THE RACE IS ON...

Recently, I returned to a local beach of which I haven't really explored too much before. Upon arriving there I wasn't really sure where or what I wanted to shoot. The one thing I did know was that I needed to keep an eye on the cloudy sky, because I had a feeling it was going to be good.
I wandered around testing some spots but wasn't happy with anything I was framing. I spotted some rocks on the shoreline that was being pumbled by the surf. The surf swell was quite big and rough, so I had to be careful when I ventured out on the rocks. They were so slippery!
I was trying to find a spot that created some nice lines to add some directionality to the composition, when all of a sudden off in the distance I could see a single beam of light bursting from the clouds. This is where my leisurely sunrise shoot turned into a frantic race against time to capture something different utilising the radiating sky. It was like someone fired the starters gun! The clock was ticking until the light was gone.
I spotted a gap in the rocks where the water was rushing in, but to get there I had to cross a slippery, flowing, little watercourse. Using my tripod as a three legged walking stick to balance me as I tip-toed through the stream, I got where I wanted to go. Albeit a bit wet.

By the time I had made it to this spot, the sun was higher in the sky and luckily for me, the clouds had parted enough to have created multiple fingers of light beaming through. I shot off a few frames, just so I had something to show for my effort (just incase the moment passed). Then I waited for the next lot of sets to come through, so I could have another element to my image - movement. It wasn't long until I had a nice whitewash in my foreground.
Again, a great level of satisfaction was achieved.
I hope you are enjoying my latest shots.

Catchya
Josh :)

Radiance, Wamberal NSW © Josh Pitt

THE DEADLY CAPTURE....

Whilst shooting on Avoca beach the other day, there was some reasonable cloud cover. Which if you usually read my posts, I usually carry on about how good it is to have a bit of cloud cover - 1. to create some drama and 2. to allow a long shoot, because the light stays reasonably neutral and not over exposed. This day was one of those days! After shooting on the beach, the light was still great so I ventured around the rocks to see what was new. On this day there was a bit of swell around and the water had obviously been washing up on the rocks considerably, because they were very wet and had a number of pools around.
One tip I would give (which is pretty obvious) is to watch and monitor what the ocean is doing - how often and where the water is rushing over the rocks. This is particular important if you want to get closer to the edge without getting washed out to sea. I was a little nervous at the point I shot this image because I thought I had misjudged the incoming sets, to the point of getting ultra wet, dropping my equipment, slipping on the wet rocks and being taken out to sea or all four. I stood frozen as the light rays spread from behind the cloud - creating something unusual and breathtaking. I watched as the area just beyond the foreground rock sucked dry and then the ocean began to engulf the rocky ledge. Once. Twice. And finally a third time, which was the largest. Like I said - I was frozen. Intent on making a unique image I held my ground and luckily the swell fell short of me. After checking the shot in camera, I took this as a bit of a warning and vacated the area for dryer ground and packed up for the day.

Upon reviewing the days shoot I was super stoked to see the result of my mornings work. Particularly, because I can still feel the feeling of accomplishment after setting yourself a goal and achieving it.

The Light, Avoca NSW © Josh Pitt

Seeya
Josh :)

MY NEW TOYS....FIRST USE!

Having just recently had a birthday, I was surprised on the big day by my wife, who had been conspiring with her dad for the last little while to get me some Lee filters. I was lucky enough to get 2 sets of filters - a sunset set and a neutral density (ND) graduated set....well sort of - the ND Grad set has been so popular of late that Lee in the UK were out of stock for up to 8 weeks. Yikes! But I did get my sunset set :)
This was the first usage. Inparticular the orange filter, this gives the shot a nice warming.
I had been to Forrester's to shoot before so I knew I wanted to revisit a rock platform to have a little play with my new toys. I remembered that these platforms have the best highlights of mossy green that I have seen around here on the coast! Another good thing about this location is that the sun stays hidden for a while, allowing you to shoot for longer with nice light. I like how the scene has come together - with the green, the little pool alongside the green and the sun poking around the headland.

I hope you enjoy it too.

Josh :)

Delight, Forrester's Beach NSW © Josh Pitt