‘Put it in Stone’ | Washington DC
In almost all the monuments in Washington are engraved quotes or writings of the memorialized individual. These are parts often ignored by the visitors. We are in awe of the exterior and the statues on the interior and it is easy to overlook the text. Inside the Jefferson Memorial, around the 19 foot tall 10,000 pound statue, are many of his famous writings including excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, letters to George Washington and portions of his autobiography. All great things to take a moment to read.
The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, tripod held. 2 blended exposures.
Lost Buoy | New Bern, NC
Recently, on a nice warm morning, I decided to take a hike through a local park. Neat clouds blowing across the sky beckoned me to walk along the river bank and shoot some big wide waterscapes. As I turned back away from the water and into the woods, a hint of red caught my eye. Walking further, I found this big, beached buoy laying in the weeds. At about six feet tall and made of steel, this sucker was heavy! I assume that it was drug up there temporarily as it seemed to be in ok condition. But, it was up a hill and quite a ways away from the water, so who knows?
I spent some time shooting around it with various set ups and settled on the 8mm Rokinon lens because of the way it made the sunflare really pop!
The shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22, ISO-100. 2 exposures, manually masked together in Photoshop.
Wet Feet | Emerald Isle, NC
This one is appropriately named ‘Wet Feet,’ because that’s exactly what I got while shooting it. I am also pretty sure this is the same wave that filled the moving parts of my tripod with saltwater and sand. It was all totally worth it though.
This was part of this evening that provided probably the best light that I’ve shot in. The late afternoon sky was deep blue with wispy clouds, the sunset too on the hues above and after the sun went down, the sky turned deep pink and red!
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The Shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, tripod held. f/22, 1/8 sec., ISO 200.
Waves in the Sand | Fort Macon, North Carolina
It’s a very foggy morning here in Eastern NC, so I thought I’d bring some clearer skies to your monitors today. This scene was shot at the end of last week at Fort Macon, NC. From late afternoon all the way through sunset; I don’t think that I’ve had the privilege to shoot in more perfect light.
This was shot with what is currently my favorite and most useful landscape lens in my bag- the 8mm Rokinon ‘fisheye.’ It’s classified as a fisheye, and rightfully so at 8mm, but there’s nothing fishy about it. At the right angle, there is little to no distortion on the edges and it is sharp as a tack. I shoot everything with it at f/16 and up and it produces the sharpest landscapes I’ve made. And at around $300, it’s an absolute steal! Keep in mind, it’s 100% manual, but it’s fun and liberating to not be tempted to fall back into what the camera thinks is best.
The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm lens, tripod held and remote fired. f/16, 1/200 sec., ISO-200. 2 exposures, manually masked in Photoshop. No color correction.
©2012 Zach Frailey
1/19 Sunset (Behind The Scenes) | Emerald Isle, North Carolina
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On Thursday (1/19) I headed over to Emerald Isle to visit with my friend and fellow photographer Brad Styron. We had some business to discuss, but more importantly, there were photos to take! We left his studio and hopped in his FJ and a minute or two later were driving down the beach. I’ve never driven over-sand, although I’ve always wanted to get the permits for my Jeep, and it was way cool! A little ways down the beach, we came to a spot where the beach erosion created ‘cliffs’ that were close to six feet high in places. This is where we set up to shoot.
In this image you can see the set up. Brad’s FJ is parked above the surf on the sand. You can see his second camera body set up in the foreground. He filmed video the entire time and came away with an amazing time-lapse video of the sunset! You can see Brad himself is shooting up against the cliff beyond the camera.
You will no doubt be seeing several more images from this sunset (one of THE BEST sunsets I’ve ever shot) in the coming days and weeks!
The Shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm fisheye lens. 2 exposures, manually blended in Photoshop.
©2012 Zach Frailey, please do not use without permission
