Over the holidays the family decided to take some time to explore Port Aransas. The boys really wanted to see the beach and since we were staying about 20 minutes away in my hometown, it was an easy trip after crossing the ferry.
The boys are no stranger to water, but since it was an overcast day, I was able to snap a lot of pictures with some clouds in the background and some great reflections in the sand.
Played around with different angles and since I only brought the wide-angle lens with me, it meant a lot of wide shots. When there is nothing, but ocean and sky. This can be a little bit of a challenge. One of the biggest things to remember when doing wide-angle landscape is to make sure your sky is leveled and lined up. If you ever print your images and frame them, you’ll want a straight line, or it’ll really be noticeable when you hang your piece up.
The boys enjoyed the ocean and loved that they could see the water for miles. A little bit of fog rolled in, so I had to pay attention to the edge of the pier to make sure it didn’t soften too much being in the background. With the wide-angle, I waited until the boys ran as close to me as possible and snapped away. I had already focused on the boys from the first couple of times they ran by, so I just was ready for a nice composed shot when they came around again.
We visited the different areas around Port Aransas and ate at the local MacDaddy’s Family Kitchen for lunch. I wish I brought my camera around for more of the day, but sometimes you just have to put it away and enjoy the little moments.
And don’t forget that if you’re driving on the beach you’ll need a beach permit that you can find at the local gas stations for a small fee. There are areas you can park that have designated parking spots. We parked in these black-top paved areas since we didn’t have a permit and only visit a couple of times a year.
Of course, I had to crouch down and wait for the waves to come in for this photograph below. The pier was in my foreground so I just waited for the nicest waves I saw. Wide-angle is all about the waiting game. It was a nice outing and great 78-degree weather out in the quiet town of Port Aransas. Check them out next time you’re out along the gulf coast.
A J Lopez III 