Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__76.0 sec at f / 22__ISO 100
Last week, my family and I enjoyed a vacation at the beach. We stayed in La Jolla, a place I’ve been visiting since I was a small kid. Spent one day at Seaworld, and another day at the beach.
I’ve noticed the Scripps Pier for years, and I’ve enjoyed other photographer’s images of piers. But I’d never photographed one before, so this was my main focus on this trip. I photographed at sunrise and sunset. Here is one image I made, when it was nearly dark. I got to the point where my meter would not give me a reading at my desired aperture of f/22 or f/32. I could shoot with a wider aperture, but I would have lost good sharpness on the pier posts. I quickly extrapolated a good exposure, took out my iphone to use its timer. Started the exposure (with a cable release of course) and started the stop watch. f/22 at 76 secs. Focal length was 70mm.
I hope you enjoy this image! Let me know your thoughts…
Bill
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January 8, 2011 at 7:12 AM
Amazing capture…so beautiful!!
January 3, 2011 at 9:46 PM
Scripps Pier is one of my favorite places to hang out on the beach. Having worked at UCSD, I’ve seen many, many photos of the pier, but never one that captures the calm and beauty of the pier like this. Thanks for sharing it–and how you captured it so I can learn and try the techniques on my next visit!
December 1, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Hi Steve,
Yes, there is a sacrifice in sharpness at f/32, but it depends on the lens too. This issue won’t show up in this or the other pier image unless making print beyond 40″ wide or so…
December 1, 2010 at 12:21 AM
HI William, I like this shot a lot and the one after it. They are very sharp, obviously due to F32. I have a question about that. I’ve read that such small apertures actually make for less sharpness due to more diffraction. Obviously you don’t see this here as you use F32 but have you encountered that before?
May 3, 2010 at 1:10 PM
Bill,
Powerful image! The composition is reduced to a few simple elements: Sky, water, pier and color. The long exposure further enhancing the element of water, by creating the glass like texture, adding strength to the piers repeating pattern of posts as a monolithic center of attention, all with balnaced symmetry.
To me, this is poetic. I love this image!!
April 14, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Simply fantastic Bill. Color and tonality of the quality I have come to expect and respect in your work (hope I can get there some day).
April 14, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Thanks for your kind comments!
Nancy, great to hear from you! Where are you these days?
April 14, 2010 at 6:30 AM
What a great shot – I love the minimalist, geometric composition, the texture of the water and the wonderful colour gradient in the sky. Fabulous.
April 14, 2010 at 6:21 AM
Simply outstanding! As mentioned above, I love the warmth that this image emits.
April 13, 2010 at 6:23 PM
I love this dreamy image that looks like an invitation to walk on the water out through that open door at the end of the pier. So simple, strong and inspiring. I check out your work once in a while, Bill, and see you are forever spiraling upward.
April 13, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Beautiful photo.
I love how warm it is – must be how it felt.