Learn About Cape Cod's Photography Hot Spots From a Local Pro
Guest Blog by Betty Wiley
In this guest blog post I'm happy to introduce Betty Wiley, a professional Photographer from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She will share with us her intimate knowledge of the Cape so that you will have a great starting point for your next photo trip.
I am really excited about doing this guest blog post for Gary Detonnancourt. Thank you Gary!
I am a free-lance photographer based on Cape Cod and in addition to holding photography workshops and processing classes, I am often called upon to photograph assignments for a number of the local magazines. My magazine assignments have included everything from scenics, gardens and interiors of beautiful homes to “lifestyle” features. Many of my Cape Cod scenes have appeared on the covers of these publications. So, now that summer is nearly here, it seems the perfect time to do a blog post about photography on Cape Cod. The Cape is such a photography-rich place: from lighthouses to quaint harbors to beautiful beaches and marshes…there are so many great spots to visit and photograph!
One of my favorite locations happens to be a spot near my home in Yarmouth Port. Grey’s Beach, at the end of Center Street in Yarmouth Port, is a popular destination on the mid-Cape because of the large boardwalk that spans the scenic marsh. While quite well known, people usually visit this location at sunset. While this is a great spot to take in a sunset, I also like this location at sunrise. One of my favorite images from the boardwalk was taken right after sunrise, looking back towards the parking area.
I prefer to photograph this location at mid to high tide because, at low tide, the rather unsightly marsh mud is exposed. I used a wide angle lens for this image (16-35mm) and focused about one third of the way into the scene for maximum depth of field.
At sunset, during the summer, there is often a lot of activity on the boardwalk. While it can be a bit (or a lot) buggy because of the marsh, I like to visit this area and catch silhouettes of people crabbing off the sides of the boardwalk or simply taking in the view. The image below was taken as a father and son and I loved the glistening net.
I used my small, mirrorless Fuji X-T1 camera for this image…because it’s so light-weight, I could hold the camera with one hand off the side of the boardwalk in order to get this shot…being very careful not to drop it over the side!
I also love photographing this area in the fall, particularly after a storm has moved through the area. While the Cape isn’t known for it’s foliage, our marshes turn a beautiful, rich golden color in the fall. At sunrise and at sunset, when the sun is at a low angle, the color is particularly intense. My favorite time to photograph this particular marsh is after a storm has moved through the area and the skies are beginning to clear. This image was taken in the fall at sunset, after heavy rains moved through the area in the afternoon. The clouds were breaking up and as the sun started to set and peaked below the cloud cover, this was what I was seeing through my camera’s lens! As you can see, the light on the marsh grass was incredible.
Again, I used a wide angle lens and used an aperture setting of F16 to ensure sufficient depth of field and focused 1/3rd of the way into the scene as I wanted everything to be in focus. As I was shooting into the sun, I didn’t use a polarizer (I often use a polarizer when photographing marshes to reduce glare and to enhance colors but only when the sun is at an angle, not behind or in front of where I am shooting). This time I was shooting from a tripod using a cable release.
I recently launched an eBook which details the how, when and where for many of my images. This is a book for photographers written by a photographer and it includes GPS locations, technical information and settings for every shot as well as other shooting considerations specific to each location. If you are planning on visiting the Cape, this will be a valuable resource for you. For more information and how to order, please visit this link:
Ebook: http://bettywileyphotography.com/e-book/
Website: http://bettywileyphotography.com