Point Vicente Lighthouse

Photographer Gary Crabbe Taking Pictures of Point Vicente Lighthouse, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Last Tuesday, I went to Point Vicente to meet up with photographer Gary Crabbe since he was in Southern California to take pictures for his 5th book, Backroads of the California Coast. If you're not familiar with Gary's work, he worked for legendary outdoor adventure / nature photographer Galen Rowell for nearly ten years prior to starting his own career ten years ago. And he's a pretty damn good photographer himself.

A few minutes after I took this photo, Allen Schaben, a staff photographer from the Los Angeles Times approached us and we all ended up shooting and chatting for the rest of the day since the light never really materialized. Allen was a pretty cool dude. The day before, he covered a shooting in Inglewood. Talk about an awesome job! The drawback to being a staff photographer though is that the newspaper owns your assignment images. If they paid enough, I'd probably be okay with that too though.

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Venice Beach Drum Circle

Young Woman Playing Tambourine in Drum Circle, Venice Beach, California

Compositionally there are things I would like to have done differently in this photo but I felt that this was the picture captured the vibe that I experienced at Venice Beach last Sunday. I actually had a few that I felt were technically better from a compositional standpoint but the girl's expression in this frame is what draws me to this one in addition to the murky lighting conditions. The photos where she is looking into the camera didn't quite work in my opinion.

I think that is the interesting part to photography. There are elements that generally make for solid compositions but there are no formulas or rules that make for an emotional connection with the scene. Photography is a lot like jazz improv in that way. You learn your craft and practice it, but when it comes down to it, sometimes you've just got to go out there and wing it. That is when all the preparation you did prior pays off.

35mm, f7.1, 1/60 sec, ISO 400, hand-held.

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Beach Party, Venice

Girl Dancing in Drum Circle, Venice Beach, California

Last Sunday I went to Venice Beach to try shooting some "youth culture" for Photoshelter's Shoot! the Day contest. I photographed the drum circle last month but had been wanting to do a re-shoot so this contest gave me another excuse to shoot more photos of this weekly event. This time was a little different because the cops made us all move near the water rather than stay next to the boardwalk. I think this loosened everyone up more and attracted a bigger crowd so there were quite a few people dancing this time. Fortunately, mostly attractive young women.

I wanted to mess around with longer exposures for a few shots so I stopped down to f16 and got nearly one-second exposures while hand-holding. This was one of the few attempts that came out with just the right parts moving and the rest sharp.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f16, 1/8 sec, ISO 100, hand-held

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Trinidad State Beach

Trinidad State Beach, California

This was taken on the last evening of the trip. I didn't really encounter any special lighting conditions during this trip, as it was mostly just harsh light, but it was a relatively productive trip nonetheless. Trinidad is definitely a place that I would like to explore some more as this area has potential for great scenic photos.

Now that I've been to the North Coast, the only other areas that I haven't visited along the California Coast are the Mendocino Coastline and the Crescent City / Smith River area which was just a few miles north of Klamath. Where I would also like to spend some more time photographing is Big Sur and the Sonoma Coast.

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Samoa Dunes Recreation Area

Bush Lupine at Sunset, Samoa Dunes Recreation Area, California

I couldn't pull myself away from motel TV while watching Game 4 of the NBA Finals until the almost too late (8 minutes to go in the game, 12 til the sunset, Lakers up by 2) to get this sunset. After the sunset, I turned the radio back on in the car to hear the final score and felt that the sun had set on the Lakers season as well after blowing a 24 point lead. The Lakers ended up winning Game 5, and well Game 6 you can look up the box score yourself...

This was the first time that I've had to choose between my life-long obsession with the Lakers and photography. Not really a fun situation to be in. If the Lakers had won the game then I guess it would have been a little more palatable. I'm glad that I managed to salvage something from this evening though.

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Skyglider Aerial Tram, Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Picture: Tourists Riding Skyglider Aerial Tram at the Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

With apologies to my future wife, I took this picture before the accident. Though a travel image, this photo is based on the landscape photography style. I think it is good to learn from all styles of photography because you never know when you might need to use it. Here, I have the tourists and the bench leading the eye toward the aerial tram at the top of the frame. This is not much different than a standard landscape composition with foreground, mid-ground and background elements. Once I found a foreground I liked, I waited until the Skyglider Tram brought along some tourists passing through at the right moment.

In another picture, I photographed some girls riding the tram looking bored out of their mind. It really said a lot to me about today's culture. Kids are so into the texting, instant free music downloads, and video games these days that they can't even enjoy classic family fun like the Santa Cruz Boardwalk anymore. I'm not sure I'd want to raise my kids in that manner. The Boardwalk is much more memorable in my opinion because it brings us back to a simpler time when there was less noise competing for our attention.

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Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Photo: Giant Dipper Rollercoaster, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California

I had driven past the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk twice in the past but had never walked around. The first time, I was on the way to the opening of Frans Lanting's gallery in Santa Cruz and it was raining outside. The 2nd time, I was on my way to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Well this time, I was in Santa Cruz strictly for the Beach Boardwalk.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of those places that you can't say you have done the California coast until you have been there. It is referred to as "Coney Island of the West" and for good reason. It's probably the biggest beach amusement park in the West Coast. Pacific Pier in Santa Monica is decent sized for being on a pier, but the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is a full-blown amusement park - a destination of it's own. The best part about it is that it is free to go there.

I felt sort of guilty right before shooting this picture. I was sitting on the curb cleaning my gear when a pretty girl was riding by on her bike. I made eye-contact with her. She smiled. I go back to minding my business. Then about ten seconds later I heard a loud crashing sound. Her tire got caught in-between the railroad tracks apparently. The family sitting next me got up and helped her out because she fell in front of their face. Meanwhile I was sitting there pondering, "What the hell just happened?!?"

The girl was fine and rode off eventually, but I felt like a jerk for not putting my gear down for a second and join in seeing if she was alright... Sometimes it's better to act first and think later. That is a concept that works well for photography as well. Photographers that are too methodical will miss all the important shots during key moments of action. In hindsight, it would have been awesome to have photographed her riding by and falling. :-)

The people riding on Giant Dipper were clearly having a better day.

70-300 @ 142mm, f7.1, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400

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San Francisco Seal Rock

After photographing the tree-sitters at UC Berkeley, photographer Greg Lato and I met up with Jim Goldstein at the Cliff House for some landscape photography. Jim broke his toe recently so we chose this location to make it easy for him since he lives nearby. This is him shooting pictures with his $8000, Canon 1DS MKIII. Too heavy for my tastes, but the image quality is unbelievable at 21 megapixels.

Photo: Photographer Jim Goldstein Photographing the Sunset at Seal Rocks, San Francisco, California

Seal Rocks is a location that I had been to many times before when I lived in San Francisco. I enjoyed exploring the trails around Lands End in particular. This spot I had never photographed from however, though it is the most obvious spot to shoot from.

Picture: Seal Rock, San Francisco, California

It was a fun day of shooting. The three of us went for a late dinner afterwards near the Golden Gate Park and I didn't get to Redwood City until almost midnight. Pretty cool way to start the trip.

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Venice Beach Skaters

Photo: Teen Skater Jumps Off Ledge, Venice Beach, California

I stayed off to the side initially. I didn’t take photos for a while until I felt comfortable and so I could blend into the background. At first I just took wide angle snapshots from far back to warm up for close up action then gradually worked my way closer. A couple of the kids asked me questions, but once they were on their boards they did their thing. Then I noticed that all of them were starting to line up for jumping off this ledge so I went over there too. I crouched next to a metal trash can where I knew they would be avoiding a crash landing and took photos from as close as I could safely get.

I had my composition ready before the skaters jumped and waited to catch them as they flew by. What I was hoping to do was catch some mid-air tricks and maybe a few wipeouts but no one landed badly so I had to settle for the tricks. I would have liked to have gotten this guy’s entire arm in the frame but I think the rest of the image is interesting enough to make it a keeper.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f8, 1/320 sec., ISO 100, handheld

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Hare Krisha Dance, Venice Beach

Picture: Hare Krishna Drum Circle Dancing, Venice Beach, California

Venice Beach is a street photographer's dream. There are a lot of different things to photograph here on the weekends. Some are more mainstream activities such as playing basketball, tennis, surfing, etc... but there is also a lot of counterculture and street performers. I've also been to Venice during a weekday but the vibe wasn't the same so I wouldn't recommend going there on the weekday just to shoot photos.

This photo was taken at the Hare Krisha drum circle that played out along the Venice Boardwalk. Playing a tribal drum beat, the group kept chanting, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." Followers were also handing out promotional materials for the Hare Krisha Cultural Center and several local restaurants. I spoke to someone briefly about what they were doing, but it was over my head. Though I did read on Wikipedia that their practices are based off of the Hindu religion.

Shooting action scenes is not easy particularly when it is very crowded. I took about 325 images of the Hare Krishna, the Venice Drum Circle, Muscle Beach and skaters just to get a few publishable pictures.

My main strategy for these types of photos is to pre-visualize the corners of the frame before I put the camera to my eye. By the time I look through the viewfinder, my finger is practically tripping the shutter already. When there are many moving elements, there is no time to compose in camera. It has to be seen in your mind first. I'm always looking at the corners of the frame and seeing the center through my peripheral vision because the edges often make or break a photo. Even as is, this image isn't perfect. The guy on the right corner crept into the frame.

I find taking people pictures to be very challenging because it requires you to interact with the subject. I'm shy sometimes around people I don't know that well so it would be easier to hide in the corner somewhere with a telephoto or to avoid taking photos altogether but that doesn't make for good photography. To quote National Geographic photographer, Bill Allard, "What does a telephoto lens do for you that you couldn't do yourself by moving in physically? Robert Capa said if your pictures aren't strong enough, you're not close enough. What would have happened to this picture if instead of staying in your safe and secure spot and cranking the lens, you'd moved in? It's hard to establish rapport from twenty-five feet away. I'm not going to find out something about that person from fifty yards behind a tree."

17-35mm lens @ 17mm, f8, 1/400 sec., ISO 100, handheld

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Huntington Beach Kites

Photo: Kiteboarding Kites, Huntington Beach, California

It's hard to believe that a few days ago it was overcast and 60-something degrees. Today it is around 100 degrees. I would imagine that Huntington Beach doesn't look this way either today.

I don't do much high-key photography but it looked interesting on my computer in this case. Does anybody else feel the same way?

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Huntington Beach Kiteboarding

Picture of Kiteboarder Flying Over Waves, Huntington State Beach, California

There weren't that many people at the beach because it was cold. The cool part though was there were quite a few kiteboarders out there riding the waves. I had never seen this sport before so I wasn't sure how to anticipate the moves. I only took a few pictures but this one was my favorite.

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U.S. Flag Flying Over Arlington West

Photo: U.S. Flag and Crosses at Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica, California

This makeshift cemetery has been set up on the north side of the Santa Monica Pier each Sunday since February 15, 2004. As the death toll in Iraq rises, the Veterans for Peace organization has started to use a number of red crosses to symbolize 10 soldiers killed in action. Previously, there was a white cross for each death but the toll is so high now that it would take up most of the beach.

I have previously photographed four anti-war rallies and those were bursting with energy. However, the Arlington West Memorial is the most introspective demonstration that I have witnessed to date. There is no need to scream at people here demanding for justice. The work speaks for itself.

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Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica

Picture: Tally of American Military Killed and Wounded in Iraq War at Arlington West Memorial, Santa Monica, California

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Crystal Cove State Park

California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus) Shell at Minus 1.6 Feet Tide, Crystal Cove State Park, California

For several years now, I have gone to tide pools during the winter months whenever the tides range from -1.0 to -2.5 feet. My goal has been to photograph the ever-elusive octopus. Octopus are generally found in rocky reefs hiding underneath rocky surfaces while half-submerged in water so they are difficult to find. They also change colors as well so finding one has proven to be quite the treasure hunt.

On a tidal zone scale of one through six, octopus are generally considered to be in the level 6 category of marine wildlife so the most likely opportunities to spot one would be when the tide is around the -2.0 feet level. In Southern California, I think the lowest tide I have ever photographed was -1.9 or -2.0 because it only gets that low for a day or two per year. Further up the Pacific Coast, the tide gets lower however and I have photographed down to negative 2.5 foot tides in the past.

My luck was no different on Saturday at Crystal Cove State Park. I did manage to photograph a nearly complex exoskeleton of a California Spiny Lobster however as it was actually lying on the beach, not even in the tide pool. I think that was a result of the extreme difference between high and low tide. In the morning, high tide was a +7.1 ft. and the low tide was -1.6 ft. For my next tide pool adventure I am going to explore a tide pool that I have never been to before so I'll keep that location a secret for now. From what I have heard, that place yields more marine wildlife. :-)

Orange County Coastline, Crystal Cove State Park, California

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Free Magnets Available

Photo Magnet: Couple About to Share a Romantic Kiss Next to Lifeguard Tower at Huntington Beach

I ordered some new business cards recently and the print company threw in a stack of photo magnets for free so now I am offering them for free as well! There is some weird faded text on the magnet for some reason but they're free so what the heck?

To get your magnet, send me a self addressed stamped envelope. Email me first though: Richard (at) rwongphoto.com

Thanks.

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Foggy San Mateo Coast or Clouded Mind?

The night before I got the shots that I’d always wanted so I really didn’t have any plans for Sunday. I contemplated going over to Mount Diablo State Park, San Jose Mission, and the Pleasanton Ridge. Last time I hiked the Pleasanton Ridge with my friend Marc, we got lost off-trail and had to do a seven mile hike up and down numerous ridges before finding our way out. Allergies did me in about halfway through the hike because I’m allergic to grassy and dusty places that have weather above 75 degrees. I saw some great scenic photo opportunities on that hike though so it definitely weighed on my mind.

I sat in the parking lot trying to pick up a wi-fi signal on my laptop and did the whole morning email routine before deciding to drive over the coastal mountains on Highway 92 to the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. Since I’ve almost exclusively photographed coastal subjects this year, I figured I might as well stick to the plan on this trip and thus ended up on the San Mateo Coast. That direction looked clear from Redwood City so I figured that I’d go to the reserve then perhaps head down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk afterwards.


Picture: Foggy Monterey Cypress Trees at James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Moss Beach, California

I should have known better because as soon as I arrived in Half Moon Bay it was overcast. It was somewhat foggy but cloudy more than anything else. The ranger had told me on the phone the night before that it would be overcast and that in summer the fog often doesn’t lift for two or three months straight. I hadn't taken him seriously so my mood instantly dropped. I held my hopes up initially because I’d photographed bush lupine there in July of 2004 under clear weather. What I did find interesting at the reserve however was a colony of sea lions on the beach. I’d been to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve several times and had only seen sea lions frolicking in the water off-shore. Plus, I’d only gone to the reserve during minus tides previously. Given that this is the California Coast, the beach was roped off way too far out of reach for my lens.

I got bored of the reserve pretty quick after taking some photos from the bluffs so I took a leisurely drive up to Pacifica. When I lived there, I used to either go to Rockaway Beach or the other parts of the coastline in town at least once or twice a week. Sometimes I brought my camera while others times I didn’t. Usually the weather was pretty bad but I have a high tolerance for cold weather given that I’m dressed accordingly. The reason why I prefer cold weather and moist coastal areas is because I generally do not have allergies in that type of environment. I have severe nasal and eye allergies in most other types of conditions.

Naturally it was overcast in Pacifica as well. The main beach was crowded with weekend warriors and surfers. It took about five minutes to find parking at the Taco Bell lot. Not seeing anything photogenic, I went over to Rockaway Beach to take a short walk thru the wetlands. I was surprised to see how the place has evolved since two years ago. Previously the tall grasses were short and you could see all sorts of birds in the creek. Now the tall grass is tall and it’s difficult to spot wildlife in there though you can hear the birds. I took the trail up to a higher bluff and got a good view of the foggy wetlands. I left the camera in the car for some reason so I didn’t get any photos from that perspective. I took a few shots from the parking lot then sort of just drove around San Francisco aimlessly for a while.

What I did next is kind of hazy to me now because I was bored, but I recall heading over to Alamo Square in the late afternoon to try photographing “Postcard Row” in warm light. There were no open parking spots on the streets so I drove in circles probably four or five times around the neighborhood. I found a spot on a steep downward hill that required parallel parking. Well I tried my best. :-) Some old curmudgeonly guy across the street was cussing at me for being incompetent while simulaneously I was cussing at the concept of having to parallel park. After five or six attempts, I gave up and skipped Postcard Row on Sunday afternoon in warm light.

Feeling so dejected from the parallel parking incident and gloomy weather, I vacillated between thinking I was a hack photographer or a competent one merely having a bad day. Then I started questioning if the trip was a waste of money. Finally, I started to mentally calculate the Economic Law of Diminishing Returns as it related to my California Coast photography trip. That was a sign that it was time to call it quits for the day.

For some reason I felt compelled to go to Rodeo Beach despite the bad weather. So I went and waited to see if there would be a sunset. It was quite foggy up in Marin when I got there but it burned off by the time the sun set. The problem though was that it was extremely windy and water vapor was flying everywhere on the beach. I coudln't get good photos of the sea stacks because my lenses and filters all fogged up and were soaked by vapor. I saw the sunset and couldn't do anything about it. That was my real sign to call it quits for the day.

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17 Mile Drive

17 Mile Drive Seascape Waterfall, Pacific Grove, California

I was going to post an entry about the first day of my trip last Monday but realized it is on my laptop so I'll have to get that online tomorrow hopefully. For now, here is a photo I took from 17 Mile Drive last Wednesday night. I was standing about on top of this rock formation about twenty feet above the surf. However the waves were so powerful they were actually flying higher than I was! I was only a few feet away from it so I made sure to keep a close eye on the wave action while shooting. I never got wet but when the waves are that powerful you must be cautious. Some of my photos of the same composition have such a big wave explosion that water is all you see. This was definetely a thrilling night for photography.

To get this picture, I was standing elsewhere where there was less wave action going on. I stopped shooting to observe other areas where there was more happening. I noticed a pattern going on with the waves where they would build up higher and higher until it flowed over this rock depicted in the above photo. The waterfall only came every few minutes and only lasted about five to ten seconds at most. I only managed to capture it twice before it got too dark.

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When you're at the mercy of your camera gear.

If you recall my "Surf City USA" post, I mentioned that my camera went for a swim in the Pacific Ocean two weeks ago. Well it had started to fully function again last week so on Saturday I took it for a test run at none other than Huntington Beach Pier! Two weeks ago I wasn't able to get all of the shots that I wanted for obvious resons and didn't even manage to set foot on the pier. This time I went primarily to shoot stock subjects of people doing things at the beach to round out my collection. Well things didn't quite turn out so smoothly.

The Huntington State Beach was very busy. There could have been half a million people there as it was very hot inland. It was even rather humid at the beach despite the marine layer. It was so crowded there that I had to park about a half an hour walk from the pier. I tried using a wide angle but the busy scenes were too cluttered for wide angles. So I tried to use the 70-300mm for most of my shots. I said "tried" because that was the lens that went for the swim along with the camera two weeks ago. The lens is worse off than the camera because there is so much grit lodged in there that the focus ring barely moves. I almost felt like a drunk person trying to shoot action photography as a result. My photos from Saturday were nowhere near as good as what I got last time but I think I managed a few marketable shots.

Photo: Woman in Bikini Reading Book While Suntanning, Huntington State Beach, California

I didn't realize that this girl had tattoos until she turned over. Her whole back was tattoed. She looked like the ideal model otherwise, it's too bad. I might consider cloning out the tats later but I almost never clone stuff so I don't know if I will yet. I'd have to blur out the logo on her bag as well.

Picture: Fisherman talks to bystanders as they admire his leopard shark, Huntington Beach Pier, California

Eventually I made it to the end of the pier and saw this fisherman that had caught a leopard shark. I stayed around photograph him and was prepared to use several gigs worth of shots until I got the shot I wanted in good light but not long after I took this image, my viewfinder fizzled out on me again and I lost most of the camera functions like I did two weeks ago after the swim. I could live with that since the metering and shutter still worked, but as I went to unload my Compact Flash cards onto my new HyperDrive portable hard drive, one of the pins in the HyperDrive bent. So I wasn't able to upload anything. I spent about 45 minutes using my keys to try bending it back into place without much luck. Dejected, I packed up and made the long walk back to my car. :-( It was 6:30 or 7:00 by that point and the light was getting good so that was all the more frustrating.

Picture: Dead Leopard Shark, Huntington Beach Pier, California

The camera works again tonight so I'm sure that it will be back to normal soon. I also managed to bend the pins back upright on the HyperDrive so everything is good to go for the California coast trip. I still think the HyperDrive is very cheaply made considering that it "broke" during my first time of using it but I will give it another shot before contacting B&H about returning it. I'll probably also be bringing a backup camera body in case there are re-occuring problems with my camera.

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Surf City USA: Not Sponsored by Canon

Yesterday I went to Huntington Beach to see the Red Bull Illume Image Quest Action Photography Exhibit that is located next the Pier. I went to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Reserve first because with gas prices the way they are nowadays I don't have the resources to waste by waiting to shoot one location only at sunset or sunrise. Since I was shooting birds in the late afternoon, the light was pretty good by the time I left the wetlands to go to the Pier. My only regret was that I was the first photographer to leave out of the five that were there photographing Royal Terns diving for fish.

Huntington Beach is probably the quintessential location to photograph California beach culture. Having a tripod isn't really a necessity here as I found out yesterday, in fact it might be a hindrance but I'll get to that later. So I parked on the street near some surfers and spent some time photographing them in the sunset light. It was amazing to watch.

Next, I turned my attention to capturing backlit photos due to the big setting sun. There was a marine layer yesterday so there was a big golden glow in the sky. Perfect for doing some telephoto work.

Couple About to Share a Romantic Kiss Next to Lifeguard Tower at Huntington State Beach, Huntington Beach, California

This scene here reminded me of something you would see in a romance movie so I scrambled to get myself angled for a picture. Complicating matters was the fact that I was carrying a new tripod which I'd only used twice before so I was literally fumbling with my gear yesterday. Things are much simpler when you are using familiar equipment so you don't have to think about the process. My previous Gitzo tripod (salt water damage), weighed only two pounds and fit into my backpack. It was a perfect fit for my shooting style because I don't really enjoy dealing with tripods. The bigger they are, the more limiting they are especially when you are trying to capture "the Decisive Moment." With that said, I'm going to look into tying this new tripod onto my backpack next time.

Not too long after I shot several images of the above scene, I took my camera strap off of my neck so I could reach into my backpack to change a memory card. That wasn't the smartest move, as a wave crashed ashore and wiped out my tripod and camera. The tripod is a sturdy one, but the reason why the tripod fell over was because the tidal area was sloping and me not being used to the tripod didn't tighten one of my legs all the way. I did'nt realize that my camera was drowning until I after I closed up my backpack. :-( My camera hasn't been fully functional since, though I still meter and take pictures. But the viewfinder flickers on and off, and the on-camera controls don't work when the lens is attached. It works when no lens is attached though. I think perhaps the connection probably short-circuited for the time-being.

My biggest complaint with Canon cameras is that only the top-of-the-line models are weather-sealed. The 5D isn't even weather-sealed and that camera costs $3,000. Whereas almost all of Nikon's cameras are. This is the 2nd time that I have drowned my camera, but the first time I've had to deal with sand and salt water. The other time was because of rainfall and it started working again after three days of airing out. My 70-300mm lens has a lot of grit jammed up in there too and doesn't really extend anymore as a result. I could live without it as it's not my workhorse lens, but I sure hope the camera starts working again. It wasn't even that wet compared to the rainfall soaking I put it through a year and a half ago.

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I Left My Heart in San Simeon...

I was trying out a scanner last week and scanned in a number of 35mm slides. This image which I just processed yesterday, reminded me of how much I love the California Central Coast. Call me weird but I absolutely love gloomy overcast weather, the salty ocean breeze, and cool temperatures. It is inevitable that I will move to Morro Bay or the coastal Bay Area again sooner or later.

Picture: Spring Wildflowers and Storm Clouds Along William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach with Pier in Background, San Simeon, California

When I lived in San Francisco, people would always remark how depressing it was to live west of the Golden Gate Bridge due to the fog. I loved it. Well aside from the fact that it was impossible to keep my car clean, but that is a different story. For full disclosure purposes however I must admit that I lived on the backside of the ridge where the coastal mountains started in Pacifica, so I wasn't getting blasted by the cold air 24/7. That would have been a little too much to handle.

For this photo which was taken at William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach, I used a Cokin Graduated Grey 2 filter because the sky was gray but had also cloud definition, so I knew that the Cokin would help accentuate the clouds by balacing out my exposure. Normally I wouldn’t recommend a Cokin for sunsets or anything other than a gray sky because it can cause an unnatural color cast, but for overcast conditions it does serve a purpose. For more typical landscape shooting situations where you need to control contrast however, I’d recommend Singh-Ray Galen Rowell graduated neutral-density filters as those have no color cast. There are cheaper GND filters that other photographers use made by Lee and Hi-Tech but I have no experience with those so I can’t personally recommend those.

I shot this photo five years ago on Fuji Velvia 50 slide film. I only shot maybe three or four frames in this area because the cost of film, which is a shame. I only shot maybe two or three rolls per outing at most. Not very prolific compared to the digital age nowadays where a photographer can easily shoot several hundred images and really work a scene while not feel any shame about it. That is one of the reasons why I plan on re-photographing many of the places that I have visited over the years.

California Central Coast places of interest include:

Hearst Castle
Elephant Seals at Point Piedras Blancas
Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History
Morro Rock
Morro Bay Waterfront
Oceano Dunes
Montana de Oro State Park
Mission La Purisima
Solvang
17 Mile Drive
Point Lobos SR
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Big Sur
Elkhorn Slough NERR
The National Steinbeck Center
Andersen's Split Pea Soup Restaurant
Carmel
Carmel Mission

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The O.C.

Photo: Laguna Beach Coastline Including Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, California

Yesterday I went to Laguna Beach to shoot a -1.2 foot tide. On California coastal beaches I have seen everything from whales to half-eaten seals to crustaceans, but one thing I have not seen is an octopus. And the search continues. Despite my failures, I've never been disappointed with a tide pool. The beach I went to yesterday is nicknamed "Mussel Shell Beach" by some locals.

A couple sleeper waves almost took me out to sea with the outgoing tide, and I did capture those on my camera. Perhaps captured a little too much of it... I blew those shots due to overexposure of the backlit sun so I can't show them here.

In this picture is the Laguna Beach coastline with the popular Heisler Park where those palm trees are in the middle of the photo. A few minutes before I shot this I saw a pretty blonde girl with a very tiny red and white bikini screaming while running out into the tide. It was a cold and dreary day yesterday with the storm passing by so I haven't a clue why she was out there in a bikini but I'm not one to complain about that. :-) I contemplated pulling out the telephoto lens for her but I thought better of it. In a place like Laguna, I might get mistaken for a paparazzi and that's not the reputation I want.

I decided to post this picture because I watch the once-popular tv show, The O.C. whenever I can. The series is going off the air in a few weeks so I'm going to need my own fill of Orange County scenic coastline footage to make up for that!

Photo Tips:
1. Keep your eye out for the waves. There is powerful wave action going on at this beach.
2. Bring a lens cloth. It's more effective to wipe off your filters with a lens cloth than a shirt.
3. Bring a long telephoto. You can see seals and birds on Seal Rock just off shore. I have a 300mm and that wasn't quite enough.

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Hanging by a Moment Here With You

"Giant Kelp Splashed by Incoming Tide, Cabrillo National Monument, California"



I took this photo after leaving the Tijuana Slough NWR, California, which I wrote about two posts ago. As I pulled into the parking lot for the Cabrillo NM, I was surprised to see the tide pool parking lot nearly filled. Having never been there before, I thought Cabrillo might be some obscure regional park but it turns out that Cabrillo is one of San Diego's biggest scenic tourist attractions. Who knew? I've been to San Diego many times in my life but hadn't heard of the national monument until Friday when I saw it on a map.

This photo was taken while approximately at -0.8 feet tide. There were no mussels on the beach from what I saw, but many anemones, barnacles, hermit crabs, and several large clumps of kelp. I saw this single strand of kelp on a rock near the tide line and liked how it resembled a rope knot. I took two pictures before a wave washed ashore at this moment as I was clicking the shutter. This was the last shot of the kelp I got as the kelp was swept away back into the Pacific Ocean. The photo captures a glimpse of a brief moment in time, but one that has repeated itself for millions of years throughout the history of the planet. The ocean gave us life all the while reclaiming life in the process.

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Corona Del Mar: Attack of the Camera Nazis

Several months ago I wrote on my blog about 1st Amendment rights after reading an O.C. Register article about the city officials of Newport Beach citing photographers for taking pictures at Little Corona Del Mar Beach. Well now that I have first hand experience of being hassled there, now I can back up my claims with authority.

Now if you have never been to Corona Del Mar, there are multi-million dollar homes situated on the bluffs right above the scenic beach. It IS a PUBLIC beach but the city has this policy that "professional" photographers (anyone with a camera in their mind) has to have a filming permit otherwise they will get ticketed for $100. Meanwhile everyone else on the beach is free to do as they please including have their dogs step on and eat everything in the tide pools leash-free.

So yesterday as I am walking onto the beach, a female city employee approaches me and asks me if I'm here to take pictures. I said yes, then she said, "This is a marine sanctuary and the tide pools are fragile, etc..." I told the lady that I used to work at an aquarium in San Francisco so I know how to respect marine wildlife. Knowing that she couldn't outsmart me, she resorted to, "are you a professional photographer?" I knew where this conversation was headed as soon as she said hello, so my response was, "We're just here for fun." "Okay well I guess you can take pictures as long as your tripod doesn't step anywhere your feet aren't allowed to. But if a police patrol comes down later don't be surprised if he takes down your driver's license number. If you are a professional, then you are expected to have a commercial filming permit otherwise you will be ticketed. Those people make a LOT of money so they should be expected to pay for permits." Goes to show how little she knows about the photography industry. And people who live in Corona Del Mar / Newport Beach don't make money? I could see her face light up once she mentioned the money they could swindle from photographers. I can understand a wedding photographer needing a permit as that operation requires props and numerous people which can be obstructive but a scenic photographer takes up no more space than your typical tourist. Nor does he make much more money in most cases...

I knew the lady was blowing smoke because that is so typical of wealthy cities to try and hog the beaches for themselves and drive away the outsiders. It happens everywhere from CDM to territorial surfers at Palos Verdes to David Geffen in Malibu. They figure if they scare off all the photographers then no more attention will be brought to the beach so it will be all for them. I've got a real simple solution. If you don't want lower-class tourists walking past your house, then don't live next to the beach. The sad part is that they are using the marine life as an excuse to drive people away. The lady had no interest in nor sufficient knowledge of the wildlife to even justify being out there making empty threats. Needless to say, a young woman with a camera came onto the beach moments after my conversation with the city employee and she was approached as well. By then I was already looking for my photos.

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Is this America or Myanmar?

On Gary Crabbe’s blog, he posted an article from the L.A. Times and one from the O.C. Register about the police harassing photographers in public places. The O.C. Register article angers me in particular because that happens to be on the most scenic beach I’ve seen in So. Cal. I can understand a wedding or commercial photographer photographing on the beach to need a permit, but some nomad landscape photographer shooting the water? Give me a break. People like me blend in with the landscape and rarely interact with the people so no one is being disturbed. Best of all, we’re there to celebrate nature. I look just like any other asian tourist.



So now that they’re issuing $100 fines to photographers without a permit, I urge you all the exercise your 1st amendment rights by respectfully shooting away at Corona Del Mar beach. If you get fined or better yet, arrested, let them and let the absurdity of the story take care of the rest. Corona del Mar Beach IS a PUBLIC beach, and even if it wasn’t, the coastline should be public anyway. Gandhi stood for peaceful, non-violent protest and photographers should take advantage of those rights to do so. If the authorities think otherwise, then the Supreme Court will eventually have the last word.

P.S., the photo was taken before the fine took into place. I wouldn't want to harm anyone with the my pixels afterall.

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Malibu’s Finest Beach 2-24-06

El Matador State Beach is lesser-known than some of Malibu’s more famous beaches such as Zuma Beach but much more scenic. Total speculation here on my part but I think the relative seclusion has to do with the fact you can’t see El Matador State Beach from the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) unlike Malibu’s more crowded beaches and because it is a dangerous place to surf. To reach the beach you have to take a trail then down a series of metal stairs down a steep hillside. Once there you’re greeted with huge sea stacks and possibly marine life if it’s low tide. Luckily for me it was low tide when I visited.



On my previous two visits four years ago it was high tide so I wasn’t aware of the amazing array of species hidden beneath the ocean waves. I’d seen stock photos that portrayed El Matador State Beach in a more pristine manner than I’d remembered so I knew there was more to be discovered here.

I met an out-of-town couple from Massachusetts there whom were in town for a wedding and the guy glowingly raved about how he’d never seen such impressive wildlife before on a beach. He stated that he was amazed at how everything in California seemed on a bigger scale than the East Coast. I can’t say that I blame him there. Whenever I travel outside of the West, I’m usually a bit shell-shocked at how flat the landscape is.



El Matador is popular for model photography such as Sports Illustrated style shooting. Each time I’ve been there I’ve seen numerous models on a serious photo shoot on the sea stacks. There’s also a Michelle Branch video for her song, Breathe which I’m almost certain was shot here due to the un-mistakable huge sea stack on the beach that kept reoccurring in the video. This visit was no different as there was a 30 foot RV in the parking lot with music blasting and lawn chairs strewn all over. Down on the beach there were several people setting up for the shoot with a girl or two. The north end of the beach is a nude beach, but just as pristine for wildlife as the rest of it.



Notes:
1. Go during low tide. The beach looks dramatically more impressive during these conditions.
2. Bring a polarizer.
3. Bring a camera flash. Tide pools are dark and a lot of good stuff is under the rocks so a good flash will bring out the details.
4. Bring a telephoto lens- birds such as brown pelicans frequent the area.
5. Don’t remove anything from the rocks.

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