The Rye Beach "Weekend", 2015

Couldn't Quite Get it in the Lens

 
One of our summer traditions is the annual Rye Beach Weekend. Every July we spend a couple of days on the coast visiting our friends Tom and Paula, who rent a rustic cottage on the New Hampshire shore. A nice thing about retirement is that the Rye Beach Weekend no longer needs to be scheduled during a crowded Saturday and Sunday.  This year we were able to visit on a relaxed Sunday through Tuesday.  As always, it was a chance to roll my toes in the sand, engage in leisurely chatting and of course consume too much good food. It was also a treasured opportunity to get a dose of sea coast photography. 


Pick Your Lighthouse

Morning Catch, Whaleback Light 2012

Year to year my Atlantic shore subjects vary, largely dependent on the weather, but, being on the east coast, sunrises are always a major attraction. Over the last couple of years I focused on the rising sun behind Whaleback Light in Portsmouth Harbor. As outlined in previous blogs, I have enjoyed variable levels of success from my early morning adventures to Odiorne State Park, attempting to capture the dawn glow from just the right angle. This year I decided to look for other sunrise scenes and ended up with a different lighthouse.



Portland Harbor Light

Pinned

As always, my first step was to explore my options from within the Photographers Ephemeris. I went to the appropriate dates and then moved my location pin to try to find places where the rising sun would be in an attractive location. I have always found the Portland Harbor Lighthouse difficult to approach, being isolated within the Coast Guard Station, but I discovered that the sun could be seen to rise directly behind the light from a spot along the shore to the southeast.


Two Ungodly Early Mornings
 I had two mornings to try for the shot and set my alarm for 4:30am. The sunrise was at about 5:20am, but, on that first morning, the best show came as the predawn light set the clouds on fire. Sadly I took the wrong turn and ended up on the beach about thirty seconds too late and totally missed the fleeting spectacle. I was frustrated and annoyed with myself for not exploring the location the night before. I was able to catch a couple of images of the light peeking through the clouds, but making things infinitely worse was the fact that another photographer was on site and was only too happy to show me the amazing light that I had barely missed. A lovely guy, and I wanted to strangle him. 

Predawn Glow Portsmouth Harbor Light

The next morning I was determined to give the spot another try. This time I set the clock for 4am and reached the location in plenty
of time. The sky was mostly clear without the nice layer of clouds from the day before, but I was able to capture the fiery predawn glow along the shore. I hoped to catch the sun at the moment that it shined directly through the lens of the lighthouse, but as I followed its ascent, and slowly moving to the west, I ran into the fence which guarded the perimeter of the Coast Guard Station. With signs promising incarceration, death or both, I decided not to try sneaking around the obstacle and had to settle for capturing the brilliant orb as it nudged the top of the light. Given my distance

Predawn Glow

from the lighthouse, I was able to use my 400mm telephoto lens to get closer and to magnify the appearance of the of the sun. At that hour, lobster boats were regularly heading out to sea and I was fortunate to catch one at just the right time. As the sun rose higher it was time to turn my back and look for subjects illuminated by the rosy early light and I couldn't get away without at least one picture of Whaleback against that remarkable sky.

Tidal Washed

Dawn Light

Whaleback Glow, Portsmouth Harbor

Along the Beach

Ring Billed Gull

The other major attraction of the Rye Beach visit is the opportunity to explore the interface between sand and surf. The beach is a popular spot for leisurely strollers, but on this foggy morning that traffic was manageable and it seemed that the sea gulls were desensitized to the presence of humans. I had hoped to catch a few gulls during take-off, but despite my persistant approaches I seemed only able to get them to waddle away.


Flotsam and Jetsam

Flotsam, Jetsam or ?

As I stroll the beach, I am always looking for interesting flotsam and jetsam to photograph and this year I found my share. Thanks to Wikipedia I now know the difference between flotsam and jetsam. As it turns out they both refer to items lost from a ship in distress. Flotsam is debris inadvertently lost, while jetsam refers to items that have been intentionally "jett"isoned, often in an attempt to lighten ship. The definitions may seem arbitrary, but they have legal implications, since flotsam can be claimed by the original owner, while jetsam can be salvaged by anyone. Of course on the beach, it is hard to tell the difference and I have no idea where an escaped lobster buoy falls on this continuum. But it is all fair game for photography. 





You must agree that my blog is a rich source of worthless information.

  

At low tide the southern end of the Rye Beach is a great place to explore the surf kissed rocks and quiet tidal pools. The trick is to avoid getting stranded by the incoming tide. The light was soft with intermittent fog and I got some nice images, but I stupidly forgot my aqua-sox and came away with grotesquely lacerated feet.

Tidal Dance

Bearded Rocks

 
























It Takes a Village

Portsmouth Congregational Church

It was another lovely couple of days on the beach. Sun, sand, friends and food, and the chance to capture the unique feeling of coastal New England. It was great to meet up at a restaurant in Portsmouth with old friends Wally and Michele who now live in York Maine. We also had the chance to welcome the newest member of our "village". Grandchild, little Ivy, seemed to fit right in, good job Kelly. The only thing better would have been if she was OUR grandchild. Are you listening Abby and Jeremy?

Ivy's First Rye Weekend

Ryes Past

 Whaleback Light, Searching for an Eddington Moment, 2012

Rye Beach Weekend, Trying Again for an Eddington Moment, 2013

Rye Beach 2014, Challenges and Opportunities, 2014

Last Glow, Rye Beach

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Whaleback Light

 Searching for an Eddington Moment

Einstein and Eddington

On May 29, 1919, Arthur Eddington was watching a rainy, cloud filled sky on the remote island of Principe off the west coast of Africa.  He had come from England to observe the solar eclipse

Arthur Eddington

hoping to confirm or refute Albert Einstein's controversial theory of relativity. It was no small matter that, just after the carnage of the First World War, it was an Englishman who had set out to test a German theoretical physicist's theory, which, if confirmed, would overthrow the god of English science Sir Isaac Newton.  Einstein's theory predicted that light passing by a massive object like the sun, would be noticeably deflected, but the only time to measure such an effect would be when the sun's brilliance was blocked by a solar eclipse. Eddington had planned carefully for the experiment and had traveled more than 3500 miles to be in the right spot at the right time. Despite all the preparation, the observation almost never happened, as the obscuring clouds parted only briefly during the period of totality. The result was that Einstein was confirmed and most of the rest of the world was left hopelessly confused and nostalgic for the simple days of Sir Isaac. Eddington had the luck that all photographers lust for, but even such a profoundly religious man was enough of a scientist not to depend entirely on providence. He sent a second expedition to Brazil as a hedge against bad weather.

This is all a round-about way to bemoan the fact that I had no hedge against bad weather this weekend and despite all my careful planning the sky did not open at just the right moment as I tried to catch Whaleback Light against the rising sun. Since I live about 90 miles from Atlantic coast in the beautiful southwest corner of New Hampshire, I treasure every opportunity to make it to the ocean. I don't have the luxury of returning time and again until the conditions are right. I have to make the best of what nature gives me, truthfully that is a major part of the fun. 


The Rye Weekend
Every summer our good friends Tom and Paula become even better

Whaleback Lighthouse, Portsmouth Harbor

friends when they rent a cottage on the New Hampshire coast at Rye Beach. It is a great excuse to spend a weekend by the water, to eat and drink, and to sit watching the various sizes and shapes of humanity strolling along the beach. Of course I also have to photograph and this year I had a plan. Whaleback Lighthouse at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor is a classic and I wanted to try to capture the sun rising behind the tower.  Before leaving for Rye, I went to my favorite program, The Photographer's Ephemeris, and discovered that the sun could be seen rising behind the lighthouse, at 5:30 Sunday morning , from a spot on the beach at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye. I was able to find the exact location on the beach and determined

that Whaleback had to be at 63 degrees from my vantage point to be perfectly aligned. Knowing that I would be crossing the park in the dark, Tom and I scouted the location Saturday afternoon. The park is a lovely wooded oasis away from the bustle of the beaches and is crisscrossed with a web of secluded trails. Once on the beach, I was able to find the spot which placed the lighthouse at 63 degrees. Since I would be returning in the dark the next morning I built a small stone cairn to mark the location. Like Eddington, after the preparations, I could do nothing but wait for the weather.  Unlike Eddington, I could return to the cottage on the beach for a wonderful dinner and too much wine.

Tom Scouting the site

Carin Building
Photo by Tom Dustin

 












 

 You Have Fewer Friends at 4:30 in the Morning

Odiorne Point State Park, Rye NH
Less spooky in daylight

When I arrived at the park the next morning there were just a few small , hopeful, breaks in the clouds. I worked my way along the dark trails, guided by the narrow column of my headlamp. It was a bit spooky, but I figured that it was unlikely that potential muggers would decide to seek their prey from the Poison Ivy along a lonely wooded trail at 4:30 in the morning.  By the time I reached my spot on the beach the sky was completely overcast. I setup my tripod and, accompanied only by the mosquitoes, settled in to await the miracle. Sadly there was no Eddington moment.  5:30 came and went without a trace of morning gold. Once it was clear I was not going to get the perfect sunrise, I settled in to work the site for whatever I could get. 





Making Do
The cool blue light had its own attraction and the rocky shore

Odiorne Point Shore

provided some nice framing opportunities on the lighthouse, but the low light imposed its own challenges. For the lobster boat image, I framed the lighthouse through the rocks, locked down my tripod, and then took several exposures focusing on each of the foreground, middle rocks and the lighthouse (focus stacking). It was helpful to use Live View to nail the focus in the dim light and the long exposures created a nice soft appearance to the rolling waves. Then, keeping the camera in position, I waited for a boat to come by and added the final piece of puzzle. I had to boost the ISO up to 3200 for this image to freeze the moving boat, but in the end the composite brought it all together for the best representation of the lovely scene.

I spent two hours on that peaceful beach and, although I was disappointed about the lack of a spectacular sunrise, the quiet solitude was well worth the trip. I knew that, behind those clouds, the sun was rising and that it would be there for me on another day. Despite the best planning nature doesn't always cooperate, but photography would loose its excitement and challenge if every shoot was an Eddington moment. 

Angry sky over Rye Beach New Hampshire
A nice oppoertunity for a little HDR

Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com