this super easily.
And no that's not an ad, I'm just being specific.
One last banger. Before I explain this shot, go watch the movie The Lighthouse. It's a black/white horror flick that's one of my favorite movies of all time. I couldn't stop thinking about that movie on this shoot because of the eerie fog, which is what inspired this shot of the pelicans on the rock
“Pelican Madness”
Sony a7rIII + Zeiss 24-70mm f/4
ISO 50 ~ 59mm ~ f/20 ~ 2s
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
If you've seen the flick, you know there's a very specific pelican scene that will disturb you forever. Wow, I guess I'm at it again. Horror photography! Kind of. You need the reference to fully get it.
Anyways, killer shot. Hitting the beach again for the next shoot, and it's NOT foggy at all... So that should drop in a nice change of pace. See ya soon!
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
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