Monthly Archives: August 2013

Gray’s Beach – Bass Hole Boardwalk

As a follow up to my last post, I want to share a little more about Gray’s Beach in Yarmouth Port, MA.  I have been visiting this spot ever since my parents purchased a condo, just 5 minutes down the road from there, a few years ago.

There are nicer beaches in the area for swimming and sunbathing, but none have the photo opportunities that Gray’s Beach hold.   Everywhere you look is another perfect “Cape Cod View”.  I won’t go into much detail now, but I have many images over the years that should explain what I mean.  I will be posting my favorites in the next few posts.

 

The Bass Hole Boardwalk

The signature photo-op of this bayside beach is the boardwalk that extends out over the surrounding salt marsh.  If you go into any nature artist’s gallery in Cape Cod, you will more than likely find a painting or a photograph of this seemingly endless structure.This is my favorite image of the boardwalk.  It was early on a beautiful August morning.  I remember I loved the way the sun was hitting the boardwalk and making the grass glow, but in my first test shot, I could tell the contrast between the sky and shadow areas was too high.  Luckily, HDR exists to help deal with such problems.  I set up my camera to bracket +-2 stops and fired off a few sets.  Once I found the composition I liked the most, I processed the three images in Photomatix and made further edits in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Color Efex Pro until I was happy with the final image.

Bass Hole Boardwalk

 

Cape Cod Vacation 2013

I don’t know how many times I have vacationed in Cape Cod, but it’s a lot, and minus the sometimes awful traffic, it’s always a great trip!  I needed to get away, but my budget wasn’t going to allow for much this year.  A relaxing trip to my parents’ condo in Dennis fit my needs perfectly!

The one photo treat I planned for myself was a whale watch. I had never been before, so I didn’t know quite what to expect.  It turned out to be a perfect day out on the water!  The number of whales I saw wasn’t anything to write home about, but one in particular female resurfaced over and over allowing me, and all the other camera toting passengers, to have many attempts at capturing the massively sized mammal in her own environment. This photo is one of my favorites from the trip.  The boat ads a little perspective to the size of the whale, while the fishermen’s lack of response shows just how common this occurrence is.  I still think I would be freaked out being in such a small boat compared to the whale, even if I was out there every day!Cape Cod Vacation 2013 - Whale Watch

 

Gray’s Beach Before Sunrise

The entire week was extremely hot and humid, so I didn’t have too much desire to do any photographing other than the whale watch.  I spent the days at the beach and the nights relaxing.  I went out one morning very early; about thirty minutes before sunrise and the impending ninety degree heat.  I headed to one of my favorite spots near my parents’ place that always yields nice images…

I have to admit, I intended to stay longer and wait for sunrise, but the bugs were overwhelming that morning and after ten minutes of shooting in the predawn light, I couldn’t take it anymore. I packed up and headed for another location.  This is my favorite from that mini session and my repayment for dealing with the pesky flies as long as I did!

Gray's Beach Before Sunrise