Sunday, March 31, 2019

Santa Monica Pier At Night

Overcoming Excuses


I almost talked myself out of taking this shot. I thought of a number of reasons why it wasn't worth the effort. 

- The sky was too dark.
- I had arrived at the location later than I had wanted to. 
- The pier was mobbed with people. 
- I wasn't sure how the moving rides would render in low light. 
- The parking lot beside the pier was cluttered and unsightly.
- The sky was cloudy and marbled with strips of light.
- I was standing on a path with a lot of pedestrian traffic.



a photo of the santa monica pier at night los angeles california




But I took the shot. I set up my tripod, framed a view that eliminated some of the clutter, focused, and bracketed five shots using some logic that I can't recall now. Then I packed up and walked around in search of a different location, somewhere I could take a "good" shoot of the pier.

The result is the image above, which currently is the most popular image on my Instagram account.

Overcome your doubts. Ignore your excuses. Get out your gear, set it up, and take the shot.


Camera: Sony a7R II

Lens:     Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.



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