Photo Spot Summary
Country: United States
Category: Landscape
State: Mississippi
City: Ocean Springs
GPS Latitude: 30.397549
GPS Longitude: -88.814552
Directions
There are several areas along the beach in Ocean Springs that are worth exploring. East Beach Drive, Belle Fontaine Drive and Front Beach Drive all have beautiful scenery. All of these streets can be reached by turning south off of US 90 in Ocean Springs.
Photo Spot Details
Ocean Springs was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many old fishing piers that were damaged during the storm have not been replaced. These old piers make wonderful photographic subjects. The beach runs, for the most part, in an east-west direction. Although it is not possible to get shots with the sun rising or setting in the middle of your frame, you can often compose with the sun rising/setting off to the side of the frame.
Weeks Bayou, which drains into the Gulf at the west end of East Beach Drive, adds great foreground interest for sunset shots.
In the summer, when the humidity is high, you can often find thunderstorms brewing in the Gulf to the south. These dramatic skies also make great photo opportunities.
Sunrise and sunset are the best times to photograph from the Ocean Springs beaches. At this location, a wide-angle lens is a must, as is a sturdy tripod. If you are interested in trying some long exposure photography, bring along your ND filters or a circular polarizer to give you more exposure time. You will also find split ND filters useful at this location.
Photo Tips
To avoid light leaks during long exposures, make sure you cover your viewfinder using an eyepiece cover. If you have lost your cover, drape a sweater or towel over the back of your camera.
If you don’t have split ND filters, take one exposure for the sky and one for the foreground and combine them in post.
