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It seems that if I am anywhere along the coast south of San Francisco and it
appears that there might be a chance for a good sunset I inevitably head
towards Pigeon Point Lighthouse. On this day I had headed towards Four
Mile Beach near Santa Cruz but turned around as the clouds got further and
further from the coast. It looked like the only way to catch the clouds
was to head back north. Maybe it was me but it seemed that Pigeon Point
was once again the best spot. Clouds to the north looked more sparse and
to the south none at all. Initially I set up just north of the lighthouse
but as the sunset began to approach I realized there rocks I wanted in the
scene where not quite in the right spot. I headed down to the lighthouse
and set up in my usual location but realized the sun would be blocked by the
lighthouse. With only a few minutes to spare I jumped back in the car and
drove just south of the lighthouse and down to the cliffs. It was
perfect as I was able to pop the trunk and setup right behind the car.
Within minutes other cars were pulling in. By the time the sunset was in
full force there was a line of cars parked along Highway One just above me.
It turned out to be a great day for a sunset and I had both my D200 and D300
on tripods taking a shot every few seconds. My wife had to laugh at my
frantic switching between the camera and between the wide angle and zoom
lens. As it turned out, the D200 got this shot with the 70-200mm lens
zoomed almost all the way out. We waited till the last of the light and
everyone else had left just enjoying the moment without taking any more
shots. Sometimes I am so busy getting the shot I sometimes forget to just
relax and take it all in. The ocean at night is quite relaxing. We
drove back up the coast and sat down at a local restaurant that overlooks
the coast and enjoyed a meal outdoors next to a fire. All in all, a great
California day. I'll get a shot of the sunset without the lighthouse some
other day.
Darv
© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Photography
