The rest of the story

Following yesterday's "Attack of Mother Nature" post, I thought I'd finish the story now that I've finished processing some images and have something to actually show for my troubles. Erin and I left at 5:45 and go to Scituate by 6:30 (sunrise was at 7:10), and while it looked like sunrise would be spectacular there for a little bit, it ended only being so-so. It was not a total disappointment though, as we got to see some cool god rays (as you can see in the bottom photo) and the clouds were pretty dramatic the entire time. It actually worked out pretty well, as it didn't get too bright right around/after sunrise as it sometimes does, and we were able to keep shooting until 8:30 or so.

Erin had never been there before, so I think she was more interested in shooting the lighthouse than I was, I didn't think I'd be able to top this shot from the last trip down, so I was more interested in the waves and sky than the lighthouse itself.

The overcast sky really lent itself to some longer exposures (between 1/2 and 6 seconds at ISO 100 & F/22, without any ND filter), which is always fun, and I just had to take advantage of the scene to put my fisheye to work as well, as you can see.

The wet part of the morning came when I setup the tripod about 10 feet or so from where any waves had crashed yet, thinking I'd be safe and able to make some great images. Well, I was only half right. I got some great shots, but I was most certainly not safe (see yesterday's post). Despite my under armour cold gear and boots, my feet and toes got soaked, but I kept shooting (I think I was wet until 4 o'clock).

Erin found this entire scene highly entertaining and took advantage of it to grab some shots of me in my compromised state. I should take this opportunity to mention that Erin is most definitely bi. Now get your mind out of the gutter while I tell you that that means she shoots both Nikon and Canon. Her work gives her a D2Hs and she owns a Canon 1D Mark IIN. Both of those babies fire off frames at 8/sec. and are really made for shooting sports and wildlife, but I think she managed some cool landscape shots with them. I may have cheated Nikon a bit (don't tell my D200, it's probably already mad at me for exposing it to saltwater) and played with her Canon a bit, but I'll never switch.

For the record, despite the saltwater exposure, the D200's weather-proofing came through yet again and after I cleaned it off with a damp towel when I got home, it's as good as new. At the same time, not only do I not recommend this type of camera treatment, it's just another great reason why protective filters for your lenses are a good idea.

I'll post some more shots from yesterday as I finish them up, but I really have to process my high school hockey shots from last night as those are on deadline for this afternoon.