Day 280 of 366: Long Exposures at Little Austi Beach

This morning's adventure found me at Little Austi Beach, accompanied by members of the Kiama Shellharbour Camera Club. Cursed with a cloudless sky, the day presented a perfect opportunity for long exposure photography—a technique that allows the static and the dynamic elements of a scene to converge in a dance of light and motion.

Choosing the Technique

Opting for long exposures under the bright, unobstructed sun required a bit of technical manoeuvring. Equipped with my 4-stop ND filter and setting my tripod firmly in the shallows, I was able to slow down the shutter to an ethereal 15 seconds. This setting allowed the camera to capture the fluid motion of the ocean as it interacted with the static world.

The Dance of Water

As the waves flowed over and retreated from the rock platform, they traced silky paths captured vividly by the camera's lens. Standing knee-deep in the cooling waters, I watched as each wave moulded itself into unique, fleeting sculptures of movement, only to dissolve and reform with the next surge.

A Canvas of Change

What makes Little Austi Beach a remarkable location for photographers is its ever-changing landscape. Each visit reveals new patterns in the rocks, variations in tide, and different lighting conditions, offering endless opportunities for creative expression. Today’s long exposures encapsulate not just the physical motion of water, but also the serene progression of time captured in still form.

Reflections on the Day

The images from today are more than just photographs; they are meditations on constancy and flux, permanence and evanescence. This morning’s shoot served as a beautiful reminder of photography’s power to halt the relentless march of time, allowing us to appreciate the profound beauty of simple, transient moments.

Join me on my blog as I delve deeper into the stories behind the captures of my 366-day project, exploring how photography allows us to see the world anew, every single day.