Landscape photography comes in many shapes and sizes. There are photo trips planned months, even years, in advance to some epic location in hopes of capturing portfolio-worthy images. There are the local runs- a quick drive to a spot just a few hours away or a quick visit to a local spot near where you live. For this post, I will talk about the latter: the value of the quick, local trip.
Living on Long Island, a last-minute photo opportunity almost always means heading to a beach. They are everywhere here, offering some of our best views and composition opportunities. Most of the time, my daily routine at home doesn’t center around photography. However, I always check the weather forecast and keep an eye on the sky, especially around sunset. Sunrise photo shoots are usually planned, and sunsets are often a game-time decision.
This past Memorial Day weekend on Long Island was basically a total washout. But just a few hours before sunset, the rain stopped, and the skies started to break. Anyone who practices landscape photography knows that a storm clearing out just before sunset is the ultimate recipe for epic color. That was my hope this Memorial Day evening. One hour before sunset, I jumped into action, grabbing my “go bag” and hopping in the car for the 10-minute ride to the beach.
A quick word on the gear for these last-minute runs: I keep a small shoulder “go bag” packed and ready at all times. It holds a small Fujifilm APS-C camera body, two small telephoto lenses, a lens cloth, a camera strap, a polarizing filter, and an extra battery. That’s it. I also keep a small travel tripod in my car just in case. This is a very small, lightweight setup for quick photography, very different from my heavier Nikon Z gear and massive backpack I pack for planned trips.
When I arrived at the beach, I could see that the cloud structure would cooperate. The beach was busy with people looking to get out of the house after a couple of days stuck indoors. They would make great elements for my compositions. When sunset finally arrived, it did not disappoint. The clouds caught brilliant, vibrant color that lingered in the sky, giving me plenty of time to work the scene and get the compositions I wanted.
