Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond
The third time’s the charm, right?
On a recent trip to Great Island Commons in New Castle, NH to photograph sunrise I came across this composition and knew the photo I wanted to make. The barnacle and seaweed covered rocks made a great foreground element, the points of rock on either side lead the way to Whaleback Lighthouse beyond made nice leading lines, the water is given a nice, ghostly appearance and the clouds convey their motion by the 30 second exposure. All I needed was the sun to make it over the horizon in time. The incoming weather front foiled my plans and the tiny hint of color silhouetting the lighthouse was the only “sunrise” I saw.
If at first you don’t succeed…
Attempt #2, foiled again!
Try, try again.
Attempt #3, I didn’t even try, but since I was there…
The black and white really expressed the mood and feel of the scene that day.
Sucker for punishment.
Did I mention it was very windy and very cold on all three attempts? Winter on the New Hampshire coast is a great place to photograph, as long as you don’t mind a little wind and cold. Of course I’m going to try again 
File this post under persistence!
Beyond words….the very first Pic…..great capture, perfect setting….nothing can be better than this pic
January 19, 2013 at 10:54 am
Thank you very much.
January 19, 2013 at 11:19 am
I love them all, but I love the mood of the third one especially. The first thing that came to my mind was what a great cover it would make for a mystery novel! By the way, you missed the mystery photo silly
.
January 19, 2013 at 11:19 am
Yes I did. I saw it on my iPhone, meant to get a better look when I got home, then my mother arrived for a weekend visit, and them promptly forgot about it
January 19, 2013 at 11:21 am
Oh well, there’s always next week
.
January 19, 2013 at 11:33 am
Why are you whining? Great art requires suffering!!!
January 19, 2013 at 11:35 am
Fabulous Jeff. Magical colours!
January 19, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Thanks Jude!
January 19, 2013 at 4:36 pm
And these are your rejects??? Can’t wait to see that perfect shot
January 19, 2013 at 2:06 pm
I don’t know that I would call them “rejects,” but neither of the first two are the photos I want either. The lone tree image I am very happy with, which totally prevented my third attempt at a sunrise with the composition in the first photo from being a total loss.
To be honest though, if I had gotten the sunrise I had hoped for I’d still want to go back and do it better
January 19, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Absolutely amazing!
January 19, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Thank you!
January 19, 2013 at 4:53 pm
i am with Madhu on wondering what the non rejects are like Jeff
January 19, 2013 at 5:29 pm
Thank you Jo, but I’m still waiting for the right sky for the “non rejects” to be made. I was betting on the sun to create an under-glow similar to this one, http://jeffsinonphotography.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/a-few-key-words-about-keywords/sunrise-fire-over-baxter-lake-2/ Unfortunately the clouds reached the horizon before the sun did.
Yes, I can be very picky when I have a shot in mind that I want to make.
January 19, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Jeff,
Even though its not what you wanted the B&W is a great shot!
January 19, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Thanks Scott, I won’t disagree with you. I was very pleased with how that one came out. Now if only the sky would cooperate!
January 20, 2013 at 7:25 pm
A bad day shooting is still better than a good day in the office! The B&W is awesome!
January 19, 2013 at 9:32 pm
Thanks Karina! How very true.
January 20, 2013 at 7:25 pm
so beautiful.. all of them,but i love the last one
January 19, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Thank you, it is my favorite of the three as well. At least until I finally get the sky I want at sunrise that is
January 20, 2013 at 7:28 pm
sometimes the changes are quicker than the plans – and what you get can sometimes be more evocative than what you were looking for. seems to hold true for all three images. thanks for sharing!
January 20, 2013 at 12:26 am
Very true. And since I gamble on the weather a lot, knowing that if the conditions are just right I can get dramatic results. Often though, I come home empty handed.
January 20, 2013 at 7:57 pm
The sunlight at the horizon is perfect.
January 20, 2013 at 2:59 am
Thank you Valentina. Call me a perfectionist, but it isn’t “perfect” enough for me. Once I get a photograph in my head, I’ll keep trying until I get it. It took me four years to get the photo I wanted of sunrise over the lake I live on. Now that I’ve found the composition in the first photo, I will continue to return, as many times as it takes, until I get the sky I want.
January 20, 2013 at 8:01 pm
Persistence will pay.
January 20, 2013 at 8:50 pm
no limits just perfect as usual
January 20, 2013 at 9:35 am
Yassmin, I can always count on you for a little ego boost, thank you!
January 20, 2013 at 8:02 pm
I just love your captures
January 20, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Is that a lighthouse in the distance? I hear they have some of those up your way. We don’t have any in Missouri, just a lot of hills.
Of course, I’m kidding. Nice pics. I like the B&W also.
And feel free to drop by and check out my interpretation of Beyond, although it’s nothing as dramatic as your pics. “Peek-a-Boo” may be found at http://fstopfantasy.wordpress.com/
January 20, 2013 at 10:46 am
Thanks Cris, we do have several lighthouses kicking around, that’s for sure. And thanks for the invite, I will certainly stop by.
January 20, 2013 at 8:04 pm
These are absolutely gorgeous….I am going to have to hop over to Newcastle soon. I often photograph from the bridges in Portsmouth and crossing over to Maine, but have not thought to head that way.
January 20, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Most definitely! Great Island Common, Ft. Stark, and the Portsmouth Harbor Light on the Coast Guard station are all worth the trip. Well, I can say Great Island Common and Ft. Stark are, I STILL haven’t made it to the Lighthouse, even though I have to drive right by the Coast Guard station on the way to the other two.
January 20, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Ah, the frustrations of a photographer! Love the BW image. Good capture!
January 20, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Thanks Rick. It’s always nice when I can “salvage” an effort when the weather isn’t cooperative.
January 21, 2013 at 6:22 am
Persistence is what makes a great photographer.
January 21, 2013 at 10:28 am
You know it Jeff! And it’s a never ending challenge too. As soon as I get the photo I want, I start thinking of ways to do it even better. It never ends
January 21, 2013 at 6:52 pm
I’ve learned quickly that photography won’t be any fun if you can’t endure a shoot that doesn’t live up to expectations. Especially with nature. I think, though, you walked away with some good stuff. Especially that B&W…that one is awesome.
January 23, 2013 at 10:34 pm
Thanks again Brandon. You are so very right. If you can’t deal with rejection, nature-wildlife-landscape photography is definitely not for you
I do think these came out pretty good if Ido say so myself, but there’s always just that brief moment of disappointment when I don’t get what I’m hoping for that can color my perception of the photos I did get. It’s that “disappointment” that keeps the fire burning, and keeps me wanting to go back until I do get what I want.
January 24, 2013 at 7:03 am
I love the detail of the barnacles and seaweed on the rocks. How the fog rolls into the crevices and softens the edges. I think I see what you mean by the color of the sky. If there was just a bit more orange/gold to balance the color of the barnacles…that would be magic. Is that what you’re imagining?
January 25, 2013 at 8:23 am
Exactly! Something along the lines of this,http://www.jeffsinon.com/Landscapes/Land-and-Sea/15237369_cwMT2k/1992609767_fMt3gZ4
Or this, http://www.jeffsinon.com/Landscapes/Land-and-Sea/15237369_cwMT2k/1505142322_8qK6qcF
And that’s not fog in among the rocks, that’s the water. That look is created by using a long exposure. The same as any of my waterfall photographs.
January 25, 2013 at 12:55 pm
I really like the first shot. The colors and the composition are beautiful, who cares if the sun didn’t show up. Still, persistence is basically the only way to get “that” shot we’re always looking for, so better luck next time!
February 4, 2013 at 6:17 am
Thanks Belen. You know, even if it had been exactly what I was hoping for that morning, as soon as I was done editing the photo I’d be thinking of how I can make it better next time.
February 4, 2013 at 8:35 pm