This image of the golden hour was one of those special moments of success. After a dozen images, I knew this was a winner. This location is a favorite of mine and the tide was going out, leaving me with some great reflections. Taking an image like this is part luck and part hard work.

I live a short walk from here and I carry about 15 pounds of camera gear - one body, one lens and a tripod - on my shoulder as I go down the street. This a medium format image and there is a lot of glass in my lenses, making them heavy. Most important on the coast is the three inch spikes on the bottom of my Series 3 Gizto tripod. Keeping everything steady when the sand is wet and the water moves is very challenging and I've ruined a number of images from tripod movement in the waves.

This shutter speed was 1/6 second in the fading light and I wanted the bubbles from the tide to sharp and contrasty with the crayola colors. The sky cooperated with just smooth tones and few clouds, letting me focus on the water and the beachfront homes. This was a fun image to take without much post processing at all.