Even though I grew up just outside of Jacksonville, I am not very familiar with the area of Jacksonville Beach (known to locals as Jax Beach), it wasn’t the beach that I usually went to with friends when I was a teenager, we preferred Anastasia State Park, in St. Augustine because at that time, you could still drive on it which meant your music and your snacks were always close by.
Jax Beach is just one of a community of beach areas in Jacksonville, it has the typical laid back, beach vibe that you would expect from any beach-side community, and even though the boardwalk is nothing like the one my husband took me to at the Jersey Shore, you will find your typical beach shops, restaurants and bars. According to the City of Jacksonville Beach web page, it was quite the entertainment destination after it was built in the early to mid 1900’s.
One of the most notable icons of Jax Beach is the Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier, not only is it a great spot to fish from, is a very popular spot for folks to take photos of the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean. Remarkably enough, I had not been among the masses to shot at this particular spot, at least not until this weekend.
A friend and I headed out early Saturday morning to make the 30-40 minute drive to Jax Beach to capture another beautiful sunrise. The tricky thing about Jacksonville is that it can be beautiful, clear weather in one area, and just a few miles away, the weather can be completely different. This was definitely the case this morning. When we left our neighborhood, the skies were clear and the air was calm. Upon our arrival at the beach, however, we noticed the winds were severe and there was a thick blanket of clouds just along the eastern horizon – guarantying our inability to capture the sun as it was rising.
We decided to make the best of it, because I can certainly use the practice and, no day at the beach or with the camera is a bad day. Besides, I am NOT a morning person and I certainly didn’t want to feel as if I woke up at 4:30 am for nothing!
Nikon D7200
ISO 100
35mm
f/2.8
1/1000 second
Nikon D7200
ISO 100
24mm
f/8
1/60 second
Sweet Red's Rantings 