Posted: January 30th, 2010 | Author: Mike | Filed under: Photography | Tags: 17-35mm L, El Niño, ocean, surf | 1 Comment »
There isn’t really a Manhattan Sea Wall. Usually. But with the recent surf eroding all the sand, there is a stretch of the bike path where there is basically no sand on a higher tide and the waves break right onto the rocks. So when you get some bigger surf with a high tide, you can see some pretty big waves explode onto the rocks and send a plume of whitewater onto the bike path. Right now, there is a sea wall just north of 45th St.
I thought, “Hey, isn’t that cool? Maybe I should shoot it.“ Well, I only had my wide angle lens so without getting really close, the big splashes of whitewater didn’t really look as good in the pictures so I had to get closer. So, I got a little closer – maybe a little too close. Luckily, I didn’t get the camera wet, but I did pay the price by shielding it with my body. My jacket was waterproof. My sweatpants were not.
I got a major adrenaline rush waiting for the big waves to break on the rocks. The thunderous crash of the wave against the rock sounds so close that it just sounds like you’re about to get swallowed up by this thing. I think I’m going to come back tomorrow with a slightly longer lens.
Here are the images. First a sequence from a safer vantage point. Then a few from a not-so-safe one. And finally, a self portrait after getting splashed.
Splash Sequence
Big Splash, Up Close and Personal
Foamy Bike Path
Pieces of rock broken off by waves
What happens when you get too close
Posted: January 22nd, 2010 | Author: Mike | Filed under: Photography | Tags: El Niño, rain, satellite, Unisys, weather | No Comments »
El Niño really started to show itself this week in the form of 5 days of rain. For the last three days, it was raining as I left the house and I managed to find a window of time when the rain stopped to snap a few photographs and get on the road. I had mentioned that I got lucky with the break in the weather, but it wasn’t all luck.
Here is my routine. I would get up at 5:30 and then I’d check the Unisys Satellite Weather Images. I like to look at it in a 12 hour loop so that I can get a picture of where things might be in the next hour or two. There are also a couple of sites that provide animated Doppler Radar maps. I’d focus specifically on the part of the coast where I wanted to shoot and if it seemed like there was a potential opening then I knew it would be worth the risk. If it looks like a massive rain cloud with no potential break or if I would have to drive too far to avoid the rain, well, that’s when I go back to bed and grab another hour or two of shut-eye.
So, yes, I was lucky that the clouds provided an opportunity to shoot, but I sure as heck wouldn’t have been out there if it didn’t look like there was going to be a window. Obviously, the rain doesn’t preclude one from shooting, but if you’re out in the open with nothing to keep you dry, there is typically a little more preparation and weather protection that is involved.
If you have other tips for shooting during a rainstorm, I’d love to hear about them.
Unysis Satellite Image at 5:30AM Pacific Time