Foggy Fishing Pier
Foggy Fishing Pier
You can find one of the few remaining old fishing piers in the city of St. Pete on Corey Ave. opposite The Blue Parrot Restaurant. Once I spotted these fairly remote fishing piers, I waited for some inclement foggy weather to roll in. As an upstate New Yorker, inclement weather means temps in the teens and a foot of snow. However here in sunny Florida, it is temps in the thirties and a cloudy day.
Luckily the fog rolled in, and there was a heavy, moist drizzle in the air. This moisture mixes with the coastal ocean waters and drops this sticky film which coats everything. You just have to keep that in mind as you move about with your tripod, camera, and gear. The Lens Coat Hoodie is excellent to use to cover your lens.
Remove Background Light
I did not pre-scout these piers so exploring in the darkness provided a bit of that adventurous thrill. After finding the gaps in a chain-link fence leading to the oceans sandy shoreline, I began to set up my Nikon D850 and 16-35mm. The night sky of St. Pete’s is very polluted because of the various lighting sources on the streets and condo buildings.
TIP: You will find using a special filter to block this background light helpful. The 77mm filter model that I am using is the Hoya 77mm RA54 Red Enhancer, Color Intensifier Filter $79 @ B&H.
What I thought were sandy shores turned out to be razor-sharp oyster beds. The sandy muck around the beds was like molasses. Taking footing issues in stride, I began to make various images, with a different exposure, framing, and heights. It felt good to be in an unknown location and working the scene.
The Human Element
About an hour into my shooting, I noticed that the solitude of the foggy fishing pier had been broken by a local fisherman. So I began to use him as an element is an image. You often find that adding the Human element will enhance your landscape image. The mystery of the human element in this image is what I like. You need to look hard to see which pier post is the fisherman. Can you spot him?
The Technical Layer
To read additional technical and location content please click on the tabs below.
Technical: Camera Settings
Read More: Prep for St Petes
