Jim Wulpi  

Sea Shell by Jim Wulpi

March 2025 - Sea Shell

About the Image(s)


Sanibel Island is a beautiful island off the coast of SW Florida, near Ft Myers. It is renowned for its beautiful beaches and abundant seashells. Although the shell in this image is nothing extraordinary or exotic, the coloration and shape, and how it was causing the lapping waves to react to it caught my eye. I had my long lens with me, so I had to stand back far enough to be able to focus on it. I took numerous images with the gentle waves flowing in, then out. I liked this one as the water was receding and formed a slight bulge at the top end. Despite the 1/160 sec shutter speed, some of the water is stationary, while some shows slight motion blur from the receding wave. I also like the coloration of this simple shell.
Technical info:
Canon 6D MkII with Tamron 150-600 f5.6-6.3 at 552 mm; 1/160 sec; f18; ISO 200. All edits were done in Lightroom.

Your thoughts?

This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted

Stanley Cheong   Stanley Cheong
Although it is an insignificant shell, after your shooting, I imagined that this is a love story between the shell and the waves, they are interdependent, hugging each other, it is very touching.

Have you ever tried shooting with a slower shutter speed, such as 1/2 second, to make the sea water softer and silkier?   Posted: 03/05/2025 01:42:00
Jim Wulpi   Jim Wulpi
Stanley,
Thank you for you touching interpretation of my image.
For reference, I took about 40 shots of this scene in various states of wave/shell interaction. I liked this one best, in large part, because of the "hugging" look of the backwashing wave. I actually used a brush mask to lightly accentuate the brightness of the "hugging" water. Thank you for putting a name to the action.
Many of the others are interesting and do show various degrees of motion blur.   Posted: 03/05/2025 08:42:50
Piers Blackett   Piers Blackett
You have skillfully captured the esthetics of shells on the beach and in the waves. It took me a while to adapt to the 16:9 crop which fits the flowing wave being partially stopped by the shell. I would consider a slight vignette since I tended to wander a bit but that could be good. I think the the left to right flow of the wave is consitent with Japanese style for tsunami paintings and the alternative by doing a horizontal flip could give a more dynamic effect perhaps.   Posted: 03/05/2025 12:35:11
Jim Wulpi   Jim Wulpi
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Piers. That's what this group is all about.
The current slightly elongated crop was done in an effort to contain the viewers eye to the key components of the scene. Your suggestion to mirror the image to promote a more natural (western) visual flow is very astute. I will give it a try, along with Shirleys suggestion towards a crop at the area above the shell and standing wave.
Your comments are appreciated.   Posted: 03/09/2025 21:25:07
Shirley Pohlman   Shirley Pohlman
Jim, the more I look at your image, the more it catches me. The flow of the water has me going around the entire shell. I believe this would make a beautiful large print for a seaside home. My one suggestion would be to crop a little off the right side so that the flow of the image doesn't end so abrubtly.   Posted: 03/08/2025 15:51:47
Jim Wulpi   Jim Wulpi
Thank you for your comments, Shirley. I do have plans to print this but am waiting for comments from all the wonderful people in this PSA group, as well as see how it fares in two current monthly camera club competitions this image is also in.
High praise indeed that this is wall-worthy for a seaside home.
My wife and I went to a highly regarded art fair earlier today in SW Florida and I was seeing other works of art that all the artists were trying to market their work to that exact audience.
Your comment re: cropping from the backside of the "hugging" wave will likely be implemented - as well as trying out Piers suggestion, too.   Posted: 03/09/2025 21:17:46
Karen Botvin   Karen Botvin
Lovely shot, Jim. The lighting is perfect. I love the ripples and the bubbles around the shell as well as the kind of '>' in yellow on the face of the shell. Nice capture! Good luck with your camera club submission.   Posted: 03/11/2025 13:14:26
Martin Newland   Martin Newland
A great shot, Jim. I am always amazed when such a simple subject becomes such a wonderful image. Well done.   Posted: 03/16/2025 22:50:17