Tag: nature

Photographing the Oceanside Pier: Lights On and Long Exposures

~ lawrencepallant ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been taking advantage of living near the coast and have visited a few times this fall, looking for photographic moments. I’ve been to the Oceanside Pier several times now, and this is the latest shot I made there.

Lights On

This image is a blend. I was experimenting with long shutter speeds to smooth the ocean and show movement in the clouds. The first exposure was two minutes, and the sky had beautiful, vibrant color. I took another immediately afterward at three minutes. With about 20–30 seconds left in that second exposure, the pier lights came on. It was a nice shot of the pier, but the clouds had already lost much of their color.

I blended the two frames in Photoshop. Using layers, I placed the first “lights off” shot on the top layer and the second shot with the lights on underneath. I changed the blend mode of the top image to “Screen” and, like magic, the lights came on!

Here is an image of the pier taken a few weeks earlier. The lights weren’t on yet. I was waiting for them, but got impatient and left too soon. Five minutes later, on my walk back to the car. the lights went on. So I had to come back.

Dark Pier

Snowy Autumn Magic in the Sierra Mountains

~ lawrencepallant ~ 1 Comment

Mid-October brought a fresh coat of snow to the Sierra Mountains. I drove up during the storm and woke the next morning to find the peaks dusted white, with snow reaching down the slopes. I spent a few incredible days in the eastern Sierra Mountains, drawn not only by the striking mix of autumn color and fresh snow, but also by the low, shifting clouds that transformed the scenery from one moment to the next.

This photograph was taken at Conway Summit, where I spent several hours watching the light play across the landscape. At this moment, the light softened as a cloud drifted over the scene. I used my telephoto zoom lens to capture these aspen trees, highlighting a blend of brilliant autumn colors among branches that were already bare of leaves.
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Autumn Alchemy #4 (click to enlarge)

2026 Wanderings Calendar

I have extended the pre-order period for my 2026 calendar until October 31. I plan to place the order on November 1 or 2. Please put your order in now as it helps me know how many to print. I get a better price when I order in bulk which I am able to pass along to you.

Pre-order here.