Hey Rick! What's your f-stop?" That's the question I get asked most on my photo workshops. I reply, with a smile, "My friend. What is your creative vision, what is your goal?" Those are the important question for photographers to ask themselves.

In this blog series I will share with you my goal and camera settings for some of my favorite recent photographs, which will be featured in my next (#37) book, Evolution of an Image (September 2016 publication). Each chapter, by the way, has complete and detailed info about the lead photograph, as well as my outtakes and unexpected shots. Detailed Lightroom screen shots are also included in every chapter.

Here goes.

Location: Black beach opposite the Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon, Iceland.

Goal: Convey the beauty of the grounded icebergs – gems of frozen water – framed by the slow and graceful moving surf and positioned against a background of powerful, crashing waves.

Thought process: Compose a scene that includes the icebergs, the beach, the waves and the sky. Experiment with different slow shutter speeds, from 1/60th second to several seconds, to convey the power and beauty of nature.

I took dozens of photographs of the same scene, from a single position that morning on the beach. This image is my favorite shot for several reasons, the most important being the mood and feeling of the image, created by overcast sky, beautiful jewels of ice and the movement of the waves.

I also like the movement of the incoming waves on the beach and the burst of water on the iceberg in the background. I also like the way the foreground iceberg frames the background iceberg.

Tech Info
Camera: Canon EOS 5Ds
Lens: Canon 24-105mm IS lens.
Filter: Tiffen 0.9 ND filter.
Tripod: Really Right Stuff tripod and Really Right Stuff ball head.

Camera settings:
• Manual focus – to maintain sharp because moving waves could change the focus setting, as well as slow down the auto focus process;
• Rapid frame advance – to capture the subtle differences in the flow and position of the waves;
• ISO 100 – for shooting at long shutter speeds, f/20 – for good depth-of-field), 1/6th second – to blur the movement of the water. EV -0.67 – to prevent highlights from being washed out.

For more tips, tricks and techniques, see my current best-selling book, Creative Visualization for Photographers. Also check out my KelbyOne on-line classes.

Explore the light,
Rick