Rocky coastline at Soberanes Point, Garrapata State Park, Big Sur, California
The Big Sur coast is one of those truly special locations that never fails to impress. The rocky shoreline and misty mountains are instantly recognizable the world over, yet her mood is constantly changing throughout the seasons providing a fresh perspective with each new visit.
From the early morning fog to the golden sunsets, this meeting of land and sea is in a constant state of flux. And as you make your way along that magical ribbon known as Highway 1, each turn reveals a slightly different scene that somehow seems more dramatic than the last.
For photographers, this perpetual change is ideal and the challenge of making fresh images (common in many other popular landmarks) is all but removed. The Big Sur coast is also part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and its rich sea life, including Elephant Seals, otters. and migrating gray whales, provides yet another opportunity for great imagery and unparalleled wildlife viewing .
Cascade on Hare Creek, Limekiln State Park, Big Sur, California USA
How many times have you arrived at a scene, anxious and ready for the show to begin only to find that Mother Nature had other plans. The light is far from spectacular, and your perfect image just faded before your eyes (or sensor) ever had a chance to capture it. Typical? Yes, but there’s just one problem. There is no such thing as bad light!
The issue is more with perception than the reality before you. Sure it requires a change of plan, but photography in its simplest form is painting with light (any light) and in that context, it’s all good. Learning to work with a variety of light will expand your visual toolkit and result in more satisfying and dynamic landscape images.
Big puffy clouds will always add drama to a landscape. But what if the sky is a sea of blue with nothing to balance the frame except an intense sun in the wrong location? Use a small aperture with that wide-angle lens and create a dynamic sunstar. This is a great opportunity for visual storytelling. Include a silhouette of a person involved in an activity or a defining landform and you’ve just turned that bad light into a compelling image.
But now you say the sky is completely overcast with no direct light anywhere? This is the perfect time to point your lens to the finer details below the horizon or at your feet. In this case, the sky is simulating a giant studio softbox with broad even lighting and no shadows – perfect for macro shots and isolating elements of the scene with a telephoto. That drab looking light will actually enhance the colors of flowers and trees, and combined with a slow shutter speed it will turn water into silk.
So the next time you’re met with less than ideal conditions, think twice before packing it in. Taking a different approach to the weather and thinking outside the box could be the only difference between creating some powerful imagery or nothing at all.
Northern elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
The Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris), or sea elephant, ranges from the Pacific coastal waters of Canada to the tip of Baja, Mexico. It is the largest of the fin-footed mammals and with males typically weighing up to 6000 lbs it exceeds the walrus in size. Though they were hunted to the brink of extinction toward the end of the nineteenth century, their numbers have steadily increased in recent years due to protection from both the US and Mexican governments.
Elephant seals feed on fish and squid or other cephalopods and spend upwards of 80 percent of their lives in the ocean. They can hold their breath for nearly two hours and dive as deep as 2,000 feet in search of food. During the three month breeding season, bulls fight to establish territories along beaches and to acquire harems of up to 40 cows.
These juveniles are part of a large rookery at one of several pocket beaches near San Simeon on the Central California coast. As part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary this colony has grown exponentially since the early 1990s, and a well-designed series of boardwalks, interpretive signs and docents offer a unique wildlife experience for anyone visiting the area.
