Just in Time: Rocky Neck

I see several students for a variety of private instruction needs, including one student who is located in Niantic. Out of all my visits to see her, I often have driven by the signs for Rocky Neck State Park and wondered if I'd ever have the time to shoot there.  

Well, one evening with a scheduled appointment with my Niantic student I left a half hour earlier than usual anticipating a stop at Rocky Neck for a quick shoot.  Of course, of all days, 95 South was experiencing some abysmal traffic, probably due to an accident, and after finding myself in a highway standstill for twenty minutes I ditched the express route and carved my way through Westerly using local roads.  I arrived in Niantic about 15 minutes before our appointment and half an hour later than I had wanted to due to that traffic, but I knew I had just enough time to run down to the beach and photograph the brilliant fiery colors that were blossoming in the late afternoon sky.  I just had to hurry.

I drove through the park following signs for the beach, and finally I reached the end of the drive where a parking lot sat next to a beach pavilion.  I grabbed my equipment and I found myself praying, again, to the photography gods to just wait a minute or two longer, just hold that light for me, please!  I scurried across the pavilion and down a foot path, shuffling along the icy walkway in an effort to stop myself from falling flat on my face.  

I could see sand and the beach!  Several more yards and there was the water's edge.  The light just to the west of me was becoming more brilliant as low lying clouds moved in, a seascape blessing!  I set up my tripod, made my composition, put on my B+W #110 filter, and snapped away.  I looked eastward and saw a beautiful purple overhang of clouds sitting above Niantic, and snapped two more.  Then I turned back to my original composition and not taking the time to remove my filters and recompose, I shot blindly as the sun sank and the clouds lit up.  I walked away with less than 10 frames but it was all worth it, as usual!

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