August 14, 2013

Photo of the Week: Aug. 14, 2013



HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Sometimes you have to get your feet wet. That’s okay, of course, as long as you remove your shoes and don’t slip on a rock or drop your camera into the salty sea foam. If you can brave the ankle-deep, more likely than not you’ll discover a vantage point other photographers will overlook, giving you an edge in capturing that unique shot.
This photo was taken last month at the public beach in Ashkelon, where a jetty was built to quiet the tidal action. But the rocks create their own crashing drama about 50 meters offshore, and if you stand patiently on the wet sand, you are rewarded with some authoritative splashes. The difficulty in this shot was not being able to see to the other side of the breakwater. I had no way of knowing when a wave was about to impact and whether or not it was even worth waiting for, focus engaged, arms raised (and beginning to ache after four minutes in the same posture), and shutter speed jacked to capture the water in crisp sharpness. It's also impossible to time the peak action, so I fired up my motor drive and burned up 5 frames per wave. I also had some help from the sun, which was doing its predictable late afternoon cloud dance, adding to the spectacle in both the sky and on the water.
Pack a little patience in your beach bag this summer and reap the reward.
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TECHNICAL DATA: Camera: Nikon D300, handheld, manual exposure, center-weighted metering mode, f9 at 1/1250th sec., ISO 400. Raw file converted to Jpeg. Lens: Nikon 28-105 zoom at 78 mm. Date: July 24, 2013, 7:07 p.m. Location: Mediterraean Sea at Ashkelon.