by Kerry Drager

Lots of good things were happening the other evening! That included cool-vs.-warm color contrast as well as folks enjoying the coastal drama AND stopping in the best spot for my photo! 🙂 This image, by the way, is the latest in my “figures in the scenery” series in which people (or animals) serve as design elements, rather than identifiable subjects.

Details for Above Photo: Photographed at Moonstone Beach, a part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, California Central Coast. Nikon D4. F/8 @ 1/8th second. 400 ISO. 24-85mm zoom lens. Tripod.

By the Way: The camera settings were no accident. I chose a high ISO and a middle aperture, which resulted in a 1/8th second shutter speed. Now, that’s certainly not a super-fast exposure by any means, but it was fast enough to “freeze” distant people standing and gazing at the sunset. I shot a number of extra images for “insurance” purposes — to ensure subject sharpness and to also make sure I caught them in good body positions.

See Photo Below! This “blue” image was captured just FIVE minutes BEFORE the above “warm-and-cool-color” photo. Great cloud formations and people-as-accent subjects in both images, but what a difference. It really pays to stick around when the late-day clouds and colors are in action.