A lone surfer waits for a wave a people stroll the pier watching a brilliant sunset at the end of a winter day. I tried to capture the texture of the sand and the patterns of the surf and foam to set the mood.
Version #2 from the right side of the pier. Before sunrise it was completely clear but fortunately some nice clouds moved in to bring color to Christmas morning. I made another image from the other side of the pier as well.
Before sunrise it was completely clear but fortunately some nice clouds moved in to bring color to Christmas morning. I made another image from the other side of the pier as well.
The fourth in the Santa Monica Series shows the new wheel just after sunset. I waited again for the sand to briefly become smooth and for the ever-changing color of the wheel to be complementary to the blues in the sky. The wheel does not spin very often so it takes a while to get it right.
I was driving along the South Orange County coast towards my intended sunset shooting location when I saw this nice set of waves breaking offshore at Crystal Cove State Park, between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. I abandoned those plans because there was a nice opening in the low fog layer right here, perfect for the sun to drop through, so I headed down to the beach. I watched the waves for a while to see how I could capture the distant waves breaking at the same time as a foreground wave would break on some rocks on the beach. I had to wait about 3 minutes before the coincidence happened and I missed the first one, so I waited a few more minutes, and then I finally caught it just right. The water was only about one foot below the camera on the tripod for this exposure!
The Santa Monica Pier is a great place to escape the summer heat and enjoy an ice cream and watch all the people walking by. I used an 8-second exposure to show the movement without the people disappearing entirely. The timing on the wheel was important. The wheel would stop to pick up passengers and then move a little, eventually filling up to spin several times. Here, a little movement was combined with a medium amount of light to fill the circle with light, yet not overpower the rest of the scene. The spokes show when there is no movement in the wheel and though it looks great to the eye, a single image simply shows the spokes.
The third in the Santa Monica Series shows the new wheel just before sunset. I waited for the sand to briefly become smooth and for the ever-changing color of the wheel to be complementary to the warm glow of sunset. The wheel does not spin very often so it takes a while to get it right.
This was the only spot I could find in the entire park that had any standing water. It was late spring, and there were a few flowers around but not enough to make a good landscape, so a water scene was the next best thing. It is a natural spring with a small dam that raises the water level a few feet. It can go dry in the summer. Fortunately a few rare clouds drifted by, improving the light quite a bit!
A winter storm whipped up the ocean and spread a glowing light onto the sandstone for just a few minutes before the rain hit. I got close to show detail but had to run away with each crashing wave.
I got drenched several times trying to get close enough to the post-storm surf to get a good view of the flowing water. The sandstone rock dropped off right behind me, leaving no place to run from the waves. Sometimes incoming water looks the best in a photo, but here the water draining off the rock face looked the best. Every situation is different. The sunset was so intense that I had to desaturate this image 10% to retain detail in the sky. Everything was bathed in reds and pinks.
On this morning, I was struck by how the clouds complemented the sandstone formations. So I arranged this scene and waited for a dramatic wave to impact the shoreline. After I knew that I had captured this scene well, I went hunting for more.
Since rock and sand are such important elements in the seascape, choosing a memorable vantage point can be crucial to the creation of a good photograph. I spotted the amazing cloud formation first, and then I looked around and found a spot where the sandstone formations lined up with the cloud patterns. I had to run quite a way down the beach to get here just in case the alignment were to disappear. Then I waited for a wave to complement the scene and provide definition to the sandstone formation on the right side of the frame. I have never seen anything like this before or after, so I was quite fortunate!
A thick fog began to clear as the sun rose, allowing the warm light to filter through to the sand. This groyne keeps the sand in place and has some good rich tones in the grain. The boats anchored offshore are there year round.
Stearns Wharf is the central attraction on the beach in Santa Barbara. There are shops and great places to eat while you take in the dramatic views of the ocean and the ridge of 4,000-foot mountains behind the city. In the winter, the sun rises behind this wharf, which is the oldest working wharf in California. It took 10 trips to this pier over the course of a year before I finally made this photograph. On the other occasions, it was either completely clear (most of the time) or completely foggy. There are few places on the west coast where you can see a sunrise, but this beach faces southeast so during the winter, the sun rises behind the pier and over the ocean.
An intense winter storm blew into the San Diego area with 30-50 mph winds and lightning. But it also brought dramatic light and large waves. I had to shelter the camera with my body in order to get this image sharp. I will never forget being out there on this day!
The Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California is used by oceanographers to do studies on the ocean and its effects on the rest of the planet. Before making this image, I waited for the light rays to arrange themselves between the pilings. I also waited for the waves to pull back leaving foam on the sand. I didn
This is the view from 4,000 feet above Santa Barbara looking south towards Santa Cruz Island. Part of Channel Islands National Park. To the right is Santa Rosa island and far to the right is San Miguel Island. The Channel Islands are America's Galapagos Islands and home to the oldest dated human remains in North America
The last rays of sunlight peeked though the clouds, bathing the Malibu Pier and the hills in the distance. The waves were small, which allowed lots of light to reflect off the water and the sand. The sunset behind the camera was excellent with lots of color in the clouds, but I liked the light on the pier even more. Many times, it is best to point the camera away from a nice sunrise or sunset because the light will be superb on the land and sea opposite from the sun. I also like how the small bits of seaweed cast long shadows on the sand.