I passed Laguna Rd Beach, and I passed Panther Beach, a difficult decision to say the least, but I thought the conditions might work for a Davenport Pier shot.

Alas, the tide would not cooperate for Door #2, and and after some recent rains, Door #1 just might be too dangerous. I jogged around the bluffs, as time was running short and headed down to the main beach in Davenport.

I've been here many times, just not to shoot. There is a prominent sea stack on the south end of the beach, and I will post a shot from there in a couple days. There is also this cool groove of a channel right up against the cliff, and the waves would pump through there madly.

I would have loved to get a shot with the groove more directly below me, but the swell and splashes would have resulted in catastrophe for sure. Just to keep me on my toes, the odd wave would slap the cliff to my left and splash 15 feet to the right and get me and my gear wet. I had to keep a well trained eye on that area for rogue splashes.

The stormy weather was a nice reprieve from the recent bland skies, and I was really enjoying the storm pass over me. A simply splendid evening.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
15sec @ f11, ISO 100
Tiffen .9 ND Filter
Lee .9 and .6 Soft GND Filters

After shooting the "groovy" crack, I headed over to the rocky shelf where the lone sea stack stands. A striking pillar of stone that I find interesting as it stands alone, far enough away from the cliffs that I can imagine it dwindling in size over the years, but yet it still remains.

As the light was fading, I was trying to keep my settings to allow for a shutter speed just long enough to smooth the water, but short enough to not smear the clouds into oblivion.

I used the layers in the rocks to create as much of a lead in as possible, and luckily the break in the clouds was moving at a predictable speed. This allowed me to grab a shot where the waves would push water this far back, which didn't happen that often, along with the sea stack offset by the cloud break.

I used PS CS3's Smart Objects to open the RAW file twice, and I adjusted exposure for both foreground and sky, then used layer masks to blend the two.

A custom black and white filter was used in addition to a layer mask using the Selective Color tool. With this tool, I tend to adjust the black levels of the "neutrals", sometimes up and down in two different layers, create a mask for both, and paint the areas I want darker and lighter.

I know there are as many ways to create a black and white image as there are photographers shooting them, so I don't claim to have the right way, just a way.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
15sec @ f8 , ISO 200
Lee .9 and .6 Soft GND Filters

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