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The first storm of the rainy season arrived early this year. So I went out looking for some good light to go along with the low tide. The storm caused the water in the river here, which is normally a pond for most of the year, to overflow the sandbar on the beach and flow to the sea.
I watched the action for a while, and composed this scene. When the sun dropped under the cloud deck the beach was lit well. I decided to add in some of the foam that was floating about. I like how it painted the foreground for me as it wrapped around the rock.
2 second exposure @F16 with ND grad 0.9
Despite the long exposure, as the water moved, the riples stayed in the same place. So no detail was lost in the water. So it is an interesting combination of movement.
| Title: | San Gregorio Light |
| Username: | 
PatrickSmith |
| Uploaded: | 22 Oct 2007 - 3:38 PM |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D |
| Lens: | Canon 17-40 @18 |
| Recording media: | RAW (digital) |
| Tags: | California coast, General, Landscape / travel, San gregorio, Seascape |
| Votes: | 189 |
Comments
Vintage Patrick Smith! A very short exposure for you Patrick!! 
Phil.
Gorgeous light and like the composition with the well placed boulder.
Allan
Thanks Malcolm, Graeme, Simon and Allen!
LOL Phil, just wait until the big winter storms arrive. Then it will be 1/4 seconds or less!
Patrick
Very nice capture Patrick, great light and would like nice in a nice frame on my wall.
Scott
The foreground is magical; coupled with the warm light on the cliffs reflected onto the water, this makes for a really special shot.
Allie
Great composition and a well captured light on that water ... Kris
not sure if I've ever seen a long exposure lilke this and still look like it does, great shot.... 
A gorgeous composition Patrick. Just lovely. I was staring at the image trying to figure out where it was taken. I was thinking it must be down along Highway 1 but I was thinking more south closer to Big Sur. This whole area is gorgeous. There's a great breakfast place a bit further south on the Pescadero Road.
Cheers, Martin
Love this kind of light, its a pleasure to work with.
Wish I was there, you have did this scene justice.
Tommy
Thanks for stopping by!
That could be arranged Scott!
True Paul. I shoudl send it to Microsoft I think! It is the foam moving for two seconds in the current under my feet.
It is unusual Tony. It's because the ripples were stationary while the water continued to move almost like a river.
Martin, this is near Half Moon bay about 20 miles south of San Francisco. I'll have to check out the breakfast place!
Patrick
Yes please do. It's only a couple of miles from San Gregorio beach. Great omlettes with advacado if I remember right
Martin, is the breakfast place actually in Half Moon Bay?
Thanks,
Patrick
The beautiful light and your superb composition make this a very classy shot.
Paul
one of your very best, Sir Smith...........
Fabulous colours! Very different from your recent uploads and I love it................
...and if you still speed up ~2 seconds, it will be perfect for me!
Imagine, what would your 5D say about 2 minutes exposure time at -39 C!??? "Jammin´" ....LOL..........
I better not try it next winter
Jouko
Those rectangular shapes created by the foam are most unusual! Almost like submerged access to a lost world.....
Hi Patrick. No drive along highway 1 through Half Moon bay and keep going for a few miles until you see a turning on your left (small parking area on right) with a sign for Pescadero. Follow that road for a few miles. You'll drive through some farmland and past a couple of farmstands on your left. Keep going until you hit a cross junction. Turn left and the restaurant is the first place on the right. I can't remember the name of it but it's really good. Lots of bikers there on the weekends but still a family place too. We all used to ride (motorcycles) in the mountain roads from Santa Cruz upwards and pop out in Pescadero after coming down from Skyline Blvd. Beautiful area.
Wow, wow and more wow! Just finished my 9-5 day in the lab (which is a long day for a student!) and decided to log on to ePz to see what my favourite photographers had been uploading and well, saw this!!! It must be so nice to watch such an amazing scene after a busy day, I wish the beach in St Andrews looked just like this right now lol! Anyway, Supeb shot, love the colours, light and of course, the composition!
Charlotte
I will need to get a job first Patrick not got much money at the moment, then I may buy one of your amazing print.
Scott
Strangely, I would never have taken this for one of yours, Patrick. Where's the dramatic battle between rugged landscape and violent sea, where's the turbulence, the excitement, the drama? Instead all we have is an image of calming, serene, tranquil beauty!
The play of light falling like a bridge across the water is just stunning. Wonderful work, Patrick.
Such special light my friend, and so well used, the composition is perfect for showing this one off. The detail along the horizon is spectacular.
All the very best
Dougie
Thanks for your comments! We had no internet connection for about 2 hours so I'm behind a bit now!
'Sir Smith' Jouko? I like the sound of that - LOL! Do you really think the shutter would get stuck on long exposures at -40c?
Yes Dennis, they are like windows in a way.
Thanks Martin. I'll have to look for it the next time I'm out that way. You're right, it is extremely scenic out this way.
Yes Charlotte, I remember those days. Those lab classes are very long but you don't get many units for them. But you still need to take them so you end up with very long days! The St. Andrews area looks like a great place for photography. That harbour barrier would be great with a very long exposure of maybe 2 minutes. You may get a bit wet though, LOL!
Thanks Scott, my job is on the edge too so I may be in your situation at any time!
LOL Gill, good enough for me.
Good questions Ian! I'm still waiting for the big winter storms to appear, then a bit more drama I hope. So I'm just taking advantage of a bit of good light because it is usually clear and warm at this time of year until November.
Patrick
A beauty, Pat, I am especially impressed bby the clear-- the clarity of the, water--- and the bits of foam light add so much!---LOL, On almost forgets to look at the long view--- excellent light wat down there, too!
jennnnnn
Superb sky line, wonderful light on the FG water.
Another winner.
Brian.
wonderful light and simple but very effective composition
Yep, it's the simplicity of this shot that makes it for me.....beautiful Patrick.
Debbie
Thanks for checking in! I'm still having a bad internet connection so I'm a bit slow today!
Yes Jennnn, the water was very clear despite the new runoff. It was not a big storm and the water even in the stream was not churned with mud!
Patrick
A wonderful place and a magnificent image. Great light. JNC
Vintage Patrick Smith ! A beautiful clean and unclutterd shot with a superb sky line. Amazing.
Ron
The colour that the light has enhanced from the rock looks good against the orange of the sky. The white areas of water in the fg add well to the fg too
Sean
Love the mist in the background and the superb colours, a wonderful image.
Annette
I love the light colour and composition but I am not so sure about the foam movement. I think it's fascinating from a photographic point of view but aesthetically the jury is out for me.
I enjoyed spending some time on your excellent web site. You must have put some time and effort into it and well worth it it was too!
I have a couple of questions I will PM when I have a little more time.
Simon
Thanks for looking in!
No problem Simon. Feel free to ask any question. Yes it took a long tine to write it and I'm just putting in some code for PayPal. The methods section took some time to and I'll be adding to it in the next month or two.
Patrick
That light is just sublime Patrick, and the rock is perfectly placed.
Martin
I dont know how you do what you do, your images are magical and thats before you see the "fifth element" like the lone forground rock in this, it jumps up even higher.
Another cracker Patrick, one day I will get The PSmith effect...........one day
Steve
Thanks for stopping by!
Steve, I have a 'look?' Well, your look will end up being different than everybody else's. I've tried to imitate other's work, but it always ends up being different. Usually, I just stand around looking for what I like most about a place, then I try to capture it. Usually I have to do it quickly because by the time I realize what it is I like, the light is fading or the tide is turning!
Patrick
Absolutely gorgeous! Well summer ends for us next week, we fall down into the 50s and 40s. Spot on! Click!!!
Greg
To use your own words, Patrick, YOU have nailed it with this capture, aside from the simply gorgeous light on that cliff face, I love the texture of the water you have captured here, and that rock in the foreground just adds another element that completes this landscape beauty.
Eric
(Thank you for your comments today)
isn't it strange how a simple object can make a picture, in this case the foreground rock which balances the image and just brings it altogether.
Like you say, I love the combination of movements here Patrick.
Scotty
Thanks for your comments! Wait until you see the shot I got last night! Very unusual...
Yes Eric, it is interesting how the texture in the water remained for two seconds. It is because of the sand ripples under the water. They stayed in place.
Simple can be best Terry. I'm glad the rock was there!
I'm fine Thomas. Just waiting for some storms to make some big waves for me.
Patrick
WOW, P....Now this really woke me up and it's almost nap-time.....LOL!
This is very nice, and the angle in which you've captured it, made it look as if your on a deserted island.....Enchantment!
Cheers to your cutsie little dragon sharks, and may the flying elephants keep you in good company....LOL!
As Always,
Suz
Sir P???? LOL, sounds like........Slurpy....LOL!
Arctic Watermelon, please.....
A wonderful shot Patrick,beautiful light and colours.Looks great.
Mo.
Fantastic lighting in this seascape Patrick, I like the lone rock.
Pete.
Colours are great - and there's a cool comfortable feel about this photo. ah! Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Nice one sir
Thanks for dropping in!
LOL Jouko!
Thanks Cesie, I had to resist the urge to add in all sorts of things!
Yes Mari, this is the pebble shot gone horribly wrong - LOL!
Patrick
Wonderful sky, and light on the cliff face and rocks in the middle distance Patrick.
A superb image that really forces you to stare..
Great work,
John
Awesome colors Patrick...Another Superb shot from you...regards, Rob.
That was along way down - Patrick this is a beautifully captured image.
Kate
I'm glad to hear the news that the wind has dropped somewhat in your neck of the woods Patrick.
Nigel
A really beautiful image Patrick, the light and colours are gorgeous.
Pete.
Unusual capture of the foam movement Patrick. What is not unusual is the quality of the photograph with some wonderful low, warm lighting.
Mark
The large version uploaded slowly, with the top part of the picture sitting on the screen for a while before the bottom half appeared. It struck me how the top half made a really stunning panorama.
The full picture is just perfection.
Sandra
Thanks Pete and Dave!
Yes Nigel, the fog is moving in right now and it is cooling off a bit! Lots of smoke in the air still though.
Mark, the foam is very unusual. I was actually going for something else when I noticed this movement, then I chased it around until I got it right.
Sandra, I hadn't though about the pano crop, but it does work!
Patrick
Everything has been said but I just need to say how wonderful I think this is..just brilliant.
Di
Patrick,
Another inspirational image, I love your work...
Gavin ...
Just love the light and colours Patrick...
Great work...
Don
Stunning .... took me a while to get down here lol !!
Bert
Oh my...what...LIGHT...
...Patrick, this is luscious. The wisps in the foreground...plus the light glowing the cliff face and bouncing off those rocks in the sand...mmmm...
A...
HI Patrick,
Wonderful lighting,shadows,detail,rocks,colour/tones and composition.Class work.Take care.Ann
A beautiful beachscape Patrick, wonderful light and composition
Amazing light and detail Partrick. The long exposure certainly worked a treat here. Wonderful warm colour tones.
Great shot, Patrick. The patterns made by the foam add a nice touch too.
Ted
Thanks for looking!
I liked the foam too Ted, but only when I got back to see it on the computer. I just did it as an experiment, but will try it in more places now.
Patrick
Lovely light on the cliff but it's the expertly placed foreground rock that does this for me.
I like that contrast of the ripples and the soft flowing water because of the long exposure - beautiful as ever!
Jacqueline
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