Return to Big Sur - Soberanes Point

Last weekend, I had gone to Big Sur in search of some specific shots. If you read my earlier post, you saw that I had gotten some great views of McWay Falls. There was one spot, however, that I couldn't find while I was there. So I decided to drive the two hours back to Big Sur in search of that location.

Once there, I did find the location I had missed before, Soberanes Point, and I set up to get some sunset shots. Well, when I set out, I had hopes of capturing a shot that would do this incredible scenery justice. I am thrilled with this shot. It was definitely worth the drive!

For those who like some technical info, this shot was taken just after sunset. I used a 45 second bulb exposure at f/16 to soak up the fading sunset light and to achieve the ghosting effect on the waves on the rocks.

Los Gatos artist, Vernon Dittenbir, will be showing oil paintings from four of my wildlife photos at an Art Show in April

I was visited today by a local painter, Vernon Dittenbir. I've had a few artists ask permission to recreate some of my wildlife photographs in their chosen medium, from laser art to oil paintings. It is always very flattering and I really enjoy seeing their renderings, to see how their eye translates what my eyes have caught on film.

Today, Vernon came by my office, and he brought four of his paintings to show me. Wow! He told me they would be part of his display at an Art Show being held next month. You just have to see these for yourself, so with Vernon's permission, I've posted photos of his paintings alongside the photos that inspired him. If you'd like to drop Vernon a line about his work, you can e-mail him here.

Thank you, Vernon!

McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Burns State Park — Big Sur California

I set off this past weekend to Big Sur, California, with one goal in mind — to photograph McWay Falls. The weather report was good, and with a high-pressure system off the California coast, that meant no fog, of which Big Sur is notorious.

McWay Creek is extraordinary. It drops 80 feet into a small cove and spills onto a pristine beach below it. The beach is not publicly accessible…at least, not to humans. This was evident, because when I first arrived at the falls, I could clearly see animal tracks in the sand below.

I spent the first afternoon and evening scouting the location and taking test shots to get a feel for which angles I felt would best represent this amazing place.

I took the first shot with a Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, which is not an "everyday"-type lens, but is a lot of fun. As you can see, it allowed me to capture my path across the footbridge, with McWay Falls and the sunset in the distance. [See full size image of "McWay Falls Bridgescape" here]

As the sun approached the horizon, the light became warm and illuminated the cove nicely, casting a glowing golden tint to the rocks and drawing the turquoise color from the shallow surf that lapped at the sandy beach. I snapped a few more photos before I wrapped up for the night. [See full size image of "McWay Falls Sunset" here]

The next evening, I arrived at Pfeiffer Beach and went to a rock formation known as, "The Window To The World." From the photo, you can see why it has that name. Just as the sun was setting, it cast a glow inside the cave opening. By using a 10-15 second shutter delay, I was able to capture the flowing surf as it crashed through the opening and out onto the rocks before me. I took many exposures timed to the surf, trying to get the best misty effect. [See full size image of "Window to the World" here]

The next morning, at 3 am, I headed back to McWay Falls. I calculated, by the moonrise schedule, that the moon would be far enough west to illuminate the cove and, if conditions were right, I'd be able to capture the scene by moon light. I was not disappointed! By 4:30 am the moon was in perfect position and I took this picture. It was a challenge because (believe it or not) it was still totally dark, with exception of the moon light, so I was forced to focus manually. It took a 30-minute exposure to capture this scene! [See full size image of "McWay Falls Moonset" here]