Archive 2015 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

coogee
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

These are all from a recent driving holiday in SW USA (from Australia) and to give them a bit of context...

After a very full day driving (Big Sur), I put the kids to bed, then scouted this beach on Google Earth as looking promising and only a 15 minute drive away. Set the alarm, snuck in 5 hours, then crept out in the dark, motel coffee in hand to see if I couldn't find 'W R Hearst Memorial Beach.'

When I got there, of course it is all locked and fenced! Opens at 8am or something (turns out it was "Martin Luther King Day".) Undaunted, I managed to find a weakness in the perimeter and get up and over a fence and was glad I did. I had the whole place to myself to well after sunrise and then only a few fishermen and the wildlife for company.

One of those lovely still dawns, with beautiful skies and powerful surf but no wind at sea level at all. A beautiful spot and total pot luck I stumbled on it, no idea if I'll ever see it again. I love the serendipity of the late night internet location scout/arrival in the dark. Thanks for looking.

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Edited on Mar 10, 2015 at 01:46 AM

Mar 10, 2015 at 01:19 AM

JimFox
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

Some nice sunrise images here. I really like #1 with that twilight look as the darkness is vanishing. #4 is my other favorite, and I like how you worked the light in it. Sounds like you had a fun drive up Big Sur!

Jim

Mar 10, 2015 at 01:10 PM

killersnowman
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

#1 and #3 really capture the peace and beauty of this section of the coast. I really enjoyed looking at these.

Mar 10, 2015 at 01:24 PM

Jeffrey
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

Nice sunrise, coogee.

There is a trail through the sycamore trees that takes you to the end of the peninsula just north of that pier. Great images to be made there, too.

Mar 10, 2015 at 02:16 PM

coogee
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

Thanks all. That peninsula did look promising and a nice walk out to the point to be had. It'll have to be 'next time' for me, love to see any images from that viewpoint.
It is a gorgeous area, such a contrast to the busier Cali coastlines and the amount of wildlife really wowed me. I really liked San Simeon/Cambria, had a really old school holiday spot feel to it.

The shimmer on the ocean in #1 is my favourite aspect of dawn seascapes - I guess it is the sunlight reflected off the clouds back onto the ocean. You can get some lovely colours, contrasts and textures at play on the ocean surface at that time. It makes for some very early starts! - I always aim for an absolute minimum 1 hour before dawn to be on location and ready to shoot.

Mar 10, 2015 at 08:12 PM

Ton Hung
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

I like #2 very much

Mar 10, 2015 at 08:25 PM

coogee
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · W R Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon

Thanks! WR Hearst didn't mess around when he built himself a pier!

Mar 11, 2015 at 05:29 PM


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