For a full index of posts in this series, check out the "Behind the Images" page - here. Be sure to follow the hashtag #JoeValencia_BehindTheImage on Instagram and Twitter to learn of new installments.
Manasquan Reservoir Sunset
Manasquan Reservoir is quickly becoming my go-to location for sunrise and sunset, especially around Chestnut Point. I was about 300 yards from the parking lot for this image, about a week before New Jersey starting shutting down due to COVID-19. It turns out to be the last sunset I got at the reservoir and the second to last before we completely shut down. As is usually the case, I made a last minute decision to stop at the reservoir on my way home from the office. Normally, I would not have stopped because the conditions weren't really what I look for in a sunset but we had been told earlier in the day that we could start working from home, at our discretion, and I had planned to start doing so on Monday. Once I started that, I knew I wasn't going to have much chance to get to the reservoir; as it turns out, I was right. I arrived at the park right about 5:00 PM for a 5:53 PM sunset and had a pretty good idea of where I was going to set up. Why get there an hour early? There are a number of reasons but the primary being that it gives me plenty of time to leisurely look around to find my composition. I do this even if I have been to the same location many times as there is always something different to find. When it comes to the reservoir, you may also have to show up early to find a spot. It is a rather popular location and I have seen as many as ten photographers setting up tripods. As luck would have it, there were a half-dozen cars in the lot but no other photographers so I had my pick of spots. I chose to stay at the top of the rocks, right next to the trail mainly because I didn't have a headlamp with me and the rocks can be a bit treacherous. This final composition was actually the third one that I tried that afternoon, another reason for showing up as early as I do. There was enough of a breeze to make small ripples in the water so I decided to put my 10-stop ND filter on and go for long exposures. I was also hoping that some clouds would come in to add a bit of drama to the sky. When I arrived there were almost none. I finally settled on this composition for a number of reasons. The sun was setting directly behind me which I hoped would give me some nice Golden Hour light (it didn't) and I liked this grouping of dead trees. The tree that drew my attention initially is the tall one on the left of the frame. The idea of the long exposure was to smooth out the water and get some interesting reflections of the trees and clouds. We have all heard of the "Rule of Thirds" and I'm sure you have been told to "never put the horizon in the middle of the frame." I know that I have more times that I can count. When I am shooting something like this I purposely compose the image with the horizon right in the middle of the frame; the idea is that I want to accomplish a "mirror image." I knew that was not going to happen here because of the wind but I also knew I would get some nice reflections so - middle it was. I also find it more appealing when the reflections aren't getting cut off at the bottom or the object cut off at the top. The decision to convert this to black & white was a matter of, "I wonder if this would work in black & white?" I was watching television while casually looking thru images on my tablet looking for something I could upload to Instagram the next afternoon. I had already done some preliminary editing to this image - see the color image - and, though I liked it, it didn't really captivate me. The more I worked on the monochrome, the more excited I got. Darkening the foreground and clouds gave it a moody, almost foreboding, feel to it. I cropped the image to a 5:4 (close but not exactly) ratio for make it look good for Instagram and to crop out some distracting elements in the background. The color image is the original 100% crop. I think the black & white image is a bit more powerful than the color one. Do you agree? Which do you like best? I would love to hear your thoughts - leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoyed this first installment in my Behind the Image series. Stay tuned for more.
Technical information
Exposure: 21mm - 65 seconds @ f/11 - ISO 100 - 10-stop ND filterThe black & white conversion was done with Lightroom for Mobile on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet.
- Equipment List
Canon EOS Rebel T3i body
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
Canon RS-60E3 wired remote
MeFOTO RoadTrip Classic tripod
3 Legged Thing QR11-LC Universal L-Bracket (Orange)
ICE 10-stop Neutral Density filter
Links and Further Reading
To learn more about Manasquan Reservoir, check out some of my earlier posts, Manasquan Reservoir - A Sunrise & Sunset Weekend and Parks of Monmouth County - Manasquan Reservoir and from the parks official website, Monmouth County Park System - Manasquan Reservoir The Canon EOS Rebel T3i is no longer available but the line continues with the T7i. Check it out, and the full line of Canon gear, at Canon Shop. I did reviews for the MeFOTO RoadTrip Classic on my blog and YouTube channel - Product Review: MeFOTO RoadTrip tripod and Equipment Review: MeFOTO RoadTrip, respectively. To view the entire line of MeFOTO products, check out their website - here The 3 Legged Thing universal bracket is one of the best investments I have made. Check it out - hereAll photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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