I have not shot in a couple days and was pretty bummed out about it. After being a little sick and it raining for the last couple days, it was nice to grab a couple shots tonight. There was a cloud that was blowing up with lightning. I was able to grab a decent shot. I really like the lens flair and the starburst from the lights.
Woke up pre-dawn to get all set up to catch the sunset at the pier from this really cool place we had found that gives you a nice video of the beach, pier and ocean. This was the morning, you could tell by the cloud pattern already in the sky. As the sun started to come up it broke trough the clouds on the horizon along the colors and light to shine through. I waited to for the perfect moment to grab the shot.
I was looking for then ran to the beach were i saw people had left their beach chairs set up for the next day’s beach going. I thought it would be a cool shot to see all the texture in the clouds with the pier but light up the chairs so i ran back to the truck to grab the flashes. I grabbed a couple shots. I couldn’t take it anymore by that point, so i called my photo session to an end, went back to the truck again and switched out my camera for my surfboard.
It turned out to be one of my best surf sessions in a hong time. Kyle was out paddling already with only 2 other guys out, it made for an amazing morning session. The waves were waist-head high and glassy. I rode a 6’4 fish and scored a bunch of fun rights and a couple lefts that came through. Ryan was out shooting and grabbed a couple shots for me.
Last night was REAL Watersports’ 7th anniversary party. To say the least it was a blast. The whole company looked great all dressed up for a change. Dub Island played on the boat on the way to dinner. The rest is better left unmentioned.
The surf today was extremely fun. It was chest high and pretty clean. I headed out for a paddle during lunch and Chris Stephany snapped a couple pics. Most of the crew and just about every other surfer on the east coast was out in the lineup. I was still able to grab a couple fun rides. The forcast for the waves looks good for the rest of the week, while the wind forecast looks dismal at best.
We were lucky enough to witness an early classic Fall Cape Hatteras Sunset last night. The sunsets really go off when the cumulus clouds start to form, which really doesn’t happen here until the fall when we start to get the NE winds. However, with Fay down sound the wind pattern has changed and allowed for E, ENE wind to blow here for the last three day causing these clouds to form. Here are a couple photos from the sunset:
The wind has been blowing a meager 16 knots all day. I decided to head out during my lunch break to go for a kite session. This would also mean that i would have to pump up my largest kite the 16m Havoc if I was so determined to take a session. I arrived at the beach and there looked like a couple fun waves out there; along with he fact that I had taken only one other kite session in the last two weeks it was time to start pumping. The wind was about 16 knots dead on shore (east) with waves knee to waits high. I was also able to convince Chris again to come take some pictures. Here are a couple of shots he was able to get.
After what seemed like eternity (2-3 weeks) the wind showed its face. It became strong enough for use to ride. A crew of use took a session last night from S-Turns to Laughing Gull. It was a blast everyone was beyond excited to have gotten back on the water. The downwinder crew consisted of: Dave Lewis, Chucky, Jessie, Brandon, Trevor, Darlene, Joe Joe and Neilio. I rode a 12m Havoc on my JL Chamber. The wind was ENE at 18knots with knee to waist high waves; it is a rare but very fun direction for wave riding.
I took a quick session during lunch. The wind was a bit light with the E wind and all the current. Chris Stephany was still able to snag a shot the only wave of my 5 minute session.
The Trampoline Shoot
I headed over to Scotty’s house to shoot and play on the tramp. I really wanted to try and dial in shooting action at night with the remote flashes so i figured there would be no better way. Brandon, lulu, kyle, Jimmy and neil came out and we all took turn jumping and trying new trick on the tramp. It was a fun experiment, which worked out rather well. Here are a couple photos from that night:
Chris Stucky’s going away party was a blast. I got the camera out to take a group shot before everyone left for the summer. I also was able to grab a couple other portrait shots. Here are a couple of the shots.
I finally was able to create my first HDR image. What is HDR you ask? HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. This technique takes multiple exposures of a single image and joins them together into one image that has a “perfect” exposure. I have been looking at photos like these for some time now and finally decided to give it a go.
I was pretty excited on how the first image came out. It has a very cool look to it, but it defiantly changes the feel of the image. But because of the angle of the sun to the bushes on the horizon there would have been no way to get a decently exposed shot here.
