A cloud bank at dawn in Punta Cana
It was quite a while ago when we went to the Dominican Republic for a week of sun and sand. I went out photographing most mornings. As the day brightened ahead of the sunrise, this cloud took shape out of the night, slowly brightening from its head down towards the horizon. A 15 second exposure and a wide aperture helped to create a dreamy feel to this seascape.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Layering dusk from sea to sky in San Pancho
Sunsets on the Mexico’s west coast can be spectacular. We were able to enjoy a couple of them when we were in San Pancho last week. Ribbons of cloud were first painted gentle shades of rose and violet above the blue ocean as it stretched out towards the sky. It was a muted palette but whispered a suggestion of what may come.
A few minutes later, as the day slipped away, twilight deepened those colors. Deep purple and electric pinks growing from their soft predecessors. The foamy water of the Pacific blurred and reflected some of the color across the surface.
Increasing darkness allowed for longer exposures. The colors revealed were now beyond what my eyes could see. A glow coming into the photographs along with smoothing in the clouds and the water. The town’s lights caught on the breaking surf.
A couple of minutes later, the sky was much darker to the eye. The long exposures continued to reveal the rich colors of this beautiful evening’s sunset.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Daybreak in Belize
The sunrises on Caye Caulker in Belize are amazing. When we were there in December, we woke up early enough to see most of them during our stay on the island. This morning, on the 11th, I was there before dawn and watched the storm from the night before blow out to sea.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
From the archives: Port Angeles sunrise
I have to admit to missing the ocean badly right now. The pandemic has interrupted a couple of trips to the coast but a stroll through my image library helped. I landed on some images from a morning two Aprils ago where I was on the narrow strip of land where the Ediz Hook Reservation for Native Birds borders against a US Coast Guard Air Station.
The sun rose just after 6 am. I was on the shore by 5 and enjoyed watching twilight brighten the night sky. The hour seemed to glide quickly past – as is often the case when I’m out photographing landscapes. Not before I had managed a few different scenes of the blue hour on this interesting spot along the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
When the sun was up, I did a little beach combing. Walking through the wash of the tide, I found a few interesting miniature scenes. This one was a favorite of mine.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
A walk along Second Beach
When I visited Washington state’s Olympic National Park in April, I visited Second Beach on one of the afternoons. This was one of the first photographs after I exited the trail onto the beach. Shooting into the sun silhouetted most of the elements which helped to isolate these two people as they walked near the water.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
El Tule Sunrise
During our stay in Los Cabos last month, each day started with beautiful mornings as the sun rose out of the Sea of Cortez. This stretch of coastline between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas has great rock outcrops wrapped with honey coloured sand. This cove was a few minutes walk from our patio and was a fun place to play and hunt for seashells with the kids during the day. Before dawn, I had it all to my self and it was magic.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Under the stars with Kian
My son and I spent a couple of hours down on the beach watching the stars and playing around with some longer exposures. It was a beautiful night made infinitely better with him there.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
A few mornings off Punta Cabeza De Ballena
Canon 5DIII + 24-105mm f/4 lens at 24mm: 8 seconds at f/16 on ISO 200
When we were in Los Cabos last week, we stayed just off the water near Punta Cabeza De Ballena which is east of Cabo San Lucas. Facing east, the sun rose out of the Sea of Cortez every morning. With my wife’s graceful blessing, I was on the beach before dawn almost every day. These are a few of the different faces the coast presented over the week.
Canon 5DIII + 17-40mm f/4 lens at 25mm: 120 seconds at f/16 on ISO 800
Canon 5DIII + 17-40mm f/4 lens at 17mm: 8 seconds at f/22 on ISO 200
Canon 5DIII + 17-40mm f/4 lens at 17mm: 20 seconds at f/4 on ISO 800
Canon 5DIII + 17-40mm f/4 lens at 17mm: 6 seconds at f/22 on ISO 200
Canon 5DIII + 24-105mm f/4 lens at 67mm: 4 seconds at f/22 on ISO 100
Canon 5DIII + 500mm f/4 lens: 1/15 of a second at f/9 on ISO 100
Canon 5DIII + 24-105mm f/4 lens at 40mm: 0.6 seconds at f/22 on ISO 100
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Playing on the beach
From the deck of the sailboat that was home in the Khutzeymateen we spotted a mother and cub padding through the deep sedge grass during low tide. With the full moon, the change between high and low tides was over seven metres. The salmon that have spawned up the creeks, are little more than heartbeats when they float back down to the river mouth. When the water is high they often get caught in the sedge grass and are easy pickings for the clever bears who are in the know.
The cub played unaware we were watching for several minutes. When he did notice, he stared us down before trotting back to momma.
The mother stayed in the grass until the cub came up and growled and pawed at her.
After a while the cub turned his attention back to his mom. He trotted over and growled and pawed at her. He conned her into coming down to the beach and they ran around chasing each other.
–
It was a really special finish to a great first day in the Khutzeymateen. And more great moments were to come in the next two days I spent in the Khutzeymateen.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Portraits: Sunday afternoon at Ghost Lake with my children
We spent afternoon driving around the Bow Valley on Sunday. We ended up playing at a beach on Ghost Lake and the light was beautiful – warm and very soft. I had to grab my camera and photograph my kids as they played on the water’s edge.
