Purple Tide, Newport Beach Pier, California

I love this image. It has structure, amazing color, mood and character. I had envisioned an image incorporating a pier, and the Newport Beach Pier had the character I was hoping for. The structure is interesting and symmetrical, but older and less "perfect". I set my panoramic film camera up on the tripod on top of a cement block under the pier just after sunset. As the light became more even I locked the shutter open and waited. I continually had to block splashing water from hitting the camera as the tide was coming in. The 20 minute exposure in low light didn't record the individual waves. The chaos on the waters surface flowed together creating the illusion of a fog engulfing the oceans surface and the pier's pillars. This velvety softness is the effect I was hoping for, adding a dream like quality, which contrasts nicely against the structure of the pier. The long exposure also allowed the film to record the rich atmospheric glow of the fading evening light. Another intensely pre-visualized image that came to fruition through research and hard effort. I love my work!