Surf, Kirby Cove

Surf, Kirby Cove

Surf, Kirby Cove, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

On a recent overcast evening, with my guest from Finland, on a bluff above Kirby Cove, I waited for the night lights of the Golden Gate Bridge.

To pass the time, I tried long exposures of the white surf on the dark beach. My idea was to get the exposure as long as possible, so I used a circular polarizer to make things darker (and increase the tonal contrast). I also wanted to underexpose the overall image, because I knew I could pick up the white waves in post-processing.

This was an image that I pre-visualized in black and white, although I exposed in full digital RGB color and converted using the techniques I explain in The Photoshop Darkroom.

Keep in touch with what Harold is doing! For news, tips, techniques and special offers related to Harold's work and digital photography subscribe to the Harold Davis Photography email newsletter.

The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing Creative Night: Digital Tips & Techniques Creative Black & White: Digital Tips & Techniques Creative Close-Ups: Digital Tips & Techniques


Harold buys most of his digital photo equipment from B&H.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.