At the sea side

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We spent today on the beach, photographing details by the sea.

It became quite a challenge, the light was changing fast, and we had a rapidly rising high tide. There were a number photographs that I had pre-visualised; and today we had the potential combination of weather and tide to try and capture them.

The weapon of choice, my lovely old Hasselblad, 80mm f/2.8 lens and Lee Polariser.

Setting up with the camera on my heavy tripod, I had very little time to meter the scene, determine the black point, white point, work out the dynamic range and set my exposure. I took a quick shot and had to retreat rapidly as the water started to lap at the tripod legs.

Sometimes the light and situation can last for just a few seconds, you have to have your camera technique and metering down pat, practice, practice and practice.

With any form of photography, a compact, SLR, Medium or Large Format, you need to practice and know your equipment well.

Many people blame their equipment, and use that as an excuse to buy a new camera, often it’s just that we’re not fully conversant with our equipment.

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