I had planned to play with the film camera today, but by 1PM there was scud rolling in and the light was really tricky, so I decided to leave it at home. I expected overcast at the beach and with the new camera I have a few issues I need to overcome, not the least of which being the fact that the 50mm lens, which is perfect for landscapes, has a 112mm filter thread! Seriously. 112mm. That’s ridiculously large.1 I’m using a 100mm system now with the largest thread for the adapter ring being 82mm. That means it’s good for my 100mm and 210mm Fuji lenses, but I need something bigger2 if I am to use filters on the 50mm or 80mm, which are, of course, the obvious choices for landscape.
I could have taken shots … with zero effort had great reward. I mean, it was an f/8 and be there kind of moment
If it means anything, I’ve wanted something that’ll do 95mm ever since I shot Palmhenge3, I just haven’t because how often will you really use a filter at 500mm?4 I guess now I will have some more opportunities, though I’ll be limiting the number of filters as the most likely candidate seems to be a Cokin XL. Those 130mm filters are a lot less common than the smaller ones, and can get expensive. So without a way to stop down the sky on the ultrawide I just assumed it would not work out. Thus my decision to not have it set up and in the truck.
The problem with this decision? Well, the sunset was perfect for photography. First. the sun came out and lit the power plant and the bluffs behind the cooling pond spectacularly. I could have taken shots away from the sun, no filters, and with zero effort had great reward. I mean, it was an f/8 and be there kind of moment, and I realized straight up I should have had the confidence to at least have the camera ready.
Of course, I had the z6 in the truck, so I headed south planning to shoot wherever I found a parking place. The first open hole was by the cold water jetty, so I trekked out to the middle of the jetty to see whatever I could see.
By the time I was on the jetty a cloud obscured the sun, which removed the glorious glow on the powerplant and bluffs, but the sky was still fun so I took pictures of the surfers. There were some kids catching the white water and laughing and yelling the whole time. Their mother was on the beach yelling at them to come in and they’d call back “Not yet! Wait until it’s dark!” I left after it was well dark and they were still in the water, but by the time I was to my truck they were getting the “You come in right now!” speech, with all sorts of threats. Those kids are in for a stern talking to tonight. But I’m sure it was worth it.
After a few shots of the surfers the sun peeked out beneath the clouds again and the sky turned into a picture postcard, ready to be made. A young couple was out on the end of the jetty, so I used them as a focal point. I got more than a few good shots, some with them silhouetted, one or two where they’re more exposed. I gave them an email address as they were leaving, I hope the contact me so I can give them some pictures.
After they left I set up again as the light was changing, hoping to get some birds and this fishing boat that was on the horizon. But, then, the most annoying thing on earth happened, some lady and her child climbed out on the jetty. Now, that’s OK. I don’t own the jetty, but for fuck’s sake, you have a pile of rocks thirty feet wide and two hundred feet long, do you have to stand LITERALLY right in front of the camera I have carefully placed on a tripod?
The climbed around in front of me until the sun was almost gone, pretty much ruining the rest of the shots from this perspective. For obvious reasons, I didn’t give them my email address.5 They don’t get a lovely framed 8×10 Color Glossy picture with circles, arrows, and a paragraph on the back.
The thing with this sunset, though, is that it never quit.6 The color died down for a few minutes, then it went insane, the sky lighting up pink and crimson, and the water reflecting colors. It kept changing, and I kept taking shots thinking “This is the peak” but it didn’t peak for 10 minutes. The color would just be brighter to the left or the right. At that point I could easily have taken film photos, with ANY lens including the 100mm. Below is a photo taken at 47mm, and I cropped it to 6×8 to get an idea of what field of view I might get with a 100mm lens and, frankly, it makes me feel that much more foolish. I’ve said it before, sometimes the days that look ugly in the afternoon come up with the wildest, most interesting skies.
There were many, many more lovely moments. I left long after sunset and the beach still harbored dozens of people staring west. When I got home another blossoming of color happened, streaks of purple and deep red lit all the clouds. Had I stayed I might have gotten some fun long exposures, but I had important business to attend7 and hustled away. I think I got enough after sunset shots, even if I was impatient.
Here’s some experimenting with images I got after dark. I converted one to black and white to see what it might look like shooting Delta100 or something. The pelicans were taken well after dark, and are a touch blurry, but I love birds in my photos. My favorite is the one with the crashing wave, but there are two dozen equally colorful photos on the memory card. It was that kind of an evening.
If there is anything to learn from tonight, it’s to keep even the gigantic camera ready to go. I’ll have to ruin a few rolls of film to learn all of its quirks anyway, might as well get on with it. F/8 and be there.8
Since I referred to it before, here’s Palmhenge, the sun setting between a pair of trees about a KM away in October, 2020. What you see here is uncropped, unedited, and I’m strangely proud of that. This one prints out spectacularly, and I’ll gladly sell you a signed and numbered print either in the current aspect ratio (in 8×12 or 16×24 inch glossy) or cropped to match consumer frames (in 8×10 or 16×20 glossy). Just shoot me an email.
1. That’s what she said.
2. That’s what she said.
3. I only now realize I haven’t posted Palmhenge. I have included the money shot here. I should make a post for it, alone, one day.
4. Once. Only once. Well, twice, once to correct what I fucked up the first time I tried it. But only once that I would show anyone.
5. Because Fuck You, that’s why.
6. That’s what she said.
7. Laundry. My important business was laundry, with which I was helped by Lucy. There’s often the annoyance of being bothered by a cat while folding your underwear, and I suppose it’s understandable. Except in this case, because it’s not even my cat, so it’s just weird.
8. For people who haven’t heard the phrase, f/8 and be there is a photojournalist’s credo from the early days, meaning it is better to be ready and take an imperfect, but good enough, shot than to be fussing with your gear and miss something.