Moods of Lake Erie

July 11, 2024 • Leave a Comment

To Paul, who liked this beach very much and introduced me to it

The night before was wild with rainstorms and downpours and I could see the effect on Lake Erie right as I got out of the car at Sturgeon Point. The wave action was rather impressive for a lake and I started having second thoughts about my intentions. For a baseline, here's a video of what things looked like at the water's edge.

Waves of Lake Erie in MotionOvernight Downpours Churned the Lake Up

Waves of Lake Erie in Motion. Overnight Downpours Churned the Lake Up

I wanted to capture some smooth long exposures of the lake, which I had not done in a long time. But seeing the action, I felt obligated to alter my plans. I was not going to give up on the long exposures. In fact, the wild action could provide the best set up for those. However, I didn't feel that the long exposures represented the reality.

Wild Lake Erie MoodLong Exposure

Wild Lake Erie Mood, Long Exposure

From the opening video, through the original plan of a long exposure, to the opposite approach and going for a fast shutter by my favorite part of this beach. The shale rocks sticking out into the lake are such a gem and I can't get enough of them. It is always a challenge to return with new compositions as this area is like a magnet to me.

Churning at the LakeshoreFast shutter

Churning at the Lakeshore, Fast Shutter

It was not only the water that had different plans than me but the sun too. In general, sun had been messing with me for a few days already. I kept trying to take some infrared pictures around town and sun would be shining while I was in the house. But the moment I'd hop in the car it would immediately start playing peek-a-boo with me.

And this day on the beach? Just the opposite. I left with a pretty dense layer of clouds overhead and it looked like it would rain any moment. That was what got me thinking of long exposures. Low and diffused light is a good recipe. By the time I got to the location, the heavy clouds were mostly gone and nice puffy white clouds were rolling around, with the sun popping in and out all the time.

Lake or Ocean, Two Sides of one CoinTwo Sides of one Coin, this one showing the wild side of Lake Erie.

Lake or Ocean, Two Sides of one Coin, this one showing the wild side of Lake Erie

To make it even more apparent how the choice of technique can influence the resulting photograph, the above and below photos are photographed from the exact same tripod location approximately 2 minutes apart. For the action stopping photo above I removed the neutral density filter from my lens and changed camera settings to allow for a fast 1/800 sec. shutter speed. For the long exposure below, I re-attached the ND filter and altered the camera settings for a 13 second exposure. Thus, the exposure time for the above photograph was 10,400x shorter (quicker) than for the photo below. Nothing else changed. Look at the rocks, they are all still in the same place.

Lake or Ocean, CalmTwo Sides of one Coin, this one showing the quiet and moody side of Lake Erie.