Moeraki Boulders Sunrise 5931M3

     These, mainly smooth rounded or ovular in shaped boulders, are scattered as isolated or clusters a stretch of beach on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. They consist of mud, fine silt and clay, cemented by calcite. The rocks have been exhumed from the mudstone and bedrock that first enclosed them and then concentrated on the beach by coastal erosion. The beach is now a protected scientific reserve. For photographers, it is an ideal location for sunrise compositions with unusual-shaped rocks, tidal action, light, and weather. The morning in which this image was created the seas were gentle, the tide incoming which served not to overwhelm the rock formations. I used an eight second exposure to smooth the ocean surface and allow the clouds to show motion. The rest was just determining the best perspective and composition to achieve the balance and feeling of depth I wanted.