Pigeon Point Evening Buy!
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
Pigeon Point is home to large numbers of pelicans year round. It really should be called Pelican Point. As the sun set, the sky began to
glow, but that alone is not enough to make a good photograph. I noticed that the water had become calm and the light enhanced the
color of the water. I decided to use a long exposure to define and accentuate the rocks in the foreground. This reduced the
distracting motion of the waves while the glow was retained. There are other times, however, when showing the motion of the water is
the better choice. Experimentation is often necessary to determine the best way to go.
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
Pigeon Point is home to large numbers of pelicans year round. It really should be called Pelican Point. As the sun set, the sky began to
glow, but that alone is not enough to make a good photograph. I noticed that the water had become calm and the light enhanced the
color of the water. I decided to use a long exposure to define and accentuate the rocks in the foreground. This reduced the
distracting motion of the waves while the glow was retained. There are other times, however, when showing the motion of the water is
the better choice. Experimentation is often necessary to determine the best way to go.
| The Seascape of San Mateo County In some ways, this stretch of coastline gets overlooked despite being within a 1 hour drive (with good traffic) for more than 7 million people. Most people head to Santa Cruz and south, or Marin County and north on the weekend. But this is a very scenic and quiet stretch of the California coast with endless opportunities for some good landscape photography. Go here for prints on metal, or canvas (24x36 and smaller) Go here for full-resolution downloads, low-cost photographic prints and framing of all images on this page. |
Whitewashed Buy!
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
This beach just south of Pigeon Point is full of interesting rock formations. These rocks have been carved by waves like the one
shown here. I watched the beach for 20 minutes, looking for interesting wave patterns and this was the best of them. So I set up
the camera and tripod and waited for just the right moment. I like how quiet the water is in the pool just before it is to be hit by
the wave.
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
This beach just south of Pigeon Point is full of interesting rock formations. These rocks have been carved by waves like the one
shown here. I watched the beach for 20 minutes, looking for interesting wave patterns and this was the best of them. So I set up
the camera and tripod and waited for just the right moment. I like how quiet the water is in the pool just before it is to be hit by
the wave.
Pelican Rock Buy!
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
This rocky coastline south of Pigeon Point is the perfect place for Pelicans to sit and watch for fish. They come and go all day and
make dramatic plunges into the ocean when they spot their dinner. I had to wait quite a while for the right combination of wave
and light in order to show this place off at its best. Notice how the foreground rock is completely wet? Several times, I had to grab
the tripod and run, as one wave after another pounded that rock. I also had to wait for a background wave that was big enough
to break in a nice curl, but not so big as to block the ocean's horizon.
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
This rocky coastline south of Pigeon Point is the perfect place for Pelicans to sit and watch for fish. They come and go all day and
make dramatic plunges into the ocean when they spot their dinner. I had to wait quite a while for the right combination of wave
and light in order to show this place off at its best. Notice how the foreground rock is completely wet? Several times, I had to grab
the tripod and run, as one wave after another pounded that rock. I also had to wait for a background wave that was big enough
to break in a nice curl, but not so big as to block the ocean's horizon.
Pelican Cove Buy!
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
Before taking out the camera and tripod from the backpack, it is a good idea to study the beach and how the waves interact with
the rock and sand. Choose one or two favorite places to emphasize, where the water motion grabs your eye. Here, I liked the
curl of the distant waves as well as how the water flows over the foreground rocks. So I waited for both events to happen at the
same time. Eventually it did, but I had to be hit by a few waves while I lifted the tripod above my head.
Location: Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, California
Story:
Before taking out the camera and tripod from the backpack, it is a good idea to study the beach and how the waves interact with
the rock and sand. Choose one or two favorite places to emphasize, where the water motion grabs your eye. Here, I liked the
curl of the distant waves as well as how the water flows over the foreground rocks. So I waited for both events to happen at the
same time. Eventually it did, but I had to be hit by a few waves while I lifted the tripod above my head.
San Gregorio Light Buy!
Location: San Gregorio State Beach, San Mateo County, California
Story:
San Gregorio beach is a great place to watch the sunset. This was taken as the first storm of the season caused the water in the
river to breach the sand dunes and flow to the sea. Bubbles of sea foam made a line in the sand as the last light came through the
fog.
Location: San Gregorio State Beach, San Mateo County, California
Story:
San Gregorio beach is a great place to watch the sunset. This was taken as the first storm of the season caused the water in the
river to breach the sand dunes and flow to the sea. Bubbles of sea foam made a line in the sand as the last light came through the
fog.
Lighthouse Sky Buy!
Location: San Gregorio State Beach, San Mateo County, California
Story:
After doing a landscape version of this scene, the upper part of the sky began to glow. So a portrait mode was the way to go. I
still wanted to keep some rocks in the foreground for balance. I had to wait for the waves to calm down so that a 5 second
exposure was enough to smooth out the water.
Location: San Gregorio State Beach, San Mateo County, California
Story:
After doing a landscape version of this scene, the upper part of the sky began to glow. So a portrait mode was the way to go. I
still wanted to keep some rocks in the foreground for balance. I had to wait for the waves to calm down so that a 5 second
exposure was enough to smooth out the water.
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Ocean Mist Buy!
Location: Grey Whale Cove, Pacifica, California
Story:
A big pacific storm churned up the ocean into a sea of spray and mist, just as the sun was setting. Here the waves have settled
down a bit giving this scene a peaceful feeling. At other moments, it was anything but peaceful as the surf pounded the beach
with surges of water covering this very spot up to 10 feet deep!
Location: Grey Whale Cove, Pacifica, California
Story:
A big pacific storm churned up the ocean into a sea of spray and mist, just as the sun was setting. Here the waves have settled
down a bit giving this scene a peaceful feeling. At other moments, it was anything but peaceful as the surf pounded the beach
with surges of water covering this very spot up to 10 feet deep!
