sunlight – Page 4 – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Sunrise Texture Series 4

a paradox

March 3, 2020February 18, 2020 MichaelStephenWills9 Comments

Thirty three seconds pass from Series 3, the high clouds shine less bright, the sun disk now blocked by those clouds on the horizon, the rising sun brings darkness yet a first hint of sunburst.

Seemingly, the first image foam-wave swath will erase the mirror.

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Exposure: 1/400 sec at f / 5.0, Focal Length: 24 mm, ISO 250

Fifty seconds later, instead of erasure the new water brings clarity.

Six minutes, 39 seconds elapsed from the first images of this series.

A slide show of these images. Suggestion, for this series in a larger format, open a separate browser tab for each post. At series end you will then have eight (including the very first post a few weeks ago) landscapes to compare.

Want to see more? Visit this series on Getty IStock.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Sunrise Texture Series 3

Gathering Light

March 2, 2020February 18, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

You will notice the sky changing, compared to the first set published here , Almost 6 minutes have passed, 4 minutes from the last image from Sunrise Texture Series 2. From behind the horizon, the first rays of sunlight catch the sky undersides. Unseen. the sun disk broaches the horizon.

Working fast, I used the dial to change from aperture-priority to shutter-priority with settings saved from the last use. In this way the duration is only twelve seconds between shots. The sun disk is near to/passed the horizon hidden behind those distant clouds.

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Breaking of a small wave.

Exposure: 1/15 sec at f / 22, Focal Length: 24 mm, ISO 250

Want to see more? Visit this series on Getty IStock.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Sunrise Texture Series 2

Time measured by the waves

March 1, 2020February 14, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

Twelve minutes, fifty four seconds separate the first and list images of this series of 16 images, starting with the first set published here fourteen days ago.

Almost a minute, fifty two seconds, separates the images of this post, enough time for a wave to sweep over a boss of sand, forming a mirror, and to start a return flow to the sea.

Happy turning of February to March.

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Exposure: 1/250 sec at f / 4.0, Focal Length: 24 mm, ISO 125

A sand boss held water briefly each cycle to form a mirror.

A slide show of these images.

Want to see more? Visit this series on Getty IStock.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Sunrise Texture Series 1

A constant is change.

February 29, 2020February 18, 2020 MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

Heraclitus, sometime between his beginning and end, 535 – 475 B.C., wrote “No man steps into the same river twice.” The flow of these images is more changeable, ebbing and flowing with each wave.

My habit is to time early morning walks by sunrise, stepping onto the beach well before dawn to enjoy the encounter. First days of January 2020 were notably clear and warm. Then over several days the wind rose, on the 9th were these clouds,

High tide passed a few minutes before, for whatever reason there were hollows filled with the stronger waves, the water pooling to flow back as is seen here. The pattern of sand hollows across the beach was lost across the hours and tides, not to return during our time at the beach.

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A sand boss held water briefly each cycle to form a mirror.

A sand boss held water briefly each cycle to form a mirror. In the small ripples in the return stream rising against the waves of the return flow can be seen the strong, steady southeast wind of that day.

Exposure: 1/10 sec at f / 22, Focal Length: 24 mm, ISO 125

A slide show of these images. Use is to compare the effect of longer vs shorter exposure time and f-stop.

Want to see more? Visit this series on Getty IStock.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Sunrise Series to come

….anatomy of coming light.

February 16, 2020February 10, 2020 MichaelStephenWills16 Comments

Sunrise for Florida, January, is roughly a quarter past 7 am. Most mornings this year I was on the beach for a morning, pre-dawn, walk camera in hand. This day, the 9th, the clouds were promising, no to heavy on the horizon and scattered, cumulus clouds otherwise. For the promise I brought the full frame Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, Canon lens 24 mm f/1.4L II USM fitted with a graduated .6 ND filter sitting on top of a Manfrotto BeFree Carbon fiber tripod.

A graduated neutral density filter has a portion shaded with gray to produce a “2 stop” difference in exposure between the darkest shade and clear glass with, between, a gradual feathered reduction in shade. In this way, the dark foreground and bright sky are balanced.

A carbon fiber tripod folds into a compact shape. At about 2.5 pounds it fits into a suitcase with the least weight possible for a reasonably stable platform. Using it, I am able to take a sequence of frames of the identical scene, changing camera settings as I go along.

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Exposure: 1/6 sec at f / 22, Focal Length: 24 mm, ISO 125

Sunlight, low in the western sky, was perfect for mirror-like reflections in the retreating surf.

In a few weeks, after the “Slievenaglogh View” series now underway, I will present a week of these images moving from pre-dawn to sunrise.

A slide show of these images. Use is to compare the effect of longer vs shorter exposure time and f-stop.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Soft on Rough

Dusted with light

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

Snow clings to the rough tree bark surface graced by late afternoon vernal sunshine.

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These shots were hand held. I used a Sony Alpha 700 dslr with a variable “zoom” lens, great for framing compositions.

Robert H. Treman New York State Park.

Click for macro slideshow.

Fern Frond with Early April Snow — Late April Snow dusted with light

Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Tenacity

The tenacity of Ironweed resonates with the human spirit.

December 9, 2019November 22, 2019 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

A lone sprig of Ironweed hangs on from a cliff edge moss carpet off the South Rim Trail, Taughannock Falls New York State Park, Finger Lakes Region.

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Ironweed Gallery from this hike

Long Shadows

Northern Latitude

December 5, 2019November 22, 2019 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

Early November on Gorge Road, Finger Lakes Region, New York State. At this month and latitude (42 north) there are long shadows throughout the day. The South Rim Trail of Taughannock Falls State Park briefly emerges from the wooded cliff to this portion of the road that parallels the gorge, descending to Cayuga Lake shores.

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Three Views

Oak and Hemlock — Distant View with Hemlock

Pure Nature

Bird’s Eye View

December 4, 2019November 22, 2019 MichaelStephenWills22 Comments

Early November trees, Taughannock Gorge, Finger Lakes Region, New York State walking the South Rim Trail we are among the upper reaches of trees clinging to the steep gorge walls.

Happy Birthday to my dear wife Pam.

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Two Views

Distant View

December 3, 2019November 22, 2019 MichaelStephenWills12 Comments

I am fascinated by this vantage from the South Rim trail. It is possible because the gorge bends almost 90 degrees, the gorge walls fall away to reveal the 215 foot waterfall.