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I haven't uploaded a 'shoot and run' type of image for a while so here it is. Let's just say that these wet and slippery rocks do not make the best running surface!
These stacks are 20 feet high and some waves went right over the top of them. I chose smaller waves to show here because the big ones are just too chaotic. And the smaller ones made nice impacts on the cliff face without obscuring the view.
I have waited for over a year for these conditions with a medium tide and finally it all came together. Low tide cuts off the waves, and high tide does not show the interesting cobblestones on the beach. The best sunset I've seen in months was taking place at a 90 degree angle to the left of center. But I liked this better.
I have shown this beach a few times before on EPZ, but this is the shot (along with a few others I took at this time) I had hoped for all along.
1/4 second exposure @F14 with ND grad 0.9
| Title: | Garrapata Surf |
| Username: | 
PatrickSmith |
| Uploaded: | 19 Feb 2007 - 3:58 PM |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D |
| Lens: | Canon 17-40L @22 |
| Recording media: | RAW ISO 50 |
| Tags: | Big sur, Garrapata, General, Landscape / travel |
| Votes: | 258 |
Comments
Lovely warm tones in the clouds and some great movement caught there Patrick....Good to see you got what you wanted after a long time waiting....
Jeanie
Superb execution as usual. I like the warm light on the rocks.
Martin
Well worth the wait Patrick, patience has paid off big time. Has it all for me, drama and light.
Paul
As ever Patrick with all of your Photograph's this one is another splendid massage for the eye's. Fantastic detail and beautiful range of tones in the colours.
Darren.
Hi Patrick
I still don't know whether I prefer this one or the other one on your website (the one with the surf breaking on the stacks).
Both are superb in their own way and I'd be more than happy to have taken either 
Mike
You have clouds, interesting. A powerful composition
Peter
Lovely tones and great detail Patrick. Some nice light on those crashing waves too.
Steve!
They don't come much better than this.
Almost like being there. Nice one.
Nicely balanced composition and just enough light on the cliffs to lift it. Nice bit of action from the waves too. Works for me Patrick.
Nik
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks Jeanie, I've been disappointed about a dozen times so I was so happy to see these conditions developing!
Yes Mike, I didn't know which one to put up. And I have others that I have yet to work on. They each have their different focal points I think.
Thanks Steve. And the light only lasted for a few minutes. Then I made some long exposures. But they didn't turn out very good except for one.
Patrick
I love the soft warm colours as well as the more obvious appeal of the spectacular wave drama.
Simon
Excellent timing Patrick. Love the light shimmering on the rocks on the RHS. Made for me by the breaking waves...
Bruce.
Super shot Patrick, good foreground detail,good texture in the cliff face, nice wave action and a great sky. Wonderful!
C
Stunner Patrick as I have come to expect.
Excellent photography.
Bert
Wow and wow again Patrick,what a wonderful image excellent quality,brilliant work here.
Mo.
Thanks for your comments!
Cheers Pete!
I like the colours too Simon. I actually had to cool them down a bit in C1, as it was just overwhelming.
Patrick
Very well done on the EC, Patrick, and what a stormingly good shot that really highlights the power of the sea. Outstanding foreground detail, too.
Allie
Congrats on the EC Patrick, the shot deserves the accolade.
You have clouds!!!!. That's deserving of an EC on its own!
Really like the colours, and the feeling of being actually on the beach, with the sea coming at you, and the sea looking higher than you are!
Martin
Just back to say congrats on the EC Patrick, well deserved ;-D
The odds were in your favor, long overdue but congrats on the well deserved EC, a beautiful and well executed shot, your standard of excellence! Spot on! Click!!!
Greg
Congrats on your well deserved awards, love the compositon of the rocks, the colours, your mastery of the exposure. All reminds me of how far I have to go to achieve anything like this.
Well done....
Cesie
Thanks Phil and Allie.
LOL Martin, I know. we shoudl be gettign more clouds and rain but this rainy season has been a bust so far. Perfectly clear today for example. The sky is almost black when you look up.
Thanks Kin and Paul.
Greg, I'm glad you like it. I finally got some good light and a dramatic sky (a rarity here), so I was just happy to see it.
Patrick
Patrick, that is a totally gorgeous seascape.
Another well deserved EC too.
Keep them coming.
Guy
absolute perfection, wish l was there breathing in the atmosphere and environment..congrats on the HC !!! deserved
Nikki
Back to the sea with one of your excellent seaside images with all its splendor.
Congratulations on a well deserved EC.
Antonio
What a curious name for the rocks. Garrapata in Spanish is Tick. Ticks are external parasites, living on the blood of mammals.
super picture, you can sense the dynamic of the wave.
Jonny
The "master" returns with another stunning shot and picks up an EC to boot. Love the wave capture Patrick
Mike
Thanks for your comments!
LOL - Antonio, the area is perfectly named, believe me! It is not because of the rock, but rather for the brush that you have to walk through to get down here. The ticks are everywhere and you have to pick them off after you walk. So you do a tick check once when you get to the beach, and one when you get back to the car. Even in winter they are active because it does not get down to near freezing.
I wish Mike..lol...
Patrick
Fantastic seascape Patrick.Superbly composed as always.
Tom.
Better than the best my friend, such tonal depth and fluid colour. Just very special.
All the very best
Dougie
Congratulations on an extremely "well-deserved" EC!!! Long overdue in my opinion!!
Another beautiful capture that I shall add to my growing list of your screen savers!!
Debbie
Patrick you have timed this to perfection both in terms of the light and the exposure for the water. Reckon it deserves a double EC!!
Ron
Wonderful light and colours.... beautiful capture of the waves. Love the colour and crisp detail of the pebbles in the foreground too.
Beautiful work, congratulations on your SO well deserved EC.
Ali
You've captured the drama of the scene so well Patrick, wonderful foreground detail and angle, impressive shot, Adrian
Thanks for your comments!
LOL Debbie, even a broken clock... well you know!
Thanks Ron, that is what I was trying to get.
Ali, those are 20-50 pound 'pebbles', that break your ankles and roll along after a wave making a noise which is hard to describe!
Patrick
Amazingly good Patrick, congratulations on a well deserved EC.
Chris
I liked it enough to click it but for me it lacks enough passion to be a real winner. A touch clinical in the repro dept.
Just wonderful, the exposure, light and sharpness of this image are perfect
100..............................and still going strong..........
I have waited for over an hour to get this first hundred here!!!3 hours 30 minutes! I´m a bit disappointed....you are slipping...C´mon! You can do better than this! LOL......
Jouko
PS Shame about Pete "spoiling" your stats : ))
Thanks Chris and Adrian, and Aiden!
Not enough passion Keith? LOL - Well, maybe you were sensing me just trying to survive the experience. Perhaps I should punch it up a bit on the processing?
LOL Jouko, sorry to make you wait! You are so sneaky. You should see the weather today though. It is the exact opposite of this shot. Skies so blue, they are almost black, once again.
Patrick
Supburb, splendid and all the rest that has already been said-- Congratulations on two awards!
jennnnnn
blooody hell patrick the boss has given you another EC at last is it christmass already!!!!!!
forgot to add stunning as usual, your sea scpaes are easily the best pictures on ephotozine, but definatly a drought in the EC department, only two ever not on !!!!
Superb work as always Patrick and congrats on the EC, maybe another POTW???
Mark.
Well worth the wait Patrick detail is just awesome, congrats on your EC.
Chris
For all its fine detail, textures and light my eye is drawn to that "object" on the inner stack Patrick, sorry if I have spoilt the view for others but please enlighten me
MikeA.
Whoa, another Patrick Smith Special! Stunning, Patrick, what a wonderful shot!
Conrad
ticks in the boxes for this Patrick,its got the lot as they say !.......nice one.
Ian.
Great fg detail, fantastic textures and perfect timing, congrats on a well deserved EC!
gill
Congrats on the RC - well deserved
The composition is great and level of detail and lighting thoughout is super, but again for me it's the way the water has been captured so very well, it really portrays the sea's power
Sean
The detail is fantastic Patrick, and this shot should be viewed LARGE to be fully appreciated. Stunning.
John
I like this.
The crashing waves and moody sky really convey the power of the ocean.
Well worth the wait.
Justin.
Thanks for looking!
LOL Paul, now if I could only get my real boss to give me a real bonus, my belated (or early) Christmas would be complete!
I wish Mark. I never got a print from my GG bridge one!
No spoiling at all Mike, it is just a seagull. In the full sized (4300 pixel) version, you can see detail on the seagull! Actually there are two seagulls in this shot.
Thanks Sean and Justin, there was a LOT of power out there!
Patrick
No time to read all the above but just stopped by to offer my congrats on a well deserved EC. Top notch stuff sir. You just keep on getting better.
Dave
First, congratulations on the well deserved EC for this stunning shot Patrick. Great composition, light on the stacks and rock faces, and drama. Nice to see you have clouds too!
Nigel
Magnificent image, Patrick - I feel I can almost reach out and touch those rocks
Mari
Thanks for your comments!
I hope you are right dave. I sure put a lot of effort into learning!
Yes Nigel, we finally got a good storm in here. It dumped about 6-15 inches of rain in 3 days depending on location. That is 1/3 of our entire yearly rainfall. Now the skies are stark and perfectly blue again.
Watch out Mari, they are slimy!
Patrick
I'll save the large version of this to my hard drive, if you don't mind, Patrick - just to remind me how it should be done. Many congrats on your EC. This really is a remarkable image.
The sea looks as if its alive, great capture of the sea,well done Patrick & congratulations on the EC
Bill
nice wave action shot, also like the foreground detail, don't know wether i could have pulled myself away from the sunset though. I like the lighting on the cliff face here too.
i hope your camera gear is insured with all these risky situations you get into 
congrats on your 2nd EC!
Magic detail in all respects Patrick. Well worth the wait. John
outstanding work Patrick, congrats on EC, goodness dont you have to work hard for them
chris
Everything has been said by the time I got here patrick,a deserving award for your beautiful work,I love the scenery,so well composed.Many congratulations.
Janet
No problem Ian!
It was a great sunset Terry, but that is the only time when I can get decent light like this!
Glad you like it Janet.
Patrick
Congrats on the EC mate - well deserved for such a fantastic image.
Glynn
Foreground detail, good light, crashing waves .... you've got it all Patrick and congrats on the EC.
Dave
Very nice Patrick, I`m starting to pay more attention to landscapes on EPZ these days and largely due to you.
Paul
Congratulations Patrick. Well worth the time and effort to capture this one.
Nic
Well worth the wait I think! Tremendous image
I give it my own award Thumbs up!
Beautiful! It shows that sometimes it's well worth the wait to get that special photo!
Congrats on the EC Patrick, about time if you ask me... superb as usual..
what can i say... im so pleased for you Patrick, well done mate.
Lovely scenery, Patrick. The image lacks a bit of punch for me but I can't fault your dedication
Congrats on the EC
Cheers, Paul
beautiful detail and colour, having waited for a year you must have the patience of a patient thing! congrats on the EC IMO you should have many.....jojo
Thanks for looking!
Yes Paul, I'll probably tighten up the levels a bit to give it a little extra punch. The light was very warm and even so I'll retain that feel.
This one was take a bit earlier under stonger light, so you might like that one better.
Jojo, I just keep going back until conditions are right. The only things that are predictable are the time of year, where the sun will be and the tides.
patrick
Superb photography as usual Patrick and very well done on the EC, well deserved)
Ange
Running out of superlatives now, but had to click anyway, stunning doesn't say enough.
Well done Pat - about time you got another, you certainly earn them.
I also like the other Version Pat, maybe even a little bit more as the wave action is more dramatic, how do you compose your shots and get them level when you have to run away at every wave? i have tried this technique and i JUST get everything lined up when another wave sweeps in and i have to run without getting my shot.
Thanks for looking!
Terry, I have a Manfrotto horizontal grip ball head. It allows you to set things up very quickly! And I have all the settings ready before hand. So all I need to do is put the tripod down, line it up and shoot. Also, I wait for a quiet period in between wave sets. The first big wave in a set is the best, as there is less of the blindingly white foam and spray around. So I often have to wait a minute or so, then I get 2-3 shots in a row and run!
Patrick
Absolutely incredible image Patrick, it really is ☼☼☼☼☼
Rob
P.S. It looks perfect at the side of your other EC too. They were meant to be together )
Hi Patrick
Very nice, lots of mood and drama here, well done and congrats on the EC
Mark
Very turner-esque ... sit's an amazingly good shot in many ways however not my favourite shot of yours.
Can't put my finger on why as it ticks all the right boxes.
Still well worthy of the big click!!
Dan
Thanks for looking!
Dan, maybe it is the bright orange and red light that was shining onto this spot. It made this image have very soft lighting. I have others with bolder lighting that I may put up later. LOL - I'll settle for 'Turner-esque!'
Patrick
Thanks for the sea gull info.... adds a sense of scale (LOL).
Look forward to the next upload.
MikeA
Superb shot, Patrick! Very well done on getting another EC! Many thanks for all your comments on my own humble uploads.
Ted
I seem to spend my life walking over slimy beach rocks, Patrick!! I just love it really ;0}
Still love this pic
Mari
Terrific capture, Patrick - the foreground detail, the sunlit cliffs, the motion of the sea; just some of the elements which make for a fabulous image. Congratulations too on your latest EC!
Susie :o)
Congrats on the EC Patrick,about time you got another one!
luv
Angie*
Now where is that 200th I´ve been waiting for........??????? LOL.......
Jouko
Thanks for looking!
LOL Mike, yes that was my plan....
You're welcome Ted. And they are much more than humble!
Is there any other way Mari?
Thanks Susie.
Well Angie, you know what they say about a broken clock...
LOL Jouko, you had your timing right!
Thanks Julie.
Patrick
was wondering why it took you so long to upload another shot... but aparently someone put it all the way up in the EC section.... it's all so confusing :o(
beautiful land (sea) scape photography again, and love how you cloned that rock on the right to make it look like there were two ;o)
I go right by them too Koen. Then I see them when I browse the EC page and wonder how I missed them. LOL - One sea stack seemed too boring so why not two? Call it artistic license!
Patrick
WOW what can i say that hasnt already been said!
Stunning work again Patrick
click
regards
chelseak
Thanks for your comments!
LOL Pete!
You just said it Chelseak.
Patrick
Just thought I would check out your PF after the kind comment you gave to one of my photo's, you have a fabulous PF with some stunning shots
Glynnis
Just the right amount of motion blur for me. Wonderful work.
John
Hi Patrick,
Great portfolio. I am going travelling round the world as of July 07 and your photos have really wet my appetite for California. It is such a lovely place.
Thomas.
By far my favourite picture it is in my opinion Breathtaking. I don't think one vote does it justice. Gary
One of the best in the site. I love the way how everything plays into the light and motion of the waves.
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