ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I sure hope that I'm not boring everyone to tears with my endless beach shots. There is a method to the madness. My favorite time to be on the beach is about a half an hour before dawn. My phone app indicated that there was going to be good color even though there were not going to be any clouds. So I packed the ND filters and a few sunset graduated filters and headed out while it was still quite dark. This series includes some very long exposures done about 15 minutes before the sun came up. Then, right as the sun came up, and there was more light, I decreased the intensity of the reduced the filter effect to 4 stops instead of 6. The result was dramatically shortened shutter speeds to create similar tonality. In these shots there is much more detail in the surf although I like some sense of motion.

I think that the very long exposure times create a much more tranquil mood. The waves become shades of color reflecting what is in the sky. There is a softness to these very long exposure shots that really appeals to me. Still, the surf is not really a tranquil area. By smoothing out the waves too much, you lose the drama of the surf zone. I'm wondering how you would handle a scene like this one. Maybe some of you would prefer an approach that stops the action of the waves completely or just a tiny bit of motion blur. Your comments are very welcome here; and if you would process these photos differently, feel free to post your edits or explain how you would do it differently. If you reaction is: "For the love of God, Erich, Stay in bed and stop boring us", that sentiment is fine also.
Erich

no. 1. 102 seconds no colored filter

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no. 2. 42 seconds sunset filter

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no. 3. moments before sun came up in upper left 1.3 seconds

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no. 4 at sunrise and .6 seconds

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no. 5. cropped black and white of above photo .6 seconds Same tripod location, different exposure.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Your final comment gave me a great chuckle! And also suggests you haven't spent much time in the main forum section recently if you think this might be boring to some

I enjoyed the comparison shots very much! And should I ever make it to the ocean again (yeah, Washington State has a coastline, but it's hours away, lol), I'll know that I prefer the less smooth, but still very engaging, look of #4.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I tend to fixate on things, and right now it is long exposures. I have to admit that I like no. 4 because it does have more of the drama. Maybe a slowly meandering stream would benefit from a really long exposure; but I would think that the foliage would move around and that would mess things up. I also think that the long exposures here would have benefited from some clouds. Then you would have a smooth look to the water with movement in the sky. Of course then you would need a better subject than just an old jetty. Maybe a castle or a lighthouse? Hey, we have one of them around here. Wonder what I'm doing tomorrow at, say, 3 am? Gotta love summer vacation. Thanks for expressing an opinion. Good information.
Erich

Dave Chinn

These are all very well done Erich !!! No boredom on my end, so keep posting. I appreciate, and I'm sure others do as well, the descriptive exposure time and filters used. I use to be a big fan of the milky water created from long exposure, but I now try to find a happy medium, if there is one. However, I do understand your efforts and still like your results.

It would have been a huge gift to you if there was a sailboat, or better yet, a pirates ship off in the horizon. Maybe a composite would be in order? Just a thought for a future project.
Dave

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

AAAARGH!!!! Sounds Like a plan. Maybe a Ghost Ship sailing on gossamer seas?

Thanks.

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

Fascinating explorations, from which I learned a lot. Thanks. My favorites are #1 (so unreal that it seems surreal, a dream) and #6, just the opposite (the rocks textural against the flowing water). My potential most favorite was #4, IF the water could be brought a bit more in harmony with the sky while the contrast of textural rocks and smooth water maintained. So, I tried, a lot, but couldn't get any further than the attached.
Again, thanks for the exposure!

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ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I think it is fascinating to see what other people can do with your photos. The differences are subtle; but also quite significant. Thank you for your efforts. I like no. 1 also; but I don't think it is most people's cup of tea. I was just looking at photographer's Ephemeris and the lighthouse at Barnegat Inlet looks intriguing. Might have to make an early morning jaunt again tomorrow. See what I can come up with. Thanks for taking a look and posting your ideas.
Erich

ejrmaine Loc: South Carolina

Eric, I love long exposure and #1 is a great example. Although all the images present well. These are certainly worth getting out of bed early.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

These look just fine to me, Erich, and they are beautiful.
Note--see Linda’s comment.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

I don’t find your efforts boring at all Erich, quite the opposite, your enthusiasm is infectious.
As for these results, I see the attraction of milky sea shots, particularly the colours, but its not my cup of tea. Number 4 is however. That’s how I like to see rocks/sea shots - apart from the wonky horizon - second time this week too. Must the effect of getting up so early! The ghost ship idea sounds good too.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Thank you for the compliment. I know long exposures are not everyone's cup of tea; but I like them and I've been working to get better at creating them. I think what appeals to me about very long exposures is that the result is never anything we can see with our eyes. By adding that much time to an exposure, the result is always something surreal and that appeals to me. Thanks for taking a look.
erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Thank you. It is definitely something I've been working at lately and will try to improve on. Much appreciated.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I've got to ask your opinion on that horizon. I messed about with it a lot. The perspective of the shot is not straight on to the horizon. I'm thinking that the left side should appear to be receding into the background. Since there are not verticals to use, I have the left side slightly lower than the right. Would you even it out so that the horizon is straight across even though the horizon was shot at an angle and not 90 degrees?

As for the ghost ship... it's coming. I had to consult with Dave Chinn about some technical issues that I did not know how to get around. He set me straight. I'll be working on it later today.
Erich

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

It’s that old chestnut Erich. Even though you know how it should look, the viewer will not see it that way. In the end you have to decide which you want, but an ‘apparently’ out of bonk horizon is not going to win any prizes!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Thanks so much for the comparisons with explanations. The learners get a great deal from this exercise as well as the chance to appreciate your good work.