All 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
Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area
Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area is part of the Monmouth County Park System and, according to their website, is "the last undeveloped tract on the Manasquan Inlet." It is a place that has been on my radar for a while and I have spend a lot of time on Google Maps/Google Earth exploring the area. I suspect it is rather crowded during the summer, as are most places along the Jersey Shore are, so I had set my sights on an autumn visit that never happened. Last week I had "one of those days" at work and for my own sanity I packed up my gear, heading out to chase a sunset. Having checked the forecast and ClearOutside, then checking the location of the sun with SunCalc (see my review - here) I decided on Fisherman's Cove. I gave myself about a 50/50 chance of having good sunset conditions but any time out with a camera is a good time so off I went. The sun was setting at 5:49 PM and I didn't arrive until shortly after 5:30 PM, usually I like to arrive at least 45 minutes to an hour early, especially when I am somewhere new. My Google Maps scouting time proved to be very useful as I already had my composition worked out before I even left the house. I set up and within a few minutes of arrival I had some test shots done and I was ready for the show to begin. The images presented here are shown in the order they were made. Once I had Shot #1 in the bag I moved to my left a bit to see if that was a better composition - I wanted to take advantage of the curve in the beach and wasn't able to from my first position. The move proved to be just what I needed! While I like the first composition I feel the second to be considerably stronger. That's not to say there isn't room for a change - a lower perspective might be nice and moving more to the left and closer to the bench could get more of the curve of the beach. The more I look at what I captured, the more possibilities I come up with. I definitely need to go back a few more times before the crowds come. If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!
Technical information:
* Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
* Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
* Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
* ISO 100
* All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
* Exposure and focus were "manual"*
* Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
Note: I noted that my focusing and exposures were "manual" and here's why. When shooting a sunset (or sunrise) exposure can get a bit tricky at times and the meter may not give you the results you are looking for. In these cases I will use the histogram and the preview on the back screen as a guide. I have to be careful with shadows and take that into account with my exposure. Using manual focus is mostly for convenience. Since I am shooting a (mainly) static landscape once I set focus there is no need to change. Under most circumstances I will shoot using Aperture-priority and auto-focus.
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