The Return


Most of you now know that I've spent the last ten months shooting a completely different camera. While the experience has been pretty amazing for a number of reasons there have been times when I just couldn't find the time to do more. A while ago my wife and I welcomed our first child into our lives and and quite naturally our priorities were challenged. As a result, this blog has taken a bit of a beating.
However, with the hardest bits behind us (or so we hope) I’m now able to spend some time getting back to what it was I did.  Even though I haven’t blogged in a while I did shoot a whole bunch of images, mostly of our little one and that’s kept me going. One of the things I really missed though was shooting images outdoors.
Just before my blogging took a hiatus I had intended on exploring long exposure photography. Clearly, owning just the camera wasn't going to be enough. A few extra bits and bobs were required in order to hone this new skill. I must tell you though that sourcing those little extras turned out to be quite the rigmarole, but as always with the results I got it was well worth it.

Geared with everything I needed, shooting an image was next. Normally I tend to scout for image worthy locations whenever possible, so when the weather played nice a few weeks ago I knew exactly where to go. 
The initial idea was to shoot the bay with the sky being gradually illuminated by the rising sun, and to render a certain stillness to the moving water. A few test shots however proved barely satisfactory, so I decided to use the sun in its entirety, such that the sky and the foreground would receive its morning glow. While still waiting for the first rays to hit the tip of the mountain I upped the ante and reduced the shutter speed from its original setting to add some movement to the water in the foreground. In the space of a few minutes the entire creative process of the image had changed. The final plan was to have slight movement in the water that would lead to a stagnant pool, with the backdrop of the mountains over which the sun would rise. 
Including many scenarios increased the chances of error but I persisted, knowing that if I timed it right I could walk away with a half decent shot. Just as the first rays appeared I exposed for a full fifteen seconds and was finally rewarded. 

Have yourselves a great year ahead, and as always do drop me a line when you can. I love hearing from you all. 



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