The numerous pilings along the shore at India Point - remnants of the old scrap metal docks that covered the river a half century ago - are a perfect environment for tautog. This spotted black salt water fish can reach up to 3 feet in length and weigh in between one and three pounds. It makes its home among rocks, pilings, or other ocean bottom-obstructions. Tautog season in Rhode Island opened October 15th and runs until December 31st. The daily catch limit is 10 fish measuring at least 16 inches in length. This woman had two lines in the water, but I didn't see her haul in any fish.
I decided to take my "Nifty Fifty" out today. (The "Nifty Fifty" is a 50 mm prime lens.) It allows you to get up very close to your subject and is a favorite in street photography. The biggest challenge I had using it in today's photo was this woman kept wanting to turn and pose for the camera. She didn't speak much English, so it was hard to convince her to stop posing. I finally got the point across and was able to get this shot.
Post processing was a bit complex. I started with a photo pop filter in Topaz Adjust. Adaptive exposure, contrast, and adaptive saturation sliders were adjusted. In PSE, I added a levels adjustment to the overall image, and then also added a levels adjustment just to her face. (She has very dark skin, and it was in deep shadow thanks to the brim of her hat. I had to artificially lighten it.) I then merged all of those layers and applied a black and white gradient map in color blend mode. I adjusted the hue towards the red beneath the gradient map and then applied a levels adjustment. I also applied a levels adjustment to just the sky and adjusted the hue of the sky deeper into the blue to bring out the contrast with the clouds. A sepia photo filter topped it off.
