P#17: A Beautiful Shot of a Carmel Beach
Find out the elements that went into creating this photo of a Carmel beach
Bill Neill's picture of a Carmel beach has a feeling of mystery and an interesting texture. How did he create the mood? He explained his technique during his 7 Photography Questions interview.
A Classic Carmel Beach Day
Bill Neill: This shot was taken on a beach in Carmel with a line of kelp on the sand. It was mid morning. The weather was a classic, foggy summer day there, but there was some nice bright light, although the light wasn't direct.
The key element to creating this image, in terms of the motion effect, is that I used that Singh Ray Vari-ND that I keep handy at all times. (click the image for a larger version)
This is only possible by being able to cut down the light with neutral density. You don't have to use a Vari-ND, but least use something that would block the light two to four stops. You might even be able to do something like this using a small aperture.
The exposure was probably ten or fifteen seconds on a bright morning. I used that long shutter speed to allow the surf to blur out, which is wonderful for giving an interesting texture, a sort of mysterious feel to it, and simplifying the image at the same time.
In Closing
We've been told time and time again that lighting creates mood, and this picture is a great demonstration of that fact. Bill Neill used a wonderful combination of natural lighting, equipment, and technique to create this stunning Carmel beach shot.
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