It’s an absolute blessing, and at times a curse, to live in proximity of 130 miles of pristine New Jersey shoreline. It’s a blessing in the sense that I have ready access to an infinite collection of possible compositions. It’s also a curse in that I sometimes get complacent and forget to see the beauty in each situation. Thus was the case with this long exposure shot taken in Surf City, NJ at sunrise. When I arrived at the location on a warm summer morning disappointment crept into my mind as I realized the sunrise would not be spectacular. I had no desire to take yet another average shot of the sun rising over the ocean. I decided to play with ND filters and set much longer exposures than I typically employ.
As the sun rose, I settled on 30 seconds as the proper timing since it transformed the scene before me into a pastel painting. However, I realized the photo was missing a leading line element. I almost gave up hope and packed it in to return to a warm shower and breakfast, when suddenly a woman startled me as she walked within feet of my tripod. After she passed on down the beach, I snapped this photo, which captures her footprints as the component my composition was missing! I’m thankful this woman chose to walk directly through my composition.
It pays to never give up on a scene, you never know what may happen.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor