Monday, February 27, 2012

I Clicked it Up a Notch - February

Even though I love I Clicked it Up a Notch hosted by Courtney, I was a little nervous to participate this month as I have stumbled quite a bit when it comes to my photography goals. However, as I mentioned in my Tones on Tuesday post I plan to start fresh and to do that I need to reflect in order to grow.

While I didn't do too well on many of my goals in February, there was one that I really tried to commit myself to...

Goal 12. Take a 10 minute time-out during every photo shoot - As I mentioned when I made this goal, I often get caught up in taking pictures and finding the shot and then I miss opportunities and moments. Therefore, I have been purposefully pausing to put my camera down and just be in the moment and in the beautiful places I go to photograph. More often than not, this is when I stumble upon a favorite shot from the shoot. An unexpected image or perspective that I would not have seen within the viewfinder. It also allows me to experience a place more fully as I open my other senses beside sight to the space. 

The photo below happened as I was sitting in the dunes on the Long Beach Peninsula taking my 10 minutes. My main focus when on the beach is the sun, sand and waves. I love shooting through beach grasses, but my aim is usually to frame the beach and ocean. As I was taking my 10 minutes I was fascinated by the way the light played in the grasses, cast shadows on the sand and how well the colors of the grass and the sky and the water worked together. I am very glad I took my time-out and was able to "see" this shot :o). 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/4000, f/3.2 
(full manual, sunlight wb, clean edit in Lightroom)
"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."
- Eli Khamarov

Click It Up A Notch

5 comments:

  1. I like the composition. well done.

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  2. This is beautiful, very serene! Love it!

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  3. This is fabulous. It makes me miss the beach and warm weather !!

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  4. I'm glad you decided to join and reflect on your images from the past month!! I love this goal of yours to stop and enjoy it for 10 minutes! I can just imagine what you must see. I wll need to try and do that. This is lovely! The focus on the grass with the beautiful waves in the background! I also love the soft shadows on the sand! Great use of light and textures!

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts! I love reading your comments and critiques.