Fence Stormed
This view is from Trafalgar Park looking at SE corner of Harling Point across a small bay in front of what we call Pebble Beach. These views have been featured in this blog in the past but in markedly different conditions – it is a pretty spectacular difference with the view in my Pebble Beach post from mid-October. This view is from the middle of last weekend’s storm. On the rocks in the distance can be seen a post and part of a fence. The fence is one that I have previously featured – it was a heavily weathered redcedar structure that was slowly blending into the rocks in its lichen covered state. Unfortunately the wind has taken it out. I heard last week that the property that this fence belongs to is now being considered for redevelopment, so I expect that it won’t be replaced for a while, and when it is, it will be something quite different.
I am glad that I took fence photographs in mid-December as it has been a feature of this location for decades. I had planned to take more, but that seems unlikely now. Anyway, click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph and compare the before and after – from tranquil serenity to searing wind.
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Canon EOS 5Dii, Canon 50mm/f1.4 lens, ISO1oo. ND filter. Top f20, 20 seconds, filter set at ca 6-7 f-stop density. Bottom f8, 1/8 second, filter set at ca 2-3 f-stop density.
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burnt embers 
I think the landscape is in for a big improvement once the fence is gone. Again, striking photos from a great perspective.
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Thanks Ken – I agree that no fence would be an improvement, a big one. However, I suspect that the kind of house that will be built here will be accompanied by some major structure – at best a stone wall not too high, at worst a stone or concrete wall at maximum allowable height (6 feet), or some kind of shiny modern thing at odds with the surroundings. At least the wood was beginning to blend in.
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The second one is my favourite, love the warm greens and browns, contrasting with the icy blues and grey. Looks like quite a scary place to be when the sea is that rough – bet you had to clean your lens!
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Hi Malcolm – thanks for coming by and commenting. I *was* wiping my lens a lot – at this angle every three shots or so, some angles after every shot (long exposures gather lots of stuff on the lens filter).
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Those seas look mighty violent! What a crazy storm, I’m glad to see you somehow managed to stay tethered to Terra Firma and were able to return with these jaw-droppingly awesome shots!
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Hi Toad, thanks so much for your comment and your concern. It was wild. Even though my toque went sailing and my glasses were torn off my face, my feet stayed on the ground. I remained well away from the water’s edge though – every now and then there was an unexpectedly major incursion of water onto what I think of as dry land.
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Very nice!
I was going to ask about a faster shutter speed–to better capture the power of the storm–but I saw in the response to a previous comment that you’d encountered a technical glitch. The long exposure is highly evocative in its own right. Well done.
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Hi Kerry – thanks for your comment. I have one or two shots from faster shutter speeds that sort of worked out and will post one in the next few days. Also, if you look at my earlier post from a different storm in the fall, you will see some faster exposures that also work quite well.
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You already know that I’m in love with your photos, this one included.
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Oh Background! Reciprocal love is so satisfying 🙂 Now if only I could write like you (plural?) do.
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Your photos already speak a thousand (or more) words so I guess we can say that you’re already writing poetry. 🙂
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Nicely done Ehpem! I like the look of the stormy seas in the second photo. It really shows life and power!
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Thank you David. I should have shot more at faster shutter speeds. Unfortunately a whole series I shot were out of focus because the end of the rainsleeve where it attaches to the filter was blocking the lens from infinity focus and I could not see well enough to notice. I can see all kinds of missed captures there – curling blue waves like something from a surfer shoot. Sadly. But, I was trying to do long exposures and mostly on those ones I got the focus right so I am not too disappointed in the day’s work.
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Sometimes that happens but I look at things this way. There will always be another storm…probably not the same conditions but a photo op none the less!
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I’m with you on that one. Winter = more storms. I should have other chances.
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Love the warm and cool tones in the last one.
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Hi Karen – the long exposure really brought those out. I had to adjust the contrast to help cut through some of the spray that was in the air which brought out the colour even more. In the end I had to desaturate the image quite a lot.
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Ehpem, your photographic prowess must have been essential when making this incredible windswept photo. Definitely a winner.
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