Fetch!
I can safely say that I’m an East Coast photographer, especially when it comes to beaches. All of my beach photos have been taken on the that side of the country, so I’m used to a certain routine. Knowing that the sun will rise from the horizon and be pointing pretty much right into my lens within minutes after sunrise, I have to get to the beach about 1 hour before sunrise. I set up my equipment, watch the sky change colors along with the clouds, etc. By about 30 minutes to a maximum of 1 hour after sunrise, it’s time to head to the house. Shootings over.
Well, I tried to use my same technique here on the left, er, west coast. Nope, it doesn’t work. First of all, down here in Carmel, the mountains prevent the sun from showing itself until about 8:30 – 9:00 AM. Add to that all of the coastal fog that sometimes hangs around all day and you get less than spectacular sunrises and no sunsets! 
As MJ, Monterey John, says: We don’t do sunrises! How true.
Luther & Flash (dog)
This morning I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to photograph the fog, contemplating the fog, if you will. It was such a different environment. Nothing is in sharp relief. Everything is low contrast. I kept thinking that there was something wrong with my auto focus. Nothing seemed sharp!
A sunset, of sorts
I didn’t really come up with anything worthwhile, except for some experience points, but it was fun. I spent some 2 1/2 hours out exploring. It was well worth the effort.
Tomorrow morning, I think that I’ll stay in bed for a while, grab a bite to eat, then hit the road about 8:30 … West Coast style!!!
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3 Responses to “We don’t do sunrises!”
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Paul – your post made me smile as I can relate directly to your experience when I was in Carmel. Got up real early, all fired up to do some shooting, and found that I was cooling my jets for quite awhile.
However, I love fog. And mornings in that area are perfect for doing all sorts of stuff as long as you can find the right combination of subjects. And – sometimes the best stuff is happening in the western sky for sunrise.
Velcome to Kali-fornia Herr Paul (in the Governator’s voice). Sorry about the Bay Bridge fiasco. I’ve never had a problem there at mid-day. Oh well
We’ll try to make up for it tomorrow!
I love the mood in these especially the first one!