This mystic pier photo is an early morning photo of the Ventura Pier in Caifornia. Opening the shutter for a long time gives the ocean water a beautiful ethereal misty sort of feel, which I really love.
Ventura Pier, Nikon D90, 11-16mm f2/8 Tokina, f/22, 6 second exposure using B+W 1.8 ND filter. – at Ventura Pier, California
I woke up early Monday morning and decided that I’d take some long exposure photos of the Ventura Pier.
I felt like I was at the beach for an hour, but I was there for almost three. The process of doing long time exposures seems to blur time. Michael Kenna mentions something that I believe has something to do with this quality.
“Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me it’s the act of photographing. It’s enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying, because the very process forces me to connect with the world. When you make four-hour exposures in the middle of the night, you inevitably slow down and begin to observe and appreciate more what’s going on around you. In our fast-paced, modern world, it’s a luxury to be able to watch the stars move across the sky.” I love this quote so much that I devoted a blog post to it a few months ago. It really summarizes how I feel about photography.
This photo was taken with my trusty old 18-200mm lens, a lens I call my “walkabout” lens. Perfect for travel due to its flexibility. The camera was just above the shade of the pier, so I stood in front of the camera, blocking the sunlight from the lens. Let this be a lesson to you never to forget your lens hood – my folly is your gain! 😀
The glow of the water is from the morning sun, but the long exposure gives it a mystical quality. It is not “Photoshopped” in any way except for some of the usual contrast and sharpening. The cool otherworldly look is solely due to the long exposure!
Ventura Pier, Nikon D90, 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens, f/29, 10 second exposure, two Tifffen 0.9 ND filters – at Ventura Pier, California.
kenleephotography.wordpress.com 