"AFTERGLOW"

Last year during the summer months, our church had several beach outings at Huntington Beach, California. It's always a wonderful time to hang-out at the beach to just have fun, barbeque, eat, play, catch up with what's been happening with church members, eat some more, and even time to take a little nap.

Every time I've gone to Huntington Beach I've always seen the pier as a photographic challenge. With the iconic Ruby's Diner at the very end of the pier and the lifeguard tower looming somewhere in the middle, I've always asked myself, "What is the best angle to photograph the pier?" And also, "How can I take a picture of the pier without all the crowds of people interfering with my shot?" Well last February 27, I finally took up this personal challenge of mine.

When I arrived at Huntington Beach, the first thing I noticed were the many people enjoying a day at the beach and strolling along the pier. Great for them, but not for the shot that I envisioned in my head. So I just had to wait, and wait, until the crowds thinned out.

For the meantime, I had to figure out how to compose the shot. Should the pier fill up the frame horizontally? Should it be straight-on from the entrance of the pier? In the span of about three hours, I had walked north and south of the pier trying to gage the best angle.

As the sun was close to setting I knew I had to make my decision, so I positioned my tripod where I finally thought was best in my mind's eye, set up my camera, and waited. But I still had a problem...the crowds of people still walking along the beach and on the pier.

As the sun started to set I started taking my shots, but still not very happy because of all the people walking across the pier. As the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon I still didn't have a shot that I was content with because of the crowd. But I still had one more chance - the Afterglow.

What is an afterglow? Fifteen to thirty minutes after the sun sets, as the rays of the sun now shoot upward from below the horizon and as it passes through the atmosphere, it causes a wonderful "afterglow" with deep colors of various shades of reds and oranges and yellows. On this cloudless early evening, this is now what I was waiting for and hopefully the crowds on the pier would have thinned out by then.

Sure enough about 15 minutes after the sun had set, the first signs of the afterglow emerged. The great thing was that by this time, the crowds on the pier had greatly diminished! This was now my chance, so I took several exposures hoping for the best.

The picture above was taken about 20 minutes after the sun had already set, and with a shutter speed of 1.6 seconds I was able to record the beautiful colors of the afterglow. As you can see in the shot, the crowds on the pier were mostly gone except for a lone individual sitting calmly and undisturbed on a bench beside a light pole on the pier....I can live with that because it actually enhances the serene and peaceful scene that I was looking for.

Assessing the overall picture, it kind of looks like the darkness is in fear of the light, trying to keep its distance from the bright rays of the sun's afterglow. This reminds me of what Jesus said in the Gospel of John:

John 3:19-21
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

We know now that Jesus is that light. He said in John 12:46,
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."

Have you put your faith in the Light of Jesus Christ? The Bible is clear - you are either in the light or in the dark. So where do you stand?

Technical Info: 1.6 seconds @ f/16, Canon 5D, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, 1 stop Neutral Density Grad.

About my composition (if you're interested): I finally decided to stand south of the pier to frame its very end at the center of the shot with the pier jetting out at an angle from the right. Because of the cloudless evening I needed something to replace the boring sky, so the looming lifeguard tower worked out perfectly. I also tried to balance the overall height of the picture with the top of the lifeguard tower with the top of its reflection on the water. Lastly, the heavy dark reds and oranges on the left nicely balances with the pier itself.