Being a nature photographer is like being a Mets fan. You score a big one just often enough to remain optimistic, but you have learned to have a plan b at the ready. Such was the case for our Light Painters latest photowalk. For three weeks we had the date set to go to Pikes Beach at sunset and high tide to capture spawning horseshoe crabs-an impressive sight when you find them, so well worth the chance of coming up empty. In 2011, a smaller group of us did time it just right and found several copulating crustaceans with the light just right for great photos. However, in 2012, Mother Nature has other plans-bringing us stormy sea at the appointed time.
But that did not deter four of us hardy souls who grabbed a quick dinner at Baby Moon Café (thanks!) then headed to Dune Road for the X-rated showing. We donned our gear, protected our cameras and trekked to the beach to find…no horseshoe crabs-at least none alive. A walk along the beach gave us a lovely show at an egret tenaciously fishing among the breaking waves of the surprisingly turbulent Moriches Bay, but horseshoe crabs were not in a mating mood that night. However, I did find one lone crab who appeared to have recently given up the ghost. So sad to see, but in this instance, proved to be a useful find. Since it was water logged, it was nice and heavy, and when positioned in the surf it stayed put. So it gave me an idea for a prank to play on the Light Painters who decided to stay home in their Pajamas that evening: Can you tell which photo is of a live crab and which is of the deceased? (Hint: we all die alone-it’s the second photo)
But despite the fact that the poor thing is dead, this turned out to be one the best photos of the night. Wonder why? Well, because it is a happy accident. Although I warn everyone to avoid P mode or Auto mode, in this instance I used P because I knew I would be shooting in varying light, and I wanted to get exposure right without having to fiddle too much. Turns out we needed a slow shutter speed, so that blurred the water, but kept the crab sharp because it wasn’t moving. Settings were ISO 500, shutter 1/25 and f4.5.
There were other great photo ops-especially of that egret fishing (give you an accurate sense of the lighting, I left the exposure just as it was out of the camera:
So, never come back from a photo shoot saying there wasn’t anything to photograph. Use the less than optimal conditions to train your eye to find the photo in what you have been given.
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