The type of photographs I create rely heavily on a cooperation with mother nature. In this partnership I am constantly monitoring three naturally occurring elements. Firstly, waves; My preference is to have enough swell in the water to create a breaking wave which will have the specific upright form I seek to capture. Second, wind; My ideal is a light to moderate offshore breeze which grooms the surface of the waves. This helps the water stay organized and clean while the waveform stands up and breaks. Lastly, lighting. I am often shooting at dawn and dusk in order to find the best lighting conditions.
With all of the above being said, the morning I took this shot did not strike me as being particularly great for wave size or wind conditions. There were a few waves, and the wind was fairly light, but far from ideal. Sometimes when conditions aren’t exactly as I wish, they turn out to be better than I could have imagined (true in life and in photography). The last part of the equation, the lighting, made up for the lack of swell and good wind. Along with utilizing a slower than normal shutter-speed, I was able to capture the feeling of the fiery sun cresting the horizon.
BURN EVERYTHING is a miraculous interaction of fire and water elements in a balanced mix. It seems mother nature never runs out of ways to be perfect.