Patrick Smith Landscape and Seascape Photography



Santa Barbara Sunrise     Buy limited edition print/license     Buy open edition print   

Location:  Stearn's Wharf, Santa Barbara, California

Story:

Stearns Wharf is the central attraction on the beach in Santa Barbara. There are shops and great places to eat while you take in
the dramatic views of the ocean and the ridge of 4,000-foot mountains behind the city. In the winter, the sun rises behind this
wharf, which is the oldest working wharf in California.   

It took 10 trips to this pier over the course of a year before I finally made this photograph.  On the other occasions, it was either
completely clear (most of the time) or completely foggy.  There are few places on the west coast where you can see a sunrise, but
this beach faces southeast so during the winter, the sun rises behind the pier and over the ocean.
The Santa Barbara Area

This area is generally regarded as the northernmost portion of Southern California.  It is amazing how as you drive north from
here, the landscape changes radically into the
Central California look.  Another element that contributes to the change in the
landscape is how the coastline abruptly curves to the east as you drive south.  So the coastline in San Diego winds up being
further east than Reno Nevada.  This makes for warmer weather in general as you move east and south as the coast gets
sheltered from the near constant northwest winds.  This also means that the waves get much smaller and the coastline gets less
dramatic.  But there are still lots of scenic places for landscape photography along the coast and elsewhere.
Stearn's Wharf, Santa Barbara, California
Montecito Morning   Buy limited edition print/license    Buy open edition print  

Location:  Montecito, California

Story:

A thick fog began to clear as the sun rose, allowing the warm light to filter through to the sand. This groyne keeps the sand in
place and has some good rich tones in the grain. The boats anchored offshore are there year round..
Montecito, California
Santa Barbara Evening   Buy limited edition print/license    Buy open edition print   

Location:  Santa Barbara, California

Story:

This is the view from 4,000 feet above Santa Barbara looking south towards Santa Cruz Island. Part of Channel Islands National
Park. To the right is Santa Rosa island and far to the right is San Miguel Island. The Channel Islands are America's Galapagos Islands
and home to the oldest dated human remains in North America—Arlington Springs Woman (13,000 BP). The world's most complete
pygmy mammoth specimen was discovered on Santa Rosa Island in 1994. These miniature mammoths, only four to six feet tall,
once roamed island grasslands and forests during the Pleistocene era.
Santa Barbara, Channel Islands, California
Santa Barbara Twilight   Buy limited edition print/license   Buy open edition print  

Location:  Santa Barbara, California

Story:

This was taken just after 'Santa Barbara Evening.' The lights of the city were getting brighter and just at the same level as the
natural light. The light in the clouds illuminated the water, completing the soft mood of the moment.
Santa Barbara, Channel Islands, California
Share/Save/Bookmark