Heightened Senses

I'm sure a lot of us photographers appreciate those moments when we are out in the elements, our senses tuned to the environment. The sounds of the seagulls, the crashing waves, the breeze blowing through the branches, and of course, the visual feast of Mother Nature.

This morning was no different. I had the seagulls, the crashing waves, the breeze, and of course, the beautiful view of the wharf, illuminated against the dark of night gradually being replaced by the rising sun.

But this morning, I tuned into another of the senses. The sense of smell. The ocean has such a complex smell to it, it's difficult to describe. The crisp, clean air, the salty mist, and the occasional smell of decay from the washed up kelp all add to the experience. I was thoroughly enjoying the morning air as I set up to shoot this sunrise panorama of the Santa Cruz Wharf.

Now, technically speaking, this was the toughest panoramic I have ever attempted. The wind on the water and the moving clouds caused havoc on stitching the image together. There are obvious flaws with the blending. And one of the features I wanted in theis shot was the buildings outlined in lights.

Well, this is my first run of images that I am presenting here. On the second run, where the morning sky was a tad more colorful, they turned off the lights! I then realized that those buildings are restaurants getting ready for the breakfast shift. Damn! I guess I will have to wait until May when sunrise precedes opening time by a solid half hour, giving me more time to properly pull this shot off.

I shot a third run of images just for kicks, and my heightened senses caught a whiff os something new...bacon. At that point, I packed it in and headed home for breakfast.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 48mm
30sec @ f8, ISO 200
Lee .6 Stop Hard ND Grad Filter, angled for the lights on the wharf

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