Highway to Heaven

Highway to Heaven - Rt 1 north of PT. Sur, CA

Click on images for larger view.

A shot from my image gallery that can be found here:
http://monterey-john-photographer.com/Art-Images-3.html

If there are more glorious views anywhere on earth, I have no idea where they might be.

Point Sur Lighthouse at Daybreak

Click on images for larger view.

First you get up REALLY early in the morning.

Sun and Fog on the Big Sur Coast

Click on images for larger view.

Circumstances finally worked out to where I could pay a brief visit to Paradise aka Big Sur. First of all it wasn't raining, a rare thing these days Secondly, Route 1 was mostly open after washouts that have kept it closed most of the spring. And last but not least, I'm finally feeling like a human being after several weeks of feeling quite otherwise.

It was kind of weird light today with milky skies and high fog that just seemed to not want to go away.
Shot this from a well known "scenic overview" on Route 1 about 10 miles south of the village of Big Sur and a couple miles north of McWay Falls.

Along the Big Sur Coast

Winter brings wonderful light to what is already a beautiful coastline at Big Sur on California's Central Coast. I am delighted to be back and to have another opportunity to capture some of that beauty. It truly is one of God's wonders.

Remembering the Big Sur Basin Fire

It has been a year since the Basin/Indian fires burned hundreds of square miles in the Big Sur hills. I have re-opened the page on my web site for remembrance of what it was like here last July 4th. Take a look if you get a chance and are of a mind to do so. You do not see something like this every day.

You can see the page here: http://montereyjohnphotography.com/Big-Sur-Basin-Fire.html

Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur Sunset

Just your run of the mill sunset at Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur.

Not bad for an old man with bad eyes :)

Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur - My Favorite Image - and the Rewards of Adobe Lightroom

Of the many images I took at Pfeiffer Beach, this is the one I like best.

As much as anything, it is an exercise in the use of Adobe Lightroom.

The original image was pretty bland to the point of being monochromatic. I used just about every input available in the program to get this result. I darkened the lights, increased shadow, goosed the vibrance to the max (as opposed to saturation which I left alone). Other than the small blowout of the cloud, the result was impressive.

Pfeiffer Beach at Big Sur - Los Padres National Forest - A Must See Place

The gem of the Big Sur Coast, home of the Confederate Yankee (for all you folks who remember the 60s through the Purple Haze) is Pfeiffer Beach. This is federal rather than state property being a part of The Los Padres National Forest. It is located just south of the village of Big Sur off Route 1. The turn is, oddly enough, NOT marked as though someone does not want you to know it is there.

The mostly single lane road, with occasional wide spots so folks can get past one another, winds through a stream valley down to this glorious beach. It is a day use facility with a charge of $5. In the rainy season the stream crosses the beach in a shallow and wide flow. The beach itself is by my guestimate about a mile or so wide. Just off the beach loom tall volcanic formations that taper down to the north giving unobstructed access to the Pacific at that point.

I have made several trips into the area to try to photograph the place in late afternoon sun and to try to catch a sunset. It should be noted that Big Sur is prone to fog, often very dense fog. I was fortunate on my last trip, yesterday, to finally get a clear afternoon with the huge plus of marvelous cumulus cloud formations remaining from our most recent rain. Here are a few of the many images I shot yesterday.

Do try to visit this magical location. Don't be put off by its remoteness or the difficulty in finding it. Ask directions if need be, or better yet, print out a Google Map before leaving home

Welcome to my Church.

(Click on Image for Full Size Picture)

Winter Sunset at Point Sur

This time of year provides the most glorious light for photographers here on the Central Coast of California. It is hard to make one's mind up as to where to go and what to shoot. There is such variety!

The Bixby Bridge Curve

The curve in the bridge is what makes this bridge unique among the arched bridges along the Pacific Coast.

Moon Over Big Sur

Shot this lovely moon over Big Sur the other evening. I liked it and wanted an appropriate quote to go with it. Oscar Wilde provided it well.

Several folks suggested that I market this as a poster.

I just might do that.

Summer of Fire 2008 - The Indians and Basin Fires At and Near Big Sur

As we approach year's end, this seems to be about as good a time as any to reprise the big event locally of this year, the great Big Sur fires.

This first image from just down the street from our house on the first day the smoke blew up from the South. It was eerie and a bit frightening. I had never seen anything like it before.

The next is up the Salinas Valley near the Aroyo Seco. This was the Indians Fire that was the first of the two huge blazes that consumed so much of the Los Padres forest.

The last picture is taken just north of Big Bur on the coast and is of the Basin Fire which very nearly destroyed the town of Big Sur.

Tricky Exposures

A little techy stuff ... shooting in high contrast situations presents some interesting challenges. Here we have the dark rocks, the woman sitting on the rocks and the bright white of the surf that if properly exposed has all sorts of detail in it. If not properly exposed, the white of the water can "blow out," or the details in the dark areas lost to darkness. Adobe Lightroom makes this easier. Shooting in RAW makes it more so.

Twilight Above the Fog at Big Sur II

Beauty above the Fog

More of the glory of Big Sur. What a place. You never run out of things to see and capture, even the fog.

Nepenthe Restaurant at Big Sur

Saturday I was delighted to take in a fall sunset at Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. It was warm and sunny up on the hill looking down on the fog that had drifted into the coves below, obscuring the view of the water, but providing its own beauty.

Twilight Above the Fog at Big Sur

Yesterday I spent the day in and around Big Sur shrouded in dense fog, not ideal shooting conditions. Rather than lose this trip, I decided to get above the fog on the coastal hills and see what I could do. Here is one image from that effort (Shot at Nepenthe Restaurant.)

Pfeiffer State Beach, Big Sur, California

Saturday my best friend, Rags the Wonder Puppy, and I went down to Big Sur to wander around on Pfeiffer State Beach. It is a place, one of the very few in this area, I have not visited before. It is an absolutely glorious place that surfers like for its reliable waves. For old guys like me, its glorious sandy beach and volcanic geology are fascinating. Even on an overcast day, it was a delight to behold.

Big Sur Basin Fire - A Retrospective

I have put together a web page to document my experience of the Basin Fire at Big Sur. It certainly was the most significant occurrence in California this past summer. It is worth remembering what folks went through and the heroic efforts of the firefighters who finally defeated this devasting inferno. It can be linked to here.

Big Sur - End of Day

I live here. Why am I so lucky?

Guess I'll just count my blessings and go on shooting.

Perfect Day at Big Sur

But then again, what day at Big Sur isn't perfect?