Thistles at Dusk

Thistles at Dusk

October 13, 2016

This summer I made time to just go for a walk. I went down Rome Point, nice and close to home, and brought my DSLR with me. I didn't know what I would find, what I would shoot, only that it was a beautiful day and golden hour was approaching.

I came to the beach and walked south, then further south, and soon I was almost at Plum Beach. The rocky shore of Rome Point became slightly sandier, and I found a small pond and marsh covered in dune grass and bright purple thistles in bloom!

When I was a kid I always confused thistles and clovers. They're both little fireworks of purple wildflower, but now I can easily tell the difference.  Some of these thistles were up to my waist in height, and as the sun sank lower I saw my shot approaching!

I love shooting into the sun. The warm backlight of golden hour gives an aesthetic like no other!  Technically it can be difficult to get a proper exposure.  Depending on the strength of the lighting, sometimes Matrix Metering and Aperture Priority with a slight bump down in my Exposure Compensation does the trick.  Other times I have to Spot Meter in Manual, or keep my Aperture Priority with up to -1 Exposure Compensation. The goal is to expose for the subject and get just a little bit of tone in those highlights, but sometimes you just have to let the highlights go and some of the sky will blow out.  I like a brighter look and feel anyway.

I didn't walk away when I was done photographing the thistles. I had also brought my tripod, and setup in the dusk light for some abstracts. The pond I was standing at had a tidal inlet where the bay water flowed in and out. I could stand on one bank and face the bay, and still see some dune grass on the opposite bank. Compared to all my previous abstracts, this meant I had something green to photograph! I started playing and the pop of color was terrific!  Now I was done for the day.
See more in the Image Library under Nature & Wildlife, and the Abstracts Gallery



SaveSave


Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Photography Journal

Warm Getaways
Warm Getaways

February 10, 2020

I had been eagerly awaiting this winter season.  Here in New England, the winter months can be rather frigid, but for those of us who don’t mind the exhaustive work of climbing into 6 mil wetsuits or ice-cream-headache cold waters, it’s the eagerly anticipated winter months that bring the biggest swells.  We had snow before the New Year and water temps quickly started approaching 40°F.  But in typical fashion, as soon as the long awaited winter months arrived, I was craving a break from the cold gray in favor of a warm water reprieve.  

Read More

Board Portraits // Experiments
Board Portraits // Experiments

April 30, 2019

I've been wanting to shoot more portraits lately, but in combination with the surf community that I've been so involved with the past year.  My good friend, Kevin Tanner, behind Soudnings Surf Co creates some gorgeous handcrafted boards.  He does all his own shaping, resin work, and glassing, and I wanted to photograph some beautiful boards to highlight his craftsmanship as well as portraits of my friends who ride them.  I decided to do board portraits. 

Read More

Snowy Surf Sessions
Snowy Surf Sessions

March 26, 2019

A lot of us enjoy the warm weather, but a select few of us still enjoy (or perhaps tolerate) the cold weather.  And nothing quite says winter like a fresh snowfall!  On the rare occasion Rhode Island experiences more than one inch of snow while there's swell in the water, you can find a select few of dedicated riders on the shore eager to have a snow session.  

Read More