bride | Thinking Through My Lens

When people think of the beach, first thoughts usually go to sunny days, warm sand, and frothy waves crashing on the shore.

And for those of us who live in the beach community and see the ocean in all its glory every day, it can be easy to take this natural beauty for granted.

As I work to grow my photographic eye, I have been paying attention to conditions that will produce photos that are different than those I have taken before.

Today was a rainy day with a dark sky filled with ominous clouds. Sun broke through periodically…and as I was driving through rush hour traffic to an appointment this afternoon, I decided to stop by the beach to see if I could capture the ocean against the dark sky.

Traffic was worse than usual–a typical side effect of rain in our community–and I missed many beautiful photo opportunities as I drove through the heavy traffic towards my destination (and convenient parking). When I did park, I wanted to capture darkness…with the light peeking through.

This is an unedited photo as the sun was sinking behind the thick clouds. You can see the gray rain clouds above…and the spot of clearing lighting up the sea.

As I was enjoying the dusky beach, I noticed what appeared to be a bride in the distance at the water’s edge. iPhone photography is not great for distance shots…but I shot anyway, hoping to capture a glimpse of the bride (and her groom) in the distance. I used Camera+ to crop the photo and the clarify filter to bring the bride into view.

It’s a bit pixilated…but I kind of like the effect. (Can you spot the bride in the distance?)

And after I stopped for a cup of coffee (a favorite evening habit), I noticed these palm trees against the darkening sky. I stopped in the parking lot, set my coffee down on the ground and snapped this view.

This is another unedited photo. I love the way the wet roads reflect the street lights and traffic lights and the palms stand tall, an iconic beach symbol.

Paying attention to the nuances of this beach community where I live helps me to appreciate its unique qualities in deeper and more thoughtful ways.

What nuances make your community home for you?

The first week of September at #sdawpphotovoices had us looking for texture…specifically taking photos that focused on #smooth. And while I could find photo subjects that were smooth, I found myself pushing to create more interesting photographic images.

I played with frames and framing and with cropping and the effects of filters using photography apps. Here’s a fun one from yesterday that has nothing to do with smooth.

This bride and her groom were being photographed on the beach…and this guy on his bicycle rode by at the perfect time to get him in the shot. I love the juxtaposition of these people in my shot.

I think my favorite image of smoothness is this picture of a smooth rock swirling in the smoothness of the surf. It’s funny because I had bent down to capture this smooth rock and my sunglasses fell onto the ground before I snapped the shot. When I grabbed them and reset myself to take the shot I nearly landed in the water–the surf had come back up without me noticing and surprised me as I remained low to the ground to get my shot. Sometimes happy accidents make the best photos!