• This rock is 10 times further away from the monolith (to the left) in front. So I made sure to have a wave in between to show the depth a bit.
  • I did a 1x2 panoramic crop because all the action was happening in the middle of the 2x3 original frame.
  • I mad sure to get a little dry sand on the left side.
  • Of course I waited for a wave to strike this rock for extra drama.
  • I had to get into the water to have an interesting foreground of water and sand. The further back you stand, the more you have to zoom in and the less depth you get in a photo.
  • Few things are better than a side-lit rock against a darker background!
  • I moved around to get some separation between the rocks, so there is really only one place to stand for the best composition or these rocks. Move left and the rocks blend together. Move right (and back) and you are too far away.
  • During the workshop, many people were over here in order to capture the wave hitting the rock.
  • The tip of Point Reyes is out here about 10 miles away. 10 miles of white sandy beach with few people, just a few miles away from 7 million people in the San Francisco area!
  • I like the 4 diagonal lines. One here, one to the left (bordering the sand) and two to the right (the waves)
  • A little reflection from the crashing wave.
  • A bit of dark reflection from the monolith.
  • this is some serious wave action! - Dene' Miles
  • sea ghost! - tropicaLiving - Jessy Eykendorp
  • enjoyed so much to see the detail here - tropicaLiving - Jessy Eykendorp

Passing Storm - McClures Beach, California

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The evening before a very enjoyable workshop I did with Dave Fitzsimmons yesterday, we headed out into a rain storm to do some shooting. I had a feeling the sky would open and let in a last bit of light because this is the first place to clear after a storm. We lucked out! No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/443311592...

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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @40
1/6-second exposure @F11
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.75 (5 1/2 stops total)
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 50
Small Slik tripod with Manfrotto pistol grip ball head
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Bare feet, no way to keep dry if you wish to get close!

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The Story
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After a brief but heavy rain, the skies cleared just as the sun set. Only in March and September does the sun set at an angle to show every little detail on the monolithic rocks at McClures Beach, in Point Reyes National Seashore. During winter, the sun sets behind the rock, making it a black silhouette. And in summer, the sun sets with the light almost directly striking the rock, which also diminishes the detail that can be seen. (You could probably get this effect in April, I would guess.) Also as always, the transition between the end of the storm and beginning of light are often the best times to be here.

The next evening (yesterday), we were back for the workshop and the wind was literally sandblasting us. I did not shoot because I wanted to make sure that nobody got caught by a rogue wave. I have never seen wind conditions this bad. But fortunately some high clouds moved in and the tops of the nicely formed waves were being blown sideways by the wind. It was majestically scenic! It reminded me that if I had not taken up photography, I would not be out there to witness such a spectacle. I would be inland enjoying the sun in my back yard, away from the wind which literally blew me off my feet once. That is one of the best things about photography, you get a chance to appreciate and look forward to, what would normally be considered bad weather!

Thanks to everyone who attended. We all survived a serious sand blasting and I look forward to seeing our photos in this new group I formed.

www.flickr.com/groups/patricksmithworkshops/

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Resources:
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Google Earth
earth.google.com/

Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.

Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr

Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235

Wave Heights (I choose 'North Pacific from Global')
polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
Or Here:
www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/RP1bw.gif

Photos of every inch of the California coastline from a small plane. Excellent for close in detailed views.

www.californiacoastline.org/

The map shows exactly where this is. It is an easy hike from the parking lot.

See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
.

JaveFoto, Willlllake, Ivan Makarov, MoutahaX, and 307 other people added this photo to their favorites.

View 20 more comments

  1. Paul Porter Photography 38 months ago | reply

    Nice timing with the wave action in this iconic composition Patrick. I'm very fond of this spot at McClures.

  2. arizonafriend (100k views) 38 months ago | reply

    You continually deliver the most awesome shots. Excellent work.

  3. Jim Patterson Photography 38 months ago | reply

    Glad you got some shots in during the workshop. Sounds like it went well which is always good when shooting by the ocean!

  4. nessahlove 38 months ago | reply

    absolutly beautiful !

  5. Caméraboy 38 months ago | reply

    Congratulations!





    ... . . . .. . .. . .. . . . We feel the freshness, like:
    . . . ... . .. . .. . Sand on Skin . .. .... . ... .. .
    . ... . .. Post 1+, Award 1 .... .. . .. .
    SAND ON SKIN SPECIAL (WITH PRIZE)!!!

    Beautiful ...Please join to the group!

  6. kk7k 38 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called 2010.anything of good taste, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  7. *Vera- busy [deleted] 37 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Something Different..., and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  8. daisymaebear - 37 months ago | reply

    Love the beach and especialy rocks or sea stacks and the beach. wonderful.
    EI INVITE L
    This wonderful photo, which truly reflects Nature At her Best, was either admired in Nature at Her Best or we would like to invite you to join other talented photographers in Nature at Her Best
    <i&gt ;I& If you receive more than one comment, we really like your photo..
    .

  9. Andrea Speziali 37 months ago | reply

    Great photo !

    by www.AndreaSpeziali.it


  10. helmet13 37 months ago | reply


    I saw this in the 200+ Faves group and Faved it.

  11. Andreas Helke 37 months ago | reply

    With the wave extending the line of rocks this becomes a very interesting image. I would like to start my new Amazing Image: Seascape group with it. So its the first invitation for this new group in my Amazing Image group series.

    This is the invitation into one of the groups of the Amazing Image or 5 FAV flickr group series.

    This group is part of a series that invites some of the most amazing images found on flickr to create high quality group pools concentrating on a narrow topic in each group.






    If you click on the banners above you´ll see the large image view of the group. This is the central feature of the series. You may need to select the large size in the flickriver tool. Press the space bar to operate the viewer in its slide show display mode.

    In contrast to a normal flickr group the administrator selection of all images in the Amazing Image group series makes sure that all the images in the group have almost the same high quality as the photos shown above.

    Here the group page of the central administration group if you are interested in the complete series.
    ___

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Amazing Image: Seascape, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  12. larsvandegoor.com 36 months ago | reply

    awesome


    I saw this in the 200+ Faves group and Faved it.

  13. Pat McDonald 36 months ago | reply

    I agree, this is outstanding …

  14. KatieFarina 36 months ago | reply

    I love the wave thats about to crash! and the detail is amazing.

  15. Mercadder 35 months ago | reply

    Hola, soy el administrador de un grupo llamado chuao wallpapers y nos encantaría agregar tu foto al grupo.

  16. David M: 35 months ago | reply

    A very interesting shot. Super composition. Well captured.

  17. melenama 34 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called USA by tips4travels, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  18. ROB.J.WARD. 31 months ago | reply

    A good photo with great wave movement, well taken.

  19. Emotioned.com 27 months ago | reply

    We are working on a monthly travel and adventure sport competition, all winning entries will be published in an online magazine. Judge panel will selected from Flickr.

    There are 3 parts of the competition, 2 parts are currently under development:

    A Flick group called : www.flickr.com/groups/emotioned/

  20. Eduardo RA 9 months ago | reply

    Hermosa foto, espectacular vista, deberías agregarla al grupo:
    Beautiful picture, marvelous view, you should add it to the group:

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