Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda

 Bermuda, Travel  5 Responses »
May 082012
 

This morning marked trip number 5 down to Horseshoe Bay for the sunrise and today, it paid off. Admittedly the photo I was picturing did not involve the top of the cliff as the foreground. However, after firing off a few shots with my 24-70mm lens, composed as planned, I broke out my favorite lens – the 14mm prime. Going that wide required that I include a nearby foreground and I’m glad I did. I’m happy with a number of shots from this morning that I’ll release over the next few days, but I think this is my favorite.

I’ve started enjoying going down to horseshoe before sunrise. It’s surprisingly active with people walking and jogging for exercise and surprising a number of brave individuals wading out into the chilly waters. Everyone down there is just friendly and happy. It’s pretty nice. I think I’ll keep going down to horseshoe a couple days a month for sunrise shots, it’s a big beach after all. I think I’ll sleep in tomorrow though.

Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda showing the cliff tops, pink sand, and golden sunrise reflecting on the turquoise water.

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Boulders Bay, Simons Town, South Africa

 Africa, South Africa, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 222012
 

After climbing over and crawling under the large boulders here I began my walk back to the entrance. On the way I made sure to get a few shots of the surreal beachfront scenery and Boulder Bay. This shot is a combination of 7 exposures, first aligned in Photoshop and then merged into one image in Photomatix before returning to Photoshop for last touches.

Surreal beachfront scenery at Boulder Bay, Simons Town, South Africa

JANIE4JASON

 Bermuda, Travel  4 Responses »
Apr 162012
 

If you’re watching the sunset on the South Shore of Bermuda it’s worth turning around and looking towards the East. As the sun dips below the horizon it’s pretty common for a pink band to appear on the opposite horizon that gradually moves up into the sky until it dissolves into the deepening blue sky. This photo was taken just as this pink band started it’s march upward.

When I was working this photo up in Photomatix I clicked on the rocks for a close up to check on the detail. I was surprised the discover that right where I clicked, perfectly centered in the preview square, was etched JANIE4JASON.

Rocky cove beach in Bermuda with pink sand and turquoise ocean with pink sunset sky.

 

Chaplain Bay, Bermuda

 Bermuda, Travel  1 Response »
Mar 212012
 

This is an early evening shot at Chaplain Bay, Bermuda. Normally these rocks would be covered by sand, which has been removed through the winter. In a few months they’ll probably be covered up again. In taking this photo I misjudged a wave and got pretty wet. I’d been sitting in the sand with my tripod in front of me. There was a little trench in the sand between me and the rock which was absorbing most of the wave action. Fortunately my camera was far enough off the ground to be safe.

Early evening winter shot at Chaplain Bay, Bermuda when the rocks on the beach are uncovered and turquoise ocean.

Twilight Tracks

 Bermuda, Travel  7 Responses »
Mar 182012
 

The morning after daylight savings time is pretty horrible. Getting up in the dark again so soon after we’d moved into light mornings. The upside though, for me, is the evening. It’s now staying light long enough for me to finish work and head out to catch the sunset. I set off with beautiful blue skies, so decided to walk the South Shore beaches. My Dad decided to join me. Shortly after we parked the car we came across a lady who said she’d just seen whales jumping. I began setting up for a photo and my Dad took off in search of high ground to see if there really were any whales about. As a result,we didn’t see each other again for at least an hour.

I came upon this viewpoint when the sun was still hovering just above the bushes to the right. I decided it would make a good spot for a photo later and moved on. Soon after I got a call from my Dad asking where I was. We met up and I brought him back to the spot I’d found. He then pointed out that this is the beach we used to come to when I was a kid and we used to climb up to this viewpoint a lot.

Footprints in the pink sand of a Bermuda cove beach between the rocks with turquoise ocean and orange sunset.

 

Jobson’s Cove, Bermuda

 Bermuda, Travel  2 Responses »
Mar 142012
 

I still haven’t adjusted to this getting up an hour earlier for daylight savings thing. But, I’m liking it as I now have a couple of hours of light to take photos after work. This was taken on Monday evening at the beginning of my walk from Warwick Long Bay to Horseshoe. This is a little bay that used to be on a lot of post cards in Bermuda, taken from pretty much this exact angle to be honest. I doubt many tourists are finding it at the moment as the bulk of our visitors come by cruise ship and go with the flock to Horseshoe Bay, which is a beautiful beach, but it’s walking distance to bays like this that you can pretty much have to yourself.

I’ve decided I need to make a point of climbing the stairs dug into the cliff to the right. I don’t think I ever have.

Stone Hole Bay, Bermuda, a cove beach with turquoise ocean and a set of stairs carved into the cliff.

 

Boulders Beach Boulders

 Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, Travel  No Responses »
Feb 012012
 

Without a doubt, the main attraction at Boulders Beach is the penguins, which, with a little effort, you can get very close to. Also, If you’re willing to brave the cold water (5 people who’d just completed two overnight flights were not), you can actually swim with the penguins here. Searching for penguins is great fun. However, the beach itself would likely be an attraction in its own right.

The beach is walking distance from the Simon’s Town train station and it’s called Boulders Beach for a reason. It is comprised of inlets in amongst these piles of granite boulders. I’m not sure how these boulders formed, but it makes for an interesting scene – added to by the fact that the tides have created stripes on the boulders. The water is crystal clear and with a bit of luck penguins can be seen swimming about. It’s worth spending some time lounging around here.

I had spotted the interesting clouds in the background of today’s photo coming across the sky and set about finding something to put in front of them. A lot of my photos, particularly in places I know well, like Bermuda,  are the result of seeing something developing in the sky and finding a location to act as my foreground. If I’m heading out in Bermuda I’ll often look at the sky and make a split decision on where to head rather than thinking of what I want to photograph. The approach may be a little backwards, but it works when you’ve got options in all directions, within 15 minutes drive. I wonder how many more photographers regularly let the sky dictate the location they choose to shoot. Feel free to let me know what you think about this in the comments.

Ocean inlet in amongst piles of granite boulders in Boulders Bay, Simons Town, South Africa

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