01.24.2021

Fujifilm X-T4 + XF23mmf/1.4 R: 1s, f/8, ISO800

I have been photographing landscapes for years along the Eastern shorelines of Oʻahu, so, often I’ll find myself stuck in a rhythm of sameness… 24mm (equivalent), 1s, f/11, similar angle, similar composition… just a slightly new spot. I rely heavily on Mother Nature to give my images a boost. In a previous post, I wrote about how I force myself to “think different” by using another lens, a unique angle, and an uncommon aperture to change things up. Today I picked up a few new things to try.

Fujifilm X-T4 + XF23mmf/1.4 R: 1/4s, f/2.8, ISO800

We came upon these shoreline rocks with a brilliant green moss growing on them the previous week, but the king tide made the spot too risky to shoot, so we moved along to another spot that morning and made a mental note to return when the conditions were more accessible. This week when we determined the spot accessible we returned. I had packed a different than usual 35mm (equivalent) lens with me on this morning, giving it its maiden landscape shoot. I’ll probably be bringing this lens for the next few sunrises to get my eye accustomed to the focal length. Anyway, I struggled to find a composition on this morning. Anytime I come across rocks that appear sporadic with no real discernible pattern, I struggle choosing a spot. I finally came across these three star-point like rocks jutting toward the horizon that I felt served well enough as leading lines and checked that box. I could make those lines appear more exaggerated by lowering the camera angle, so I adjusted my tripod to as low as I could safely go without worrying when a rare large surge would come through. Then I waited for the right set to come in and add that bit of dynamism to my photo. Most of the sets that came through were too high, I discovered, as they’d cover most of the green stuff with white sea foam! Usually that’s what I want on the gray rocks, but the biggest appeal to this spot was the green! I had the epiphany of focusing on the wave action BEFORE it covered my precious green rocks, or, that when it did, that I would speed my shutter speed to capture the speed of the water coming in instead of the speed of the water going out. I really liked how these turned out! New color level up!

These two are my “step-repeat” shots from the week before when the green rocks were inaccessible… 24mm (equivalent), 1s | 240s, f/11… Water lines leading out | prominent foreground object/cloud lines leading in stuff. We’ll see what the next few weeks bring!