The Strand – Part II

Yesterday I wrote a bit about how the piers shape each of the costal beach communities of Southern California. Like I said, each one is different and worth exploring. Today’s image is almost a tale of two piers. Not because of the pier itself, although the Manhattan pier (pictured here) is much different than the Hermosa Pier (yesterday’s image), but because of the conditions I photographed them in. On this day, a winter swell had rolled in form the north and the seas were angry. This was also the day I decided to go out and paddle board. I was planning on photographing the Manhattan pier from underneath. I had visions of a long classic and powerful exposure. However, because of the wether that day, I felt that incorporating the sea told a more complete story. To achieve the vision I had in my head I shot with a very long focal length (400mm in this case) and timed the waves at their height. I wanted the face of the wave to be visible and still balance well with the pier in the distance. Let’s just say I shot a lot of images until I got this one. For me, this was a photographic blessing from nature. I could stand and stare at waves all day. Tomorrow we will continue our story of ‘The Strand’ by taking a look at the people and activity that makes this place what it is!

Capture Notes:

I shot this image with a D7000 and Nikkor 300mm F4 mounted on a tripod.

Processing Notes:

Capture – 1 image
ACR – Raw processing
Nik Define 2.0 – Noise redution
NIK CEP 4- Graduated ND Filter
Photohop – several selective curves adjustments
Nik Viveza 2 – Gave a little pop to the pier
Sized for web
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