Sunset Boardwalk

At first glance, you’ll likely notice the symmetry that drew me to this pier time and time again. The night I photographed this image, I returned here feeling unsure of what to expect. Though I arrived hoping to photograph the pier from the beach, the full tide hindered my efforts. I had to improvise with the sandy beach no longer an option. Rather than shoot from beneath it, I chose to shoot the pier straight from the top. Bustling with people though, I patiently waited for everyone to leave.

As the sun was setting offering a scenic show, the people cluttering the pier slowly cleared out. For only a brief moment in time, I had the whole scene to myself. Excited to capture this magnificent image in a perfect state of calm, I quickly fired off one last shot.

In creating this image, Sunset Boardwalk, I elected to use a technique that I’d been practicing for some time. The result? Hard lines with the appearance of soft water. One of the more prevalent ways of using long exposures is to smooth out water to make it look still or frozen. To accomplish this, I exposed the image at 8 minutes to soften the water knowing that the pier and land in the far distance wouldn’t be affected.

On the evening I photographed Sunset Boardwalk, the sky took on shades of red, yellow, and orange, – inspirational colours, and colours that reminded me that the sun would set only to rise again. I was mesmerized as I stood watching the last burst of light for the evening, peak and then fade away into complete darkness.