Jekyll Island

“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
― Jo Walton

This past week I enjoyed a week off from work for spring break.  At the beginning of the break, two great photography friends and I made our way to the islands of Georgia.  Our first stop was Jekyll Island, Georgia.

We were very fortunate as Jekyll Island can be both a sunrise and a sunset location for photography depending upon where you are photographing.  When traveling, you have to hope for conditions to be just right for photography during your stay.  Sometimes things work out in your favor and sometimes they don’t.

Our first morning did not

disappoint.  There was a nice cloud cover that looked promising for holding color.  As we approached actual sunrise time, the sky seemed to explode with vivid color for a very brief moment of time.  When that time happened, my eye was most attracted to the sand that was lighting up to match the sky.  I have found that what is holding my attention the most is what I should photograph even if it doesn’t seem to be the most likely composition.

After the intensity of the color dissipated,  I began looking for other compositions.  I wanted to find a somewhat unique way to photograph one of the often photographed trees on the beach.  I found I could frame the tree with a space in one of the other downed trees nearby.

When processing the image, I found the colors were not very pleasing, so I removed the color from the image and added a slight texture.

That evening, we found ourselves back at the beach in a different area.  Before sunset, I walked down the beach.  There were jellyfish all along the way.  I photographed several of the jellyfish.  When I found a jellyfish in the oncoming surf, I spent time making many captures in order to explore how the water was moving across the jellyfish.   This was my favorite of all of my jellyfish images.

Just before sunset, our group was again treated to beautiful light.  We were surprised to be so fortunate for both sunrise and sunset on the same day.

The morning we were set to depart to go back home, my friends talked me (reluctantly) into leaving the house at 3:30 a.m. to photograph stars on the beach.  Since I had a long drive ahead of me that day, I was not as excited about getting up that early as I might have been on other occasions.  Once on the beach, however, I was thrilled to observe the night sky and enjoy the stillness.

Spending time with my friends on Jekyll Island was an amazing way to begin my spring break.  I am so thankful for my friendships and the incredible peace that I experience anytime I photograph nature and its beauty.