First, I want to say that I have already uploaded and attempted to use this photo. The old theme I was using for WordPress just didn’t get along with me very well and I have now switched to this one. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t go in to a psychotic rage and have a stroke from the fits of anger.
Everything seems fine now, and I can talk about this photo again.
This was taken a little after the Sun came up at Smyrna Dunes Park which is North of New Smyrna, Florida. I got to the park very early and the Sun hadn’t come up quite yet. I paid and parked, grabbed my gear along with my Girlfriend and her Daughter. We entered the area which I thought took you straight to the beach. This is when I found out that you have to walk on an extensive boardwalk nearly a mile which takes you to the infamous “jetty” at the park.
We walked in a big hurry, and the girls didn’t seem very happy with the nice cold early morning wind. On top of that, the weather didn’t look like it was going to cooperate with us. The sky was a very ominous and steely dark Grey with no end in sight. As it started to get lighter outside, I was looking for “good light” but there was nothing but the ugly miserable looking Grey. We got some shots of the Jetty, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse in the distance, and some of other things in the area that looked at least somewhat interesting.
As we were about to leave, I looked and on the horizon, the clouds were starting to break. The Ocean was super rough and there were Sun rays dropping down from the thick blanket of clouds.
Riding on the crest of the horizon was a single solitary shrimp-boat. It was right in the area that seemed to be bathed with the rays of the sun, while in the foreground the Ocean looked nearly treacherous. I framed everything up the best I could, tried to make sure the horizon was flat in the viewfinder and took about 75 photos positioning the shrimp-boat in different places for composition. In the end, this one with the boat almost in the dead-center of the photo was the one that I chose as the winner.
A shrimp boat in rough seas at dawn
As much as I love shooting film, I have to admit that one of the things Digital photography has done for me, personally is–it’s given me the ability to take shots that I may have conserved with film. The way this does help with film is that by shooting with sheer huge numbers of photos like that, I can easily remember what got me the best result and use it later with film. I guess in a nutshell, I am saying that you can use your digital camera to commit errors and in some people’s eyes virtual crimes against photography with composition; just to see if the shot works out.
If you are ever in the Daytona, Oak Hill, New Smyrna, Ormond Beach or Edgewater, Florida area and you are looking for a good place for some photography, you may want to check out Smyrna Dunes.
Here is some of the information for the park:
website: http://volusia.org/parks/smyrnadunes.htm
They are open every day from Sunrise to Sunset and Admission is $5 per car-load.
They have several places to access the beaches, a good view of the lighthouse and a natural scrubland that is well preserved. You can observe birds, reptiles, fish and even dogs are allowed on the dog-beach.