High Energy / by craig levers

It has been an exciting week out west. There have been moments amongst the mad energy that inspired awe. There have been moments of perfection. 

The swell was on the brink of being too big for our coast. It would have been easy to check it and write it off, too strong, a foot too big, no banks. The eternal balance; the tipping point between too much and not enough.

White Horse, click on the image for purchase options

I was excited to shoot the energy using slow shutter speeds to convey the fluidity and movement. The challenge is, again, a bit of balance; not slow enough and the image looks out of focus- soft, too slow and it's a blurry mess. 

Surf shots are normally shot at around 1/1000th of a second, that freezes just about any movement so everything is crispy and sharp. Most of these images were shot at 1/8th of a second. It was one of those beautiful west coast evenings where everything goes gold and green.

The whole beach was bathed in golden light. 

Green Fury a new addition to the PhotoCPL Waves Gallery, care of Monday evening. If you want to see it bigger just click on the image. Look pretty great on your lounge room wall huh! 

Who would be mad enough or proficient enough to get down the slabbing, frieght-training walls. Dune Kennings and Elliot Paerata-Reid did as did a hardy crew of locals at the other end of the beach. The dead low tides took their toll on fibreglass and egos, but the reward was there. 

EPR evening two

EPR locked in

Elliot and Dune...probably weighing up the high price for the big dividends about now

Never to be seen again

Dune positioned perfectly within the beast ... before it entombs

.... and maybe less than desirable placement

Dune's redemption

Below sea level drainer for Dune

What do you say, too blurred by the slow shutter? [Not a rhetorical question- I'd love to know your thoughts]  

The bones creak, muscles ache and plans are a foot the the next bout of offshores. Thanks Tasman for giving us the goods.  
 

From The Galleries 

Another slow shutter shot; this one is from the other coast, but an equally as exciting day of high energy. 

Just click on the image to see it large