
Note: This is an exerpt from my upcoming eBook titled: A Photographer's Guide to the Big Sur Coast. The book will be available as (2) high-quality PDF's (both single and double-page spreads) for purchase and download from my website http://www.donsmithphotography.com early next month. It will desribe, through photographs and words, 40 of my favorite locations along the 98-mile stretch of the Big Sur coast (between Carmel and Cambria), and give you precise directions so you can discover them on your own! It will also showcase 80 of my favorite images photographed at these locations. Please check back for more details!
I have driven past Willow Creek and have stopped at the vista point virtually every time. The main parking and viewing area is located just south of the Willow Creek Bridge. I’m always immediately captivated by the beautiful cove and large sea stacks, but I had never been satisfied with images I’ve made there - they always looked like tourist pictures. As a side note, this location is popular with surfers and kayaker’s as a “put in” point.
Then one winter evening while heading south on Highway 1 with my family on the way to Cambria, I drove past once again, but this time it was 30 minutes past sunset and the skies were crystal clear. We were all enjoying the vibrant orange hues of dusk as they seemingly hovered forever over the rich blues of the Pacific. Then it hit me - the sea stacks were no longer just large rocks; instead, they were transformed into giant silhouetted shapes!
This image is one of those really interesting and rather large sea stacks, that under ambient light, looks like a great albino boulder rising majestically out of the sea. I am not sure why it is white (and much searching on the internet has yet to reveal the answer), but on this evening, it was transformed into a giant black triangle. This location is really a dirt pullout located 1/4 mile south past the main vista area. The game was on! It was up to me to see how I could piece this puzzle together. I immediately attached my 100-400mmL lens, and tried a variety of compositions as my family sat patiently (at least I think they did) in the car while waiting for dad to make his photograph!
In the final edit, I selected this image as my favorite, even though I stuck the tip of the triangle in the dead-center of my frame. I can’t really explain why, it just appealed to my sense of balance, and I tend to trust my gut feelings when making a composition. I know the rules, and this time I broke them. It is really nothing more than an abstract image of color and shape. I’m sure one of these days I will make a more “realistic” looking image from this location, perhaps on a misty morning; but for now, I’m happy with this capture. This location will really only work on the fringes of the day. I urge you to stop and try your own interpretation!
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