DARK SUNRISE

Beach #5 Dark Sunrise, Havelock Island, India

It was still quite dark when the sun made its first appearance.  I love the low tide at Beach #5 and I can't wait to see it again someday.  See my previous posts from Beach #5 here and here.

Being on the beach in January was a nice treat for a Nebraskan who doesn't get to see many beaches.  I photographed two sunsets and two sunrises while in the Andaman Islands.  After each shoot I looked through the shots on my camera and was always disappointed.  I may have gotten one or two good shots I thought, but nothing great, and certainly nothing close to the potential I saw with each sunset and sunrise.  My biggest hindrance was that I was always in a rush and didn't have time to look around and compose the perfect photo.  This problem was compounded by the fact that I don't have much practice with beach photography.  I tried the best I could in a hurry and with my limited experience.  But I learned some things in those four short shoots and I'm still learning more as I process the photos and continue to study other photographer's seascapes to see where I went wrong and what I did right.  In the end, the shots were better than my first impression from the back of the camera.

Photo taken Jan 9, 2012

SUNRISE AT BEACH #5

Symphony Palms Sunrise, Havelock Island, India

I was very lucky to wake up early and witness a stunning sunrise during the low tide at Beach #5, also known as Govind Nagar Beach.  It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I can remember seeing.  I highly recommend the Symphony Palms resort which is as close to the beach as you can get without a tent.  There is a constant cool breeze blowing through shady palms; a nice retreat from the 80 degree temps and hot sun.  In addition, the restaurant at Symphony Palms is excellent, and serves the coldest beer in the Andamans.

Beach #5 offers stunning blue and green colors due to the shallow water (see previous posts).  During high tide it is only about five feet deep for the first 100 meters or so, most of which is exposed at low tide. The low tide reveals some excellent rock formations and sand patterns, and creates some nice reflection pools for photographing the sunrise.

I asked several locals in Port Blair where they had seen the most beautiful scenery in the Andamans, and without fail, every single person said Havelock Island.  If you're into beaches, I can't imagine any more beautiful than those on Havelock.

This photo is a single exposure taken with a circular polarizer.  On a full frame body such as my 5D a circular polarizer can create extreme light falloff in the corners of the frame, so much so that the very tips of the corners are totally black at wide focal lengths (of course this depends on your camera, focal length and the thickness of your polarizer and other filters).  I added some vignette to help it blend in without having to crop too much.

The staff at Symphony Palms recommends booking your room three months in advance in order secure a cottage close to the beach, although they are all within a three minute walk of the beach.  You can visit the Symphony Palms website here:
http://symphonypalmshavelock.com/site/the-resort.html

Photo taken Jan 9, 2012

THE BOAT

The Boat at Beach #5, Havelock Island, India

This old boat was tied to the tree for the two days we were on Havelock Island. It doesn't seem to get much use these days, but it sure makes for a great photo op. Any time I had some free time to take photos on the beach I always found myself coming back to this boat.

The shallow waters at Beach #5 make for a beautiful mix of blues and greens. See my previous post for more info about Beach #5.

This is a four exposure HDR. This is a case where I really don't see any alternative to HDR given the extreme lighting contrasts that were present at the scene. The water color is accurate. If you visit this beach you'll see for yourself.

Photo taken: Jan 9, 2012

BEACH #5

Gentle Beauty Beach # 5, Havelock Island, India

The bright midday sun doesn't lend itself to long exposures, but I brought my ND filter and circular polarizer so that I could slow things down a bit and capture the soothing motion of the sea.

Beach #5 is not the main attraction on Havelock Island, and is usually overshadowed by the far more famous Radhanagar Beach (Beach #7), which is considered one of the best beaches in the world. I would have to agree that Radhanagar Beach is the best for swimming, as the water gets deeper close to the shore, the sea floor is free of rocks, and the beach itself is long and wide, offering plenty of space to find a private spot to hang out for the day or camp overnight on the beach. In addition, Radhanagar Beach offers a stunning view of the sunset.

But Beach #5 is more ideal for photographers wanting to get a shot of the colorful waters prevalent across all of the Andaman Islands. Two factors make the colors pop at Beach #5. First is the shallow water, which creates the turquoise and green colors for the first 200 meters or so, giving way to the blues of the deeper waters further out. Second, and more importantly, Beach #5 faces Northeast, allowing photographers to shoot away from the sun and preventing the colorful water from being blown out by the sun's harsh reflection. Radhanagar Beach on the other hand, faces West making it difficult to capture it's beautiful green and blue colors except for a few hours early in the morning. So if you want to get the colors at Radhanagar Beach, you have to go early the morning. The catch, however, is that it does not provide any view of the sunrise, which many photographers are eager to shoot, and is quite stunning at Beach #5. See this sunrise and I think you'll agree.

Daily photo: Jan 11, 2012, taken Jan 9, 2012