These sandstone concretions at Bowling Ball Beach, a few miles south of Point Arena, California are much like the Moeraki boulders in New Zealand. This is low tide at sunrise, which is good for reflections.
I wanted to get a long exposure to finish off this unforgettable evening. But rather than wait for it to get darker, I pulled out my trusty, very dark circular Hoya ndx 400 (10-stop) filter. I wanted a long exposure while there was still a nice red color to the sky. After several attempts, I finally had the effect I wanted!
Grandmother Rock bears witness to yet another impressive sunset at Trinidad Beach, just north of Eureka, California. I moved in a little closer to highlight Grandmother rock and how she almost is looking up to the sky. It is really quite striking. I made sure to get the best reflection possible to enhance the mood even further. And I waited to a wave to happen at the same time as the reflection. The two variables did not happen very often it seemed.
Low tide in the morning erases all footprints and creates a myriad of interesting patterns and shapes. The problem is, in order to see and photograph them, you have to make your own footprints. The beach looks so perfect that you don't even want to spoil it by walking on it! Also, the footprints can spoil a photo.
Low tide at sunset produces some nice effects on a flat beach such as the ones near Trinidad. So when I noticed some dramatic cloud and light behind Camel Rock, I included lots of soft ripples to contrast with the dramatic cloud and rock. Waves kept moving in and erasing the patterns and reflections, so it took quite a while before things settled down into the arrangement you see here. Then I waited for some breakers to happen in front of the rock.
Trinidad State beach is a photographer's paradise, especially at low tide. The flat beach creates lots of pools and reflective sand patterns. Here, the first light of day brightens up the higher clouds, leaving the lower ones still in the shadows for extra drama on a warm and humid morning.
Every so often, a wave would strike the foreground rock, making some nice patterns in front of the dark background. So I waited.. and waited. Finally it happened when there were reflections at the same time. I had to get hit by several waves first though because I had to stand my ground with the tripod deep in the sand!
As the sunset progressed, I noticed an unusual circular vortex forming in the lower cloud deck. It was not a tornado nor a cyclone, but it moved quickly. I waited for it to move over (behind) the little island to draw the eye to it even more. I have never seen anything like it. It was gone in a few minutes.