• Warm Sky & The Winter Sea •
I don't know a ton about how the weather works but I have come to recognize that I generally see a nice sunset the day after it rains or when haze lifts in the afternoon. This trip fell under the latter category, as early morning fog shifted to haze before finally vanishing in the early afternoon. It's still hard to predict weather beyond that out here and nearly every day reads the same on the extended forecast: sunny and clear or sunny and hazy. Clouds creep in after dark and disappear by morning.
I headed out a bit late and well after the haze had already lifted. By the time I arrived and parked at Venice Beach, the sunset had already started so I found a clean area of beach and set up there quickly. I really intended to arrive in the late afternoon to take advantage of the 10 stop ND filter and maximize the short winter days but I hadn't quite realized yet how unpredictable LA traffic can be from one area to the next.
The first few trips to Venice had been beyond memorable (the third as well since I took Scotch down to the water on a crowded sunday afternoon) and I spent maybe 6 hours and taken roughly 500 long and short exposure shots on those days. I was a bit worried after the first sunset back in january that I'd only be disappointed by comparison so I tried to stay away from Venice for a little and explore further. By the end of February though, I was back at Venice and while the sunset above wasn't as intense as the previous 2, it did offer a really nice pinkish orange sky with a matching hue on the surf and shoreline.
Like the other trips, Venice as a whole was fairly quiet and the beach was mostly empty. In fact, I think there were more boats out at sea than people on the shore. I imagine it's possible to get used to the winter sunsets out here if you live in the area long enough, but I'll certainly never tire of them. The wind was calm and with the light fading, I mostly focused on the great patterns in the foreground along the beach and the break in the waves and used primarily just a CPL on my lens. It was one of those sunsets that lingers a bit after the sun has gone down and the sky and water remained this color until it slowly faded into night.
I haven't shot many sunsets the last few months in part due to weather not cooperating but also so I could spend a lot more time with my rapidly aging dog and get as many portraits of him while he's still willing and able. As I've mentioned numerous times, he's the main reason I got into photography in the first place and though I love taking his portrait, I'm beyond ready for fall weather and the return of some big, memorable sunsets. Hopefully Scotch will join me a few times whenever these sunsets return.
Venice Beach
Venice, California
February 28th, 2016
SETTINGS
Canon T4i
EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
@18mm
ISO 100
f/3.5
1/13th second
CPL
• Warm Sky & The Winter Sea •
I don't know a ton about how the weather works but I have come to recognize that I generally see a nice sunset the day after it rains or when haze lifts in the afternoon. This trip fell under the latter category, as early morning fog shifted to haze before finally vanishing in the early afternoon. It's still hard to predict weather beyond that out here and nearly every day reads the same on the extended forecast: sunny and clear or sunny and hazy. Clouds creep in after dark and disappear by morning.
I headed out a bit late and well after the haze had already lifted. By the time I arrived and parked at Venice Beach, the sunset had already started so I found a clean area of beach and set up there quickly. I really intended to arrive in the late afternoon to take advantage of the 10 stop ND filter and maximize the short winter days but I hadn't quite realized yet how unpredictable LA traffic can be from one area to the next.
The first few trips to Venice had been beyond memorable (the third as well since I took Scotch down to the water on a crowded sunday afternoon) and I spent maybe 6 hours and taken roughly 500 long and short exposure shots on those days. I was a bit worried after the first sunset back in january that I'd only be disappointed by comparison so I tried to stay away from Venice for a little and explore further. By the end of February though, I was back at Venice and while the sunset above wasn't as intense as the previous 2, it did offer a really nice pinkish orange sky with a matching hue on the surf and shoreline.
Like the other trips, Venice as a whole was fairly quiet and the beach was mostly empty. In fact, I think there were more boats out at sea than people on the shore. I imagine it's possible to get used to the winter sunsets out here if you live in the area long enough, but I'll certainly never tire of them. The wind was calm and with the light fading, I mostly focused on the great patterns in the foreground along the beach and the break in the waves and used primarily just a CPL on my lens. It was one of those sunsets that lingers a bit after the sun has gone down and the sky and water remained this color until it slowly faded into night.
I haven't shot many sunsets the last few months in part due to weather not cooperating but also so I could spend a lot more time with my rapidly aging dog and get as many portraits of him while he's still willing and able. As I've mentioned numerous times, he's the main reason I got into photography in the first place and though I love taking his portrait, I'm beyond ready for fall weather and the return of some big, memorable sunsets. Hopefully Scotch will join me a few times whenever these sunsets return.
Venice Beach
Venice, California
February 28th, 2016
SETTINGS
Canon T4i
EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
@18mm
ISO 100
f/3.5
1/13th second
CPL