Pre-dawn at Jibbon Beach

[PeterB666]

Look, not a rock pool in sight. As a compromise, you still get rocks, beach and the wet stuff.

This is Jibbon Beach looking out through the heads of Port Hacking. The beach is a long and narrow arc that almost completely dissapears at high tide. In the distance is Jibbon Head.

This is just to the south of Sydney and at the northern end of the Royal National Park.

The first shot was taken about 15 minutes before 'first light' around 2-weeks ago. It was taken with an Olympus E-P1 and Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm lens set to 9mm. This is a 30 second exposure at f/7.1 and ISO200. Although before first light, the sky is quite bright and there is no lighting on the beach and rocks so a 3-stop Rev-GND was called into action.

This second shot was taken around 20 to 25 minutes later. I have moved around to the rocks that were in the mid-part of the photo. That's Cronulla in the backgournd. The second shot is 3.2s at f/8 and ISO100. The 3-stop Rev-GND will still be there.

 

[Djarum]

Very nice photos.

 

[Kapekodder]

Beautiful captures! I like the drama of light in the first better. Thank you for your specific info about the technique and equipment; and supplying some motivation to get up early here (other Oly shooters tell me that there is great early light to be seen here too! )

 

[oo74]

Very nice photos ! Thanks for sharing! 9-18mm is on my list of lenses to buy...

 

[Streetshooter]

Peter,
Once again you have captured a moment that usually requires large format.
Ansel would be proud......

 

[BBW]

Yes, Peter really is the master at these long exposures taken at what have to be some of the most breathtaking parts of the coast Down Under. I think there's a book that needs to be made from these photographs!

 

[Streetshooter]

There probably is an interview brewing, me thinks.....

 

[hmpws]

Pardon my newbieness, what is the Rev at the front of "Rev-GND"? I understand that GND is a graduated neutral density filter.

 

[PeterB666]

Pardon my newbieness, what is the Rev at the front of "Rev-GND"? I understand that GND is a graduated neutral density filter.

Reverse. It is like a hard transition graduated neutral density filter but in the case of the 3-stop reverse GND it goes from clear to -3 stops and then becomes lighter (probably to around -2 stops).

The idea is that things like sunrises and sunsets have the brightest spot in the middle. You still need to cut the light for the rest of the sky but most is needed just above the horizon.

Edit: I cannot remember if it was the case in the two shots posted in this tread, but at one stage I was using the 3-stop reverse GDN combined with a 3-stop hard transition GND to get the dawn shots. This was certainly the case with some of the photos between the two above and may have been for the second shot. That effectively gave me minus 6 stops at the horizon and minus 5 stops for the sky. It was needed.

 

[oris642]

Beautiful shots, Peter! Glad to see another landscape photographer using the Olympus 9-18 lens! I just came back from a week in Banff National Park and used the 9-18 a lot, the threads are essential for mounting ND filters and polarizers.

 

[Herman]

Beautiful shots Peter !

 

[JoepLX3]

Peter, very nice!!!

But I almost don't dare to ask it, are these taken hand-hold?


Joep

 

[PeterB666]

Well I had no choice after my remote transmitter unit went into the drink.

See the channel in the rock in that first one? It was down there before the surf took it away. If one day you get photographed by the sea, it could be my old remote transmitter unit (although the antenna was already a bit dodgy).

 

[Muggie]

Beautiful! Ethereal!

 

[GaryInOz]

More great shots Peter :smile:

When are you gunna come and take a few shots of the Northern Beaches

 

[PeterB666]

I rarely make it to the other side of the harbour. It took me the best part of 1 1/2 hours to get to Woolwich last Saturday and that barely qualifies.

Funny thing is that is the same time it took me to go to Somersby Falls the previous weekend and that is about 4 or 5 times as far.

 

[GaryInOz]

Yep, that's Sydney

 

[PeterB666]

Yep, that's Sydney

Just got an etag today so I can pay for the privilege of heading over to the North Shore and coming back.

 

[goldenlight]

Stunning work, Peter, especially the first - beautiful. And a superb example of advanced ND grad technique and why these filters stiil have an important role in the digital age. :smile:

 

[Christilou]

Breathtaking images. Thank you very much for posting. Any more.......