To night was a challenge , extreme wind , super high tide and people every were not mention boring sky's . Perfect time to make photographs and practice opening up your eyes !

These shots were taken last night at one of my favorite local spots. Great Light made for an interesting shoot. Again I can't emphasize enough " Be There ! " and bring a camera ! As I merge in to this photographic adventure I realize how little I know . This can be very humbling but also very rewarding when you learn some thing new. Composition is the key , matched with great light and and a good subject the results can be stunning . When one element is missing it shows right away to the trained eye. I am tying to train my eye , not so easy when your self taught. A good friend and professional photographer Nick Didlick spoke to me briefly about my photos and he gave me some great pointers as far as composition . I look forward to practicing the tips he shared in up coming photos . To make these shots I am shooting at low ISO and a very slow shutter speed @ F16 . To tame the contrast in one photo I use the 4 stop hard edge Grad ND filter teamed up with a Polarizor . A sturdy tripod is a must have ! Also a cable release is essential to keep your fingers off of the camera for tack sharp shots. Shots taken with Canon 40D , 17-85 mm lens @ 17 mm , Manfroto Tripod. Lots of patience !

Queen Elizabeth Park . Extreme Back light on these trees made for great light and great contrast in this B&W image.
Yesterday was a great day . Amazing late evening light at Cypress beach made for great new compositions. The challenge seems to be finding some thing new , remote looking in these easy to get to familiar places. These shots were not possible with out the ND Grad 4 stop hard edge filter. and a polarizer.
Cypress Beach.
Taken at the same time as the B&W above . Finding that key foreground anchor to lead the eyes around the image. Queen Elizabeth Park.

This shot was taken in the back yard . F16 @0.6 sec. iso 100.
I have shot this location a few times now , a very beautiful spot for sun sets and amazingly easy to get to. Finding a different view becomes the challenge . F16 @ 1.5 sec iso 100. ND Grad hard edge 4 stop filter.
In an attempt to clear my mind I went out to take some photos. Unsure were to go and struggling with time I ended up back at a very familiar location. Long story short you don't get shots sitting on the couch. f16 @ 4 sec iso 100. Grad ND Hard edge 4 stop filter.