Action and Tranquility

The ocean is a very busy thing. It is constantly ebbing and flowing. Swells, waves, currents, tides. It is always moving and always changing. But even with all of that action, most of us view the ocean with not just a sense of awe, but also of peace and tranquility. I know that watching a sunrise or sunset on the beach, with the steady sound of the surf crashing onto the sand or rocks, is one of my favorite things. Even without a camera. For photographers, the ocean has plenty of amazing elements to make a photograph.

It has flowing water, that with a long exposure can begin to look like fog or mist....





And with the right clouds and light, you get dramatic sunsets and sunrises.





Even after the sun goes down you can do long exposures combined with light painting to get some very cool, almost otherworldly effect.....





...Or you can see the actual waves as they break over rocks in the foreground or roll onto the beach.






And as in the above photos, make sure you use a good tripod and a graduated or split neutral density filter. If you don't have filters you can use a technique called HDR (high dynamic range), or you can take two shots, one for the foreground (rocks, beach, etc.), and one for the sky and then blend them in Photoshop. If you cannot do either and you have a great sunset, expose for the sky and let the foreground fall into shadow. You will have a dramatic silhouette.





Always look for leading lines and interesting compositions. I always try to shoot with my widest lens possible to start but often need to get in closer with another lens.





As in all landscape photography, try different things. Vary it up and you will hopefully come home with a handful of great shots that are different from each other.