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english setter walking on the edge of the waves on the beach of Cape Henlopen

Weekend Getaway to Cape Henlopen

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Camping clears my brain. In a year of transition and learning so much, going back to the vacation of my childhood gave me space to not think about software architecture in the slightest.

Moon shining through multiple pine trees at night, black and white

We arrived past dark on a Friday. I knew i wanted to intentionally document Sue's (english setter) first trip to the ocean, but I also wanted to not be distracted by a camera. So I packed just a compact, more than a decade old Lumix LX100 with it's 24-75mm equivalent lens. I dropped this camera a few weeks ago and the zoom is pretty crunchy, so I shot everything between 24-35mm.

English setting lays down beside a fire pit at Cape Henlopen

The camera shows it's age but if you know what you are dealing with, you can work around it. Limitations can actively help keep your images grounded.

English setter laying down on pine needles, next to a picnic table with a moka pot on it and the edge of a camping tent on the side


Setting up camp was pretty easy. Cape Henlopen's campground is convenient and makes the logistics straightforward. But I underestimated how wet their firewood would be. After struggling to make hot fire, I realized my only option would be to slowly dry out the wood by propping all of it up around my small struggling flame. This ended up working just fine, but the first meal took a while to cook. Sweet potato tacos:


Sweet potatoes and red onion cooking in a cast iron pad over a firepit with a grill. Wet firewood is stacked behind it to dry out over the fire

The camp itself is beautiful and is a quick walk to the Delaware Bay or the Atlantic. Dogs are allowed past September on the beaches.

Cape Henlopen trees with a sand and pine needle floor and a classic wood fence diagonally cut through the image
english setter paws behind three brown mushrooms all on a sandy patch of ground

Let's just say Sue had an elated experience:

dog running on the Delaware bay shoreline with a fishing pier in the distance
wet dog rubbing its head into beach sand
dog posting for photo on the Delaware bay, licking licks

The following morning we got up for sunrise and were greeted with a moody, cloudy blue hour

english setter walking on the edge of the waves on the beach of Cape Henlopen
black and white dramatic photo with a dutch angle tilt of a english setter wading into the Atlantic ocean.

I really liked out the grittiness of this older camera added something to the photos. There is something fun about using this camera with it's build in lens. The lens is decently sharp, but has barrel distortion at it's wide angles. Combining that with a dutch angle and some dramatic black and white edits let to this image, potentially my favorite of the trip.

Moon shining through multiple pine trees at night, black and white
English setting lays down beside a fire pit at Cape Henlopen
English setter laying down on pine needles, next to a picnic table with a moka pot on it and the edge of a camping tent on the side
Sweet potatoes and red onion cooking in a cast iron pad over a firepit with a grill. Wet firewood is stacked behind it to dry out over the fire
Cape Henlopen trees with a sand and pine needle floor and a classic wood fence diagonally cut through the image
english setter paws behind three brown mushrooms all on a sandy patch of ground
dog running on the Delaware bay shoreline with a fishing pier in the distance
wet dog rubbing its head into beach sand
dog posting for photo on the Delaware bay, licking licks
english setter walking on the edge of the waves on the beach of Cape Henlopen
black and white dramatic photo with a dutch angle tilt of a english setter wading into the Atlantic ocean.

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