While in California, I headed to some of my favorite spots to take pictures. It’s crazy what a difference a year can make. For example, this image was taken at the same exact spot but a year before.
There are a few key differences that have made this year’s image better than the last, in my opinion.
1. Last year’s image was taken around sunset which was at that time was low tide. There wasn’t as much water to fill the frame and I needed to have that bird walk by to have something of interest in the frame. The water itself is far less dramatic and I don’t know… it’s just not what I was looking for this year.
This year’s image was taken at sunrise during high tide and there was far more water to “play” with.
2. Last year I remember wanting to squat down a lot in order to capture the reflection in this image. Low tide is the best time to capture reflections in the sand but that could have been better too. I don’t think I used a tripod for that image.
3. The lens choice! I know I got my 70-200mm later on in 2018 but wow, the compression on this years image is so much more interesting to look at. I love seeing the water swirl between the pier’s legs. But that my eye immediately goes to the far back with that one wave. Love the color tones in that one. I captured this with my tripod and we both got our legs soaked. My legs and the tripods but it was so worth it.
So what do you think? Which image do you like better? They both tell different stories, but I enjoy this year’s a lot more.
My camera settings for this year’s image is F20 at 0.6 sec ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm on a tripod.