Old Orchard Beach Pier
Photo Stories,  Travel

Photo Story: Old Orchard Beach Pier, Maine

Old Orchard Beach is a bustling place in the middle of the summer tourist season.  However, when we visited Old Orchard Beach in the middle of September much of the crowds were gone.  It was just perfect for an afternoon walk on the beach.

Old Orchard Beach Pier

Old Orchard Beach has a long beach, shops, amusement park, and a long pier that juts out into the ocean.  The pier has shops, restaurants, and pubs, many of which were already closed in mid September.

The pier did make a terrific photo opportunity with the low tide and wet sand reflecting the clouds and pier.  I didn’t make it to Old Orchard Beach until mid afternoon, so I used a circular polarizer to bring out the reflection and darken the blue skies.

Old Orchard Beach Pier Photo Details

Camera:  Olympus OM-D E-M1
Lens:   Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro Lens
Focal Length:  21mm
ISO:  200
Aperture:   f/10
Shutter Speed: 1/200 of a second
Exposure Compensation: +0
Lighting: Bright, Partly Cloudy Afternoon

Pier Photo Processing

  • Cropped the photo in Lightroom 5.
  • Used the Color and Contrast Boost I filter in Topaz Clarity to bring out the colors in the photo and increase contrast.
  • Selectively lightened and darkened the image using Viveza 2 from Google.
  • In Color Efex Pro 4, I Used the Detail Extractor filter to bring out the details of the pier. I used the + control point so the filter was only applied to the pier.
  • Selectively removed noise from the photo using Topaz DeNoise and a layer mask in Photoshop.
  • Selectively sharpened the photo using the Unsharp Mask Filter and a layer mask in Photoshop CC 2014. I copied the layer mask from the prior step and inverted it.
  • Added a vignette to the image using the Vignette Lens filter in Color Efex Pro 4.

Written by Martin Belan

Related Blog Posts
Photo Story:  Jewell Falls, Portland, Maine
Photograph 5 Lighthouses in a Single Morning in Portland, Maine
Photographing Grafton Notch State Park, Maine

The Site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. Our affiliates include: Amazon, Skylum Software, Topaz Labs, DxO, Viator, Hotelopia, and Langly Co.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 + 13 =

error: Content is protected !!