Wormhole opened up

[JimFox]

This was from a few years back at Little Corona Beach in SoCal. The incoming water hit this foreground rock in such a way that when it splashed it formed this tube. I have shot a zillion times at Little Corona, and had never seen it do that before or after. To me, it's so different it looked cool.

Now I can look at this with a critical eye and pick out that I wish I had shot this slightly faster, it was shot at 1/160th of a sec. Perhaps even going to 1/250th would have frozen sharper a few of the spots that are a little soft due to movement. But since I can't repeat this shot, I am not obsessing over that critical aspect like I would normally do.

But I am curious if I am just being too generous since it's my photo and I might be just a bit biased?

Jim

 

[Jeffrey]

Nice image Jim. 1/1200 or faster would have done it.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Hi Jim, I thinks its stellar as is. When I am going for splashes, I shoot burst mode and use a fast shutter, but I always think 1/200 is fast enough.

No matter, you caught the ultimate moment as well as day it seems and the action is frozen sufficient to the purpose.

 

[AlanLichty]

What? You didn't anticipate this? That is one really nice sunset and the splash is an interesting addition. It would have been amazing with a higher shutter speed but how often do you really need faster than 1/160s for sunsets? Hard to anticipate serendipity.

 

[Guy Schmickle]

What a sweet sunset. It doesn't bother me that you didn't freeze the water as it conveys the sense of motion.

 

[Bart Carrig]

It centers beautifully between the gold and the blue in a fantastic scene. The exact speed matters not.

Great job, Jim.

Bart

 

[Alisa]

this is beautiful I always love seeing the light reflecting on the water! Very nice Jim!

 

[JimFox]

Hi Jim, I thinks its stellar as is. When I am going for splashes, I shoot burst mode and use a fast shutter, but I always think 1/200 is fast enough.

No matter, you caught the ultimate moment as well as day it seems and the action is frozen sufficient to the purpose.

Thanks Ben, I am glad you liked this.

The struggle as it gets darker at sunset is trying to keep the shutter speed up without having to crank the ISO too high. This was probably ISO 800 already. So I try to keep the shutter speed just fast enough to freeze the water depending on the force of the splashes. Here I underestimated just a bit. And that's why it's so easy to drop down to 1/5th of a sec as it gets dark because then the ISO still stays in a decent range.

 

[Martín el Escocés]

I go along with the idea that it's a smashing sunset full of colour. The splash adds that touch of drama and I agree with others that the shutter speed is of little import as the pic communicates as it is. Could you not go back and just get a splash shot, and then meld it in? That would guarantee perfection!

 

[MonikaC]

Being dead center in the foreground and carrying most of the visual weight, I would prefer a faster shutter speed for the splash. Probably just because I am prone to motion sickness. A small crop of the bottom minimizes the effect. But it is what it is and it's a beautiful sunset.

 

[Mike Mancil]

I think it looks great, as is, but here’s your perfect excuse to grab a chair and spend some quality time waiting for a repeat .

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Another winner, Jim.