landscape photography, photography
Summer Lovers
Jul
In the height of last week’s heat wave I could be found on Ipperwash Beach at sunrise. Such a gorgeous start to the day! I really wish we lived closer to the water. Can you imagine a dip in the lake before your workday? Dreamy…
My alarm clock went off at 3:30 and I was definitely not interested in getting out of bed. It was really warm that night and we don’t have air conditioning so I slept terrible. I was out the door on my way to the beach by 4am, car windows down with a cool breeze blowing through, almost making up for the ungodly hour. I drove through patches of fog so thick it left moisture on my windshield.
When I got to the beach just after 5am I wasn’t alone, a couple arrived before me and were busy flirting and splashing in the lake. A heartwarming sight indeed but not ideal for photography so I headed east. Sunrise was at 6:06 so I had to work fast. I got the camera and tripod all set up and began scanning the horizon for interesting cloud formations lit up with pinks and purples.
The sky was so bright I struggled with the exposure – expose for the sky and the water was too dark, expose for the water and the sky was too bright losing all of it’s subtleties. In the end I went somewhere in the middle, then I processed two versions of the raw file in Capture One Pro, one to make the water look good, the other for the sky. I merged them in Photoshop using layers, retouched the dust, and here we are.
I don’t typically Photoshop my images much so this was a bit of a change for me. I could have done something similar in camera using lens filters but I don’t have any in my arsenal that would have done the trick. If I end up making more photographs like this it’s definitely something I’ll be investing in.
I wanted to experiment with colour, large areas of blues and pinks streaking through my photograph, somewhat painterly. It’s a bit of a change from what I normally do which is why I’m dying to hear what you think!
Do you like the abstractness or would you prefer an image with more of a focal point? What about the water, would you like to see it smoother or are you more of a wave person? And the sky, do you like the smeary clouds or are you partial to more of a traditional cloud shape? Is the pink of the sunrise too much or do you ache to see more?
This is beautiful!!!!!! There are so many colours in it, I can’t stop looking at it! Definitely love the abstraction and the settled water. We always see waves, how rare is it to see the lake settled? Lovely!
Thanks Devon! The lake isn’t quite as settled as it appears, my few second exposure toned it down a bit. *wink wink*
I love the subtlety of this image…the calm water, the ‘smeary’ clouds, and the muted pastels all work well together to convey a sense of serenity. I am also intrigued with your choice of a vertical composition rather than a more traditional horizontal one. It adds interest, though very discreetly. That said, I, personally, prefer an image with a focal point of some sort, even if it is a very small boat off in the distance, or the silhouette of a bird flying through the scene. Beautifully done, and, in the end, worth the (horrifically) early wake-up call!
Thanks Caroline! I’ll definitely consider a focal point in the future, sounds like something fun to play with. It’s interesting that you mentioned that it’s vertical, as most of my images are. I’m drawn to them more than the horizontal. In fact, I did one that morning but it just didn’t have the same appeal for me, it somehow lost something.
I love the shot, it suits your style. The colors are just right. I do like your smooth as glass water photos but the small ripples add texture.
I do plan to experiment with smoother water, I just didn’t get there early enough that morning. Glad to hear I have a “style”, I’m in too deep over here, I can’t see the forest for the trees.
Love it! Lake Huron is so beautiful, most people might find it hard to believe that this is not some tropical location. It would be interesting to see the same setting in the fall & early winter. The colours would be very different.
Great suggestion Anita! I’m definitely going to keep an eye on those colours in the coming months.
Very peaceful. In some ways it reminds me of Rothko. Keep experimenting. I like it.
Thanks Robert. Rothko is definitely what I was going for.