Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida

On Saturday I went to Sebastian Inlet State Park for the sunrise. I had looked online for places close to Melbourne that would have a pier or dock out into the water. What a good choice for the sunrise. I was not alone in the pre-dawn hours. The pier was packed with fishermen and I did spot a few other photographers.

The bridge over the inlet had a nice walkway underneath that allowed me to get an interesting view of the inlet with both piers sticking out into the Atlantic. I played with a few images with a very high ISO setting when it was still basically dark out. As the sun approached the horizon from below I managed to grab this image from the walkway.

Sebastian Inlet
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 13s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 400

I walked out along the pier to grab a few images of the bridge over the inlet. The moon was still high in the sky but I was able to achieve a nice view of the lights contrasting with the deep blue of the sky and water.  It was out here that I realized I was being eaten alive by these little gnats.  Luckily the bait shop opened up so I could buy some insect repellent.

Moon Over
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 15mm, f/16, ISO 400

It is always amazing to me to watch the colors on the sky change as the sun starts to rise. All these images were captured within an hour of each other. The blues of the pre-dawn time are replaced with the orange and yellows as the sun crosses the horizon.  The time was right for the sunrise but the low clouds near the horizon kept it hidden but created a nice display in the sky.

Fishing Spot
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.4s, 26mm, f/16, ISO 200

I was talking with a fellow photographer Laura Macky earlier this week about an image I had posted. We both tend to favor the grand landscape views with our wide-angle lenses and we always want to capture different views telling a better story. The story elements are generally best captured when you focus on specific items.

With that conversation running through my head as I was capturing images with my go-to lens (12-40mm f/2.8), I switched to the 40-150mm f/4-5.6 to grab a few of those story elements. It didn’t hurt that the sun was starting to break through the clouds and the silhouette of the pier was very dramatic.

Sunrise Fishing
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, 1/80s, 62mm, f/16, ISO 200

Morning Catch
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, 1/100s, 105mm, f/16, ISO 200