27 Jul
2011

Posted in: Olympic National Park
By Ian Plant    2 Comments

Twilight Reflections, Second Beach, Olympic National Park

I took this photo while leading my Wild Olympic photo workshop, along with co-leader Joseph Rossbach. We hiked our group of thirteen students down to Second Beach, one of the most beautiful places in Olympic National Park. As we had a flooding tide, we weren’t able to shoot some of the classic scenes of boulders stranded by the tide on the beach. Instead, we focused our efforts on the convergence of clouds in the sky and shapes formed by incoming waves.

"Tidal Sweep" - Olympic National Park

During sunset, I noticed that the sky was only getting strong color to the north. Our workshop participants were scattered along the beach, and most were with Joe near the headland that marks the northern end of the beach. Feeling like a military commander, I rallied those troops nearby and led them into the heart of the battle—in this case, I managed to convince two participants to follow me south in an effort to find an angle that would allow us to photograph the most colorful part of the sky along with some of the most interesting features of the beach. After a short walk, we turned around and knew we had the right place. We set up our compositions to include the most prominent sea stack offshore and the natural arch that is part of the headland. With each incoming wave, we triggered our shutters, hoping to catch the right amount of motion blur and to capture a wave with a shape that supported the overall composition. Our best results happened after a big wave came in and wet the beach, allowing the scene to reflect, adding more color and mood to our photos.

These are the moments during a workshop that I like most—when I can work closely with one or a few students, allowing us to develop a personal connection with the landscape and the moment. This is why I work with Joe and Richard Bernabe (our other partner-in-crime); we often team up for workshops so that we can deliver a small group experience even when we are leading large groups. Having two instructors allows us to be more flexible, and gives every student more personal attention. Besides, it’s a lot more fun!

Technical details: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 24-105mm lens (@32mm), 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, 3-stop neutral density filter, ISO 100, f/10, 1 second.

More From Ian Plant Dreamscapes

• Sunset, Second Beach, Olympic National Park
• Temple of Sinawava, Zion National Park
• Simplicity in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park

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About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.