On a business trip between San Francisco and San Jose, we decided to make the drive a photo opp, and took the Pacific Coast Highway as far as we could. It was a beautiful day and I managed to capture some great images. Once again, my trusty Rokinon 14mm lens came in very handy. Enjoy.
The Devil's Slide
Devil's Slide is a coastal promontory in California, United States. It lies on theSan Mateo County coast between Pacifica and Montara. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Devil's Slide was also the location of a military triangulation station and observation site used during World War II as part of the harbor defense of San Francisco. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
I'm always amazed at how much detail I can bring out when shooting in RAW. This high contrast scene could not have been shot in a single image - and retain all the detail seen, without either Camera RAW or HDR. In this image, I opted just for Camera RAW.
A view of the Ritz-Carlton hotel, just off the PCH.
This is an HDR image (four frames, hand-held) shot with my Rokinon 14mm lens. Between the HDR merge, and localized corrections in Lightroom, I was able to take an essentially backlit scene and render detail where I wanted it. This location was an awesome find on our way down to San Jose. The Pigeon Point Lighthouse is an historical landmark, and while it is no longer in service, the area provides a beautiful hostel for travellers.
My infra-red style visualization of the view from Pigeon Point. I love how black and white images instantly make you more aware of shape and form.
The sunny-side view of the lighthouse. A much easier image to make, with not nearly as much post processing as the backlit, HDR image seen in this set.
Watching the water envelope and then drain away from this vegetation encrusted rock was mesmerizing. I think I captured a half dozen images of the movement, but settled on these two shots to sum up the activity.
Sometimes, black and white just makes sense. These old wooden deck chairs (I call them Muskoka chairs), really give a sense of the age and wear at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel.
Massive geranium bushes surround this tired park bench, which sits in front of one of the hostel's cottages.