Mendocino and Santa Cruz Coast: Long Exposure Photos, July 2012
Page 1 of 2 - Follow the Birds
As smooth as the previous trip was, this one had its difficulties. It begins with this photo. Sure, it's an interesting photo of San Francisco across the bay, but it began with a mistake. I took a wrong turn, intending to continue north on Route 580, but instead, mistakenly going towards the Bay Bridge. I attempted to exit. That brought me to Treasure Island. While turning around, I saw this pier and thought I'd photograph it. While hardly a picturesque pier, the overall view is several layers of awesome. It was difficult not getting on the bridge, not going toward San Francisco, my favorite city. But Bowling Ball Beach in Mendocino awaited! Geek stuff: /22, ISO 200, 25-second exposure, Nikon D90, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, B+W 1.8 6-stop neutral density filter, Feisol tripod. |
Problem was, of course, high tide. The big round amazing geologic wonder is obscured by high tide late in the day, typically. And while I knew this from the tide charts I brought with me, I still had difficulty locating Bowling Ball Beach because of that. No matter, I would photograph this primordial sea instead, just past Bowling Ball Beach. Title: Primordial Sea 1 You can imagine ancient earth's life forms beginning to emerge from the sea in this photograph. |
Title: Primordial Sea 2 You can imagine ancient earth's life forms beginning to emerge from the sea in this photograph. Although quite foggy, as Mendocino Coast is so often in July, the fog here creates a very mysterious sort of feel. |
I woke up good and early, walked down the rope bridge to Bowling Ball Beach, and this time, it was easy to see. It was low tide, the best time to shoot these geological wonders. I covered the camera with a plastic bag from Ralph's, set up the tripod and got down low to photograph these incredible rocks, which were often in rows, very unusual. But such unusual formations produce unusual splashes. Five minutes in, I suddenly got nailed with water suddenly splashing very high up, surprising me. The water had gotten past the plastic bag I had wrapped around the camera. It didn't look that bad, so I went back, wiped it off with a towel, and continued shooting. That was to be Mistake #1: If your camera gets wet, do not turn it on again. You cannot fry a circuit if it doesn't have any juice. Title: Bowling Ball Beach 1 |
The ebb and flow of the waves, when photographed for ten seconds, creates a misty otherworldly look. It's a very calming, peaceful sort of look, ironic to me since I find long exposure photography at the coast to be anything but peaceful, contending with splashing water, high winds, salt water and sand pelting my camera, lens fogging up, the waves shifting the sand underneath the tripod, difficulty setting up shots, and other things. Shooting these sorts of shots to me is a huge challenge, and part of the reason I went on this trip was to try and gain experience in this kind of photography. |
At this point, my camera began failing. The shutter would either stay open or not close. Then the LED monitor began failing. I realized that I should stop and head for dry ground. I drove back to the Wharf Master's Inn at Point Arena and tried to dry the camera. Mistake #2: Don't dry the camera with a hair dryer or put it by a heating vent. At least, that's what the person at the camera store in Santa Rosa advised.
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 George was relaxing at the Inn, and said, "You should open up your camera, take out the battery and the memory card, and put it in a big bag of rice." So I went to the market in town, got some rice, and did just that while George relaxed by the fireplace. |
This was the last photo taken with the Nikon D90, at least on this trip. And being in Point Arena, there were no camera stores nearby. I would need to buy another camera. After all, what's the point of a photographic trip if there's no camera? Without the camera, I drove to Elk, walking around Greenwood State Beach for quite some time. Beautiful sea stacks with tunnels. I vowed to return and photograph this fine looking beach. |
After checking in to a motel that was perhaps slightly too close to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (unless you enjoy hearing "Whooooooooo!!!" or revving engines late at night), I drove over to nearby Natural Bridges State Beach. I met another photographer from Denver there, and we proceeded to take photos of the natural bridge. Finally, after the sun had set, I tried to gather my stuff to leave. I had placed my belongings about fifty feet up from the highest point that the tide had gotten. But my Keens were gone. I turned to the other photographer and said, "I wonder where my shoes are." Seconds after I said that, a strong tide intruded, carrying hundreds and hundreds of pounds of seaweed and depositing these in large mounds all throughout the beach. I searched with a flashlight, kicking the stacks of seaweed aside, but never found my shoes. ~~~~ 19 July 2012: Title: Natural Bridges I
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Title: Sunset Over Davenport Beach |
You might see a pattern here. I'd go to a location in the evening and return in the morning. There's actually a reason for that. The light is quite different. But also, I can scout the locations and frequently come back and get a better shot when I have finally been there and am familiar with the area. Title: Sunrise, Davenport Beach I love the warm buttery glow of the morning's first light. |
Title: Davenport Sea StackInfo: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod, f/11, ISO 100, 4-second exposure Photography: Ken Lee Location: Davenport, California, USA |
Davenport also had a number of creeks, and intrigued by the texture of these, I photographed these as well that morning. I was quite taken by Davenport. |
Title: Moss Creek Click on the birds to navigate. |
Ken's photos of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung
San Suu Kyi, as well as photos of Peru, Burma, India, Morocco, China, Thailand,
Ghana, Ecuador, and elsewhere, have appeared in many books, magazines,
websites, and galleries. Visit the
Ken Lee Photography Website. Some of Ken's select photos may be
purchased through his
Imagekind Store. |
Mendocino and Santa Cruz Coast: Long Exposure Photos, July 2012
Page 1 of 2 - follow the birds
Eleven Shadows Travel Page
Contact photographer/musician Ken Lee
16 July 2012:
Traveling from Los Angeles to Point Arena on the Mendocino Coast is no small trip. And this took me about ten hours. But since I left the house at 6 am, I was still able to make it to Bowling Ball Beach. 
17 July 2012:
Title: Bowling Ball Beach One And a Half
Title: Bowling Ball Beach 2
Sentinels of the Sea. Nikon D90, 1.3 second exposure, f/22, ISO 200, Bowling Ball Beach, Mendocino.
18 July 2012:
After hanging out with my friend John and his girlfriend Sandra in the afternoon and eating at Khyber Pass Afghani and Pakistani Restaurant in Santa Cruz, I drove up the coast about nine miles to Davenport Beach. This photo is my favorite of the bunch taken that evening. I was quite happy with this, and also that my camera remained dry and my shoes weren't whisked away to Japan in the tide for the entire day. Things were looking up!
20 July 2012:
Title: Primordial Creek
Here's another creek. I don't know what kind of water this is coming out of the tunnel, but the moss on the rocks created a great texture.
