The Cave At Leo Carrillo
A couple of weeks ago, Eric Gail and I had set off at 4 AM to try to catch a sunrise at Malibu Pier. While we were shooting, I struck up a conversation with a local photographer named David who casually mentioned that one of his favorite sunrise locations was Leo Carrillo Beach which was located another 20-30 minutes North of the pier, way up past El Matador. Eric and I wasted no time in heading up there to explore and to scout for future sunrises,
Fast forward to last Saturday night. I had just returned from New Orleans and was exhausted and had a billion and one things to get done...but I pulled up Skyfire as I knew a storm was moving in, and sure enough, it showed a 70% chance of a decent sunrise at Leo Carrillo State Park.
At 4 AM the next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and blearily headed up the 60 where I picked up Eric, and together we headed up past Malibu, not quite sure what to expect.
When we parked it was till dark. Wearing our headlamps we carefully picked our way across the rocks and were pleased to see some clouds beginning to light up. Leo Carrillo is another one of those rare spots on the California Coast that have sections that face to the East, and the horizon was already beginning to glow. We both went into landscape photographer mode and began criss crossing every square inch of Sequit Point as the sun came up. After shooting a while, I looked around a corner as the waves receded and noticed a cave underneath where we had been shooting. Jumping into the surf, I ran into the cave and found that the other end faced the East. (The above shot might not be available in February as the sun is already beginning to move further North as we move through January.)
After the sun had come up, Eric and I stayed as long as we could before heading home. It was a truly glorious morning as the light just seemed to keep getting better and better. A warm January breeze had kicked up from the East and the ocean was flatter than either of us could recall ever seeing with almost zero surf lapping up on the shore by the time we left. The reflections off of the water were just amazing. And best of all, we caught this location on a Sunday which meant we could make it home in 90 minutes. On a week day, that would easily be a 3 hour trip with the traffic.
So for those of you keeping score at home, the list of incredible sunrise locations on the Southern California coast now includes Laguna (Heisler and Fisherman's Cove) Malibu Pier, El Matador (not available during high tide) and now Leo Carrillo. I'm hoping to try a couple more sunrise locations soon, before all of the clouds disappear for the year, but in the mean time, I can't wait for my next trip to Leo Carrillo.
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Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Blog | Website | Facebook | Instagram | 500px | Twitter | Google +
The Cave At Leo Carrillo
A couple of weeks ago, Eric Gail and I had set off at 4 AM to try to catch a sunrise at Malibu Pier. While we were shooting, I struck up a conversation with a local photographer named David who casually mentioned that one of his favorite sunrise locations was Leo Carrillo Beach which was located another 20-30 minutes North of the pier, way up past El Matador. Eric and I wasted no time in heading up there to explore and to scout for future sunrises,
Fast forward to last Saturday night. I had just returned from New Orleans and was exhausted and had a billion and one things to get done...but I pulled up Skyfire as I knew a storm was moving in, and sure enough, it showed a 70% chance of a decent sunrise at Leo Carrillo State Park.
At 4 AM the next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and blearily headed up the 60 where I picked up Eric, and together we headed up past Malibu, not quite sure what to expect.
When we parked it was till dark. Wearing our headlamps we carefully picked our way across the rocks and were pleased to see some clouds beginning to light up. Leo Carrillo is another one of those rare spots on the California Coast that have sections that face to the East, and the horizon was already beginning to glow. We both went into landscape photographer mode and began criss crossing every square inch of Sequit Point as the sun came up. After shooting a while, I looked around a corner as the waves receded and noticed a cave underneath where we had been shooting. Jumping into the surf, I ran into the cave and found that the other end faced the East. (The above shot might not be available in February as the sun is already beginning to move further North as we move through January.)
After the sun had come up, Eric and I stayed as long as we could before heading home. It was a truly glorious morning as the light just seemed to keep getting better and better. A warm January breeze had kicked up from the East and the ocean was flatter than either of us could recall ever seeing with almost zero surf lapping up on the shore by the time we left. The reflections off of the water were just amazing. And best of all, we caught this location on a Sunday which meant we could make it home in 90 minutes. On a week day, that would easily be a 3 hour trip with the traffic.
So for those of you keeping score at home, the list of incredible sunrise locations on the Southern California coast now includes Laguna (Heisler and Fisherman's Cove) Malibu Pier, El Matador (not available during high tide) and now Leo Carrillo. I'm hoping to try a couple more sunrise locations soon, before all of the clouds disappear for the year, but in the mean time, I can't wait for my next trip to Leo Carrillo.
--------------
Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Blog | Website | Facebook | Instagram | 500px | Twitter | Google +