Traditional B&W imagery creates a special effect for scenes related to our beach resort area.
From getting here to being here, from the north to the south, these photographs represent things we see and things we love about being in Ocean City.
Of course, in getting to the beach, most of us must cross one of two impressive bridges. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is for those beachgoers arriving from the west and the Indian River Inlet Bridge serves those coming from parts north.
At the north border of Ocean City is the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, an iconic structure for sure.
To the south are the unique wild horses of Assateague Island. They are affectionately called the Assateague Ponies.
A spectacular wave during a storm and a popular “Fall” beach scene.
Even in the “off season” of late fall and winter, Ocean City has a variety of visual “clues” to what a great vacation is all about. Here’s a late fall sunset over Assawoman Bay and the iconic fishing pier with a nearly deserted beach.
Having fun…amusement rides, a park and, naturally, being on the beach on a sunny summer day.
The iconic “beach ball” water tower in downtown Ocean City and, of course the Boardwalk Arch that welcomes people to the beach.
It all starts with a lighthouse photo that is likely done thousands of times a year.
Fenwick Island Lighthouse with no edits. (This image is not for sale.)
Start with a photograph from an angle, or view, that most tourists see and likely photograph thousands of times a year. Make sure the scene is brightly lit and has a clear sky with no haze. This late afternoon photo, captured near the beginning of the “Golden Hour,” came close to meeting those specifications.
The problem with photographs of the the Fenwick Island Lighthouse captured today are the myriad distractions around the buildings and the Light, itself. The main “eyesores” are the dozens of overhead wires and an unsightly telephone pole right in front of the tower. There are usually cars and/or people in the scene but for this example I was lucky enough to catch a day with no cars parked in front of the Light and only had to wait for a few people to wander on by. Note also how the buildings “lean” in toward the center of the picture.
Fenwick island Lighthouse with distractions (wires & pole) removed and buildings straightened.
Post processing of the image was done in Photoshop Elements where the wires and the telephone pole were carefully removed. The buildings and Lighthouse were also “straightened” to remove the keystone effect of shooting upward to capture the height of the buildings. Once that was done the next step was cropping to include the important parts of the scene and to make the format a “standard” one so that finished prints can be easily framed. In this case a standard 3:2 ratio was used for printing in normal 18×12, 36×24 or similar sizes. The last step in making a clean, normal print was to adjust the brightness and contrast.
Fenwick Island Lighthouse with addition of a sunset sky.
Of course, normal is fine, but creative editing can produce some fascinating effects – much as a traditional artist might “interpret a scene” for whatever vision he or she has in mind. One fun part was then to replace a “boring” sky with something more interesting but not overpowering. I used a sky photograph that I shot near sunset from our own West Fenwick back yard – with my drone at 150 feet of altitude. I chose this particular sky because the lighting pretty well matched the scene and there was some clear sky in the upper left leading to some more dramatic cloud formations to help frame the buildings and the Fenwick Light without distracting from the main subject.
Fenwick Island Lighthouse simulated charcoal drawing presentation.
Then I used an additional software application, Topaz Studio 2, to remove any camera/exposure induced “noise” from the image and then to create the various “presentations” for this scene. Note in the simulated charcoal sketch that the street has been replaced with a section of beach.
Several different presentations of this Fenwick Island Lighthouse landscape scene are available to browse and purchase at www.OceanCityGallery.com and also at Bill’s Fine Art America Gallery.
Click the links below to see each of the presentations as described/titled…
Twenty-Seventh Street (27th St.) is the last street intersecting the OCMD Boardwalk…
Walk the OC Boards over a decade and a half ago, virtually, with these 27th Street Boardwalk Photos from 2006.
27th Street and the Boardwalk, Ocean City, Maryland 21842. Twenty-Seventh Street is the last street intersecting the Ocean City Boardwalk at the northern end. Yep, this is where the Boardwalk ends. From this point south to the Ocean City Inlet, the distance is marked as 2 1/4 miles.
27th Street Sign on the Boardwalk. “The Top of The Boards”
This photo shows the view north, and at this point, what you see is the end of the Boardwalk. From here to the Delaware state line is nearly eight miles of (protective) dunes and sandy beach.
This is a view looking west from the Boardwalk. As evidence that this is at the top of the Boards, the northern terminal for the OC Boardwalk tram (train) is right here.
This view is looking south toward the Ocean City Inlet – which is just over 2 1/4 miles due south from this spot.
This sign, painted right on the boards, lets you know how far a walk it is to the other end.
If you walk the OC Boards today – what will you see that is different in these 27th Street on the Boardwalk Photos from 2006? Please leave a comment below.
