{"id":4124,"date":"2018-10-06T16:08:52","date_gmt":"2018-10-07T00:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/?p=4124"},"modified":"2018-10-10T13:40:02","modified_gmt":"2018-10-10T21:40:02","slug":"photographing-california-central-coast-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/2018\/10\/06\/photographing-california-central-coast-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographing the California Central Coast – Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t long ago that I spend three days along the California Central Coast, scouting good shooting locations for the upcoming Central Coast and Napa Valley workshop<\/a>. \u00a0 I\u2019m very familiar with the Big Sur coast but this was my first real exposure to the Central Coast north of San Francisco. \u00a0And I am excited with what I found.<\/p>\n

My base of operations was the Schoolhouse Canyon Campground<\/a>, a privately owned campground just east of Guerneville on the Russian River. \u00a0Clean, quite – I couldn\u2019t have been more pleased. \u00a0But on with the photography….<\/p>\n

The plan was to start to the north and work south over the next three day’s. \u00a0I was joined by a friend the first day which started out overcast and foggy along the coast. \u00a0That\u2019s not a huge surprise as this area is still susceptible to the marine layer in September. \u00a0But, in this line of business, you work with what you got. \u00a0The first destination was Salt Point. \u00a0It\u2019s hard to find because there are no marked turn-offs, just a sign saying you’re entering and another sign a few miles up the road saying you\u2019re leaving. \u00a0So we overshot it. \u00a0And I\u2019m glad we did because we came upon a creepy house that was falling apart.<\/p>\n

\"Creeph<\/p>\n

My friend suggested framing the house with moss hanging from the tree. \u00a0That was the perfect touch to give it the macabre feeling we were feeling, \u00a0And the overcast sky provided the perfect light.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Backtracking to Salt Point, we pulled over at the first turn-out after the \u2018Entering Salt Point\u2026\u201d sign. \u00a0We were a good quarter-mile inland but a trail led across a grassland expanse to what appeared to be promising, \u00a0So we hefted our camera bags and set out. \u00a0The expanse was wide open but framed on either side by jack pines, many of whom were dead. \u00a0But in the middle was a lone tree that called to me. \u00a0I found the two the compositions below. \u00a0Which one do you like the best? \u00a0(I have my favorite which shall remain a secret.)<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/p>\n

In both compositions I wanted to make use of the rocks and shrubs to lead into the image. \u00a0The photographs were taken as I approached the tree. \u00a0It\u2019s interesting how a composition can unfold as you explore the subject.<\/p>\n

When we reached the coast we were on the top of a bluff looking down on the surf below. \u00a0The bluff consisted mostly of sandstone with other varieties of sedimentary rocks. \u00a0The rocks were sculpted by the sea, wind and rain and formed fascinating shapes and patterns. \u00a0The point that makes up the state park is quite large and we did out best to explore as much as we could.<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/p>\n

The top left image is an example a rock called tafoni, a bizarre honeycomb formation. \u00a0No-one knows for sure how it is formed but is very interesting. Salt collects in the depressions which gives Salt Point its name. \u00a0To it\u2019s right is another multi-colored rock we found, covered with lichen. \u00a0I played around with a number of different compositions and liked this one the best because it reminds me of my dog, Chuckie.<\/p>\n

As we continued to explore the point, we came across a moderate sized sea stack with a flock of cormorants taking a break from fishing. \u00a0And one was drying his wings. \u00a0Besides just photographing the birds, which was interesting in its own right, I also wanted to get the surf draining off the foreground rock to provide a sense of the cormorants\u2019 world. \u00a0And I like the texture that the water creates. \u00a0The other photograph on that row captures a wave breaking on the rocks below. \u00a0Photographing the surf entails watching waves come in and trying to anticipate which ones will generate some action. \u00a0When you pick one then you fire off 5 or more shot in rapid succession in hopes of capturing the best moment.<\/p>\n

The bottom row of images give a bit of a feeling for the size of the park. \u00a0The first looks down the coast and I couldn\u2019t resist the driftwood log in the lower right corner pointing the way. \u00a0The second is from the highway looking down the \u00a0point. \u00a0Being framed on both sides by trees, I was drawn into this image and had to bring the memory home with me.<\/p>\n

The next location that called out to us was Stockhoff Creek. I believe by this point we\u2019re in the Sonoma Coast State Park which consists of a whole string of beaches and points all the way down to Bodega Bay.<\/p>\n

\"Stockhoff<\/p>\n

This little cove was lovely, very intimate. \u00a0And the composition I liked the best was to frame it between the trees, \u00a0The patterns in the beach below are interesting and the curve that starts with the beach and extends out to the tip of the point gives the image grace and a sense of motion. \u00a0We are now coming into afternoon light which is casting shadows that give definition to the rocks on the bluff and point. \u00a0And just look at that beautiful water.<\/p>\n

The next stop was Fort Ross. \u00a0This fort was built by the Russians back in 1812. \u00a0The Russians had migrated down from the Alaska, establishing outposts as they went. \u00a0They made it as far as just north of San Francisco Bay.<\/p>\n

\"Fort<\/p>\n

The original fort burned down a few years ago but extensive notes had been taken on the details of its construction so it could be rebuilt, maintaining its authenticity. \u00a0I took a few inclusive images like the one above but the ones that stand out now are the more intimate ones, images of fascinating details.<\/p>\n

\"Fort<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t resist this image. The light on the wall was perfect, creating a pleasing texture. \u00a0And it leads you into the ground floor door of one of the two block towers. \u00a0This is one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

\"Fort<\/p>\n

One of the buildings had a room devoted to the armory. \u00a0It was very dark with just the faintest light coming in through the small window. \u00a0I had to push the ISO way up to get a sharp image. \u00a0But because the light is so soft and warm the result is very pleasing, regardless of the intent of the rack of rifles.<\/p>\n

It seems that when one photographs buildings one is required to photograph windows. \u00a0Windows are best photographed when they have colorful flower boxes but I\u2019ve never really been into that. However, because it\u2019s a given that this is what photographers do, I photographed this window. \u00a0In leu of a box of geraniums, this one has the metal straps that makes one think of a brig. \u00a0But the horizontal and vertical lines make for a compelling design. \u00a0The other thing that photographers are virtually required to photograph is doors. So the bottom right is my homage to that necessity. It\u2019s a very plain door and that\u2019s why I like it so much. \u00a0There is no fancy door latch or elaborate hinges, it\u2019s just a door that is about as simple as it can be, apart from the fact that is about as sturdy as a ship\u2019s keel.<\/p>\n

The final image is pure abstract. \u00a0It\u2019s all horizontal lines with a vertical line right down the center. \u00a0Actually, it documents the construction technique but I\u2019d rather not think of it that way. \u00a0I\u2019d rather enjoy if as the interesting abstract that it really is.<\/p>\n

The last stop of the day was Russian Gulch. \u00a0This is a massive sea stack with a tiny arch.<\/p>\n

\"Russian<\/p>\n

There was a little bit of wave action going on down there and an occasional big splash. \u00a0But I\u2019ve learned that what appears as a big splash to our eyes is just a little thing to the camera when it is this far away. \u00a0If you want to photograph a big splash, you need to be close to it (while maintaining a safe distance). \u00a0And besides, the point of the photograph is not to capture a big splash but to photograph the sea stack with the tiny arch. \u00a0So rather than trying to capture dramatic moments in the sea, I found myself more interested in the aftermath with the patterns around the rocks created by the white foam.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the end of what turned out to be a full and fruitful day of photography. \u00a0What started out as overcast and foggy ended up with clear skies and bright sunshine. \u00a0We didn\u2019t stick around for sunset as both of us were pretty worn out. \u00a0And I was going to have two more days on my own. \u00a0So I headed back to camp and my friend headed home.<\/p>\n

Continue with Day 2.<\/a><\/p>\n

And Day 3.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ll be returning here November 2018 with a group. \u00a0Come join us and share in the adventure, \u00a0Click here for more information<\/a>,<\/p>\n

(118)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tag a long on a scouting expedition of the California Central Coast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1339],"tags":[32,1438,112,1441,1439,295,785,13,199,1262,1442,1440,1358],"class_list":["post-4124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photography-workshop","tag-california","tag-california-central-coast","tag-canon","tag-canon-5d-mark-iv","tag-central-coast","tag-journal-2","tag-pacific-ocean","tag-photography","tag-photography-workshops","tag-seascape","tag-seascape-photography","tag-sonoma-county","tag-workshops"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Nl7-14w","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4124"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4169,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124\/revisions\/4169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}