Jet-skiers' efforts to steal this scene prove no match for the Singh-Ray Vari-ND

In a previous blog story from New Zealander Colin Southern, he wrote "I like to think of myself as a typical photographer... a perfectionist bordering on obsessive/compulsive. I like to work with the very best equipment (including Singh-Ray filters) so that most of the limitations I have to struggle with are my own." Here's a good illustration of how a Singh-Ray filter helped Colin control an unusual situation.

"This tranquil image illustrates one of those 'snatching victory from the jaws of defeat' occasions... it was the third day in a row that I'd returned to this location hoping to secure a winning shot. On the first day I shot a variety of compositions and analysed them that evening. On the second day the clouds just didn't want to cooperate, but everything was looking great on the third day. Well, almost everything...

"On the first two evenings, I shot from a new walkway built over a small portion of shoreline -- but on my third visit I arrived earlier so I though I'd check out the scene from under the walkway. A few quick test shots confirmed that under the walkway was going to be the better composition, but then I noticed the tide was on its way in. Since I actually shoot in the sea quite often, I carry chest high waders as "standard shooting equipment" -- but as I watched the tide, I knew it was going to be close.

"I set up my gear and waited for sunset as the water inched higher and higher. I adjusted the straps on my camera bag several times to keep it out of the water. Now if all of this isn't tricky enough, things got a whole lot more complicated with the arrival of six 'young gentlemen' (I use the term loosely!) and a jet ski -- which they proceeded to ride through my field of view and generally stir up the water with their 'colourful antics.' It's possible they meant no trouble, but I could hear shouts of 'get the camera man' and later a small boulder was dropped from the walkway above so as to land about 3 feet away (splashing salt water over the expensive bits about 8 inches above the waterline) -- so it was rather hard to give them the benefit of the doubt!

"Meanwhile, the composition and color in the sky were looking great -- but the water was a mess. I was planning on an exposure of just a few seconds, but with the stirred up water conditions, that just wasn't going to work. That's when my Singh-Ray Vari-ND came to the rescue! A few tests revealed that a 60-second exposure could work well -- so that's what I used.

"In this final image it all came together nicely -- the extended exposure combined with the stirred-up sea water gave the water a wonderful texture that complemented the shot perfectly -- which just wouldn't have been possible without the long exposure. So here's to the Singh-Ray Vari-ND -- together we scored one for the good guys."

Editor's Note: It's also worth pointing out that the Vari-ND can be used to eliminate people or cars or jet-skis passing through your frame because they will often fail to register when using extremely long exposures. (See this entry for more details.)

You can enjoy many more scenes of Colin's beautiful countryside just by visiting his gallery images which are now posted at www.pbase.com/cjsouthern. You can also contact Colin at the Cambridge in Colour Forum if you have any questions or comments.