Asilomar Surf - Asilomar State Park, Pacific Grove, California
This was such a complex situation that it was hard to keep the entire thing in my head without losing concentration. See the notes and below for a better explanation. No HDR!
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/405994199...
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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D (Mark I)
Canon 17-40L @ 30
0.3-second exposure @F16
10 minutes after sunrise
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.75
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Since California sits on the west coast of North America and there are usually mountains and cliffs behind the beaches, there are few places where you can capture good light at sunrise, but this north-facing point near Monterey does the job nicely. It is much easier to wait for sunset usually.
The problem with this place is that when the surf is up, there are too many things happening all at once. And any one of them could lead to you and your camera taking a swim in the Pacific. When I get to the beach, I'll usually go to where the action is and stand there for a while without the camera and just take it all in. Then I'll choose a spot as close to the action as possible. Those are the most memorable places for me.
In the darkness before sunrise, it can be difficult to determine how the light will be, so I focus on the waves and how the water moves, and hope for the best when it comes to the light. So I found this spot which is close to the road but requires a walk through a low spot where the waves sweep through at high tide, so you have to time it a bit.
Every once in a while a wave would strike the rock to the left in back. Sometimes nice waves would form out in the open ocean. Sometimes the wave would hit the rock in the foreground. And after some waves, the foam would gradually clear a bit allowing light to penetrate the water and show off the color in there. The problem is, all these variables were not in synch with each other. Also, the sunrise was a bright red but I was going for this shot, which at the time had little light on it. So I ignored a great sunrise and waited for a hole in the clouds to let in the sun.
Since there was too much going on for me to keep in my head, I decided to focus on capturing the wave striking the distant rock. That was the most dramatic thing. I tried about 10 times before I captured the other elements I wanted in the frame. See the notes for what I wanted. Then the good light was gone for the day and this was my only photo I kept from this morning.
The map shows exactly where this is.
See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
.
Asilomar Surf - Asilomar State Park, Pacific Grove, California
This was such a complex situation that it was hard to keep the entire thing in my head without losing concentration. See the notes and below for a better explanation. No HDR!
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/405994199...
---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------
Canon 5D (Mark I)
Canon 17-40L @ 30
0.3-second exposure @F16
10 minutes after sunrise
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.75
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Since California sits on the west coast of North America and there are usually mountains and cliffs behind the beaches, there are few places where you can capture good light at sunrise, but this north-facing point near Monterey does the job nicely. It is much easier to wait for sunset usually.
The problem with this place is that when the surf is up, there are too many things happening all at once. And any one of them could lead to you and your camera taking a swim in the Pacific. When I get to the beach, I'll usually go to where the action is and stand there for a while without the camera and just take it all in. Then I'll choose a spot as close to the action as possible. Those are the most memorable places for me.
In the darkness before sunrise, it can be difficult to determine how the light will be, so I focus on the waves and how the water moves, and hope for the best when it comes to the light. So I found this spot which is close to the road but requires a walk through a low spot where the waves sweep through at high tide, so you have to time it a bit.
Every once in a while a wave would strike the rock to the left in back. Sometimes nice waves would form out in the open ocean. Sometimes the wave would hit the rock in the foreground. And after some waves, the foam would gradually clear a bit allowing light to penetrate the water and show off the color in there. The problem is, all these variables were not in synch with each other. Also, the sunrise was a bright red but I was going for this shot, which at the time had little light on it. So I ignored a great sunrise and waited for a hole in the clouds to let in the sun.
Since there was too much going on for me to keep in my head, I decided to focus on capturing the wave striking the distant rock. That was the most dramatic thing. I tried about 10 times before I captured the other elements I wanted in the frame. See the notes for what I wanted. Then the good light was gone for the day and this was my only photo I kept from this morning.
The map shows exactly where this is.
See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
.