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

Poetic Winter: Solitude 2.5.12

I love going to the beach any time of year. It is the place I go to recharge my battery and find an inner peace and contentment. While going to the beach in winter can be a bit chilly, one of the perks is that there are not many people there. It allows me to find those moments of solitude to reflect on my thoughts, find inspiration and feed my passion for photography. This weekend I sat on a dune on the Long Beach Peninsula of Washington overlooking the beach and just looked and listened. I soaked up the vastness, the sound of the waves and the feeling of being in tune with the nature around me. I enjoyed every minute!

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/500, f/22 

(full manual, sunlight wb, SOOC with cropping and distraction removal)

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/4000, f/3.2 

(full manual, sunlight wb, clean edit in Lightroom)

"Shadows" for P52

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/1000, f/2.0

(full manual, sunlight wb, clean edit in Lightroom)

"Shadows" for P52

Settings: ISO 200, 24mm, ss1/320, f/25 

(full manual, sunlight wb, clean edit in Lightroom)

Settings: ISO 200, 163mm, ss1/250, f/10 

(full manual, sunlight wb, SOOC with cropping)

"Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your own presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement." - Alice Koller